God has invested in us talents and it is up to us to use them for the good. It is in our hands. We are not fated, we can change our future.

Ki Tavo: What Are We Doing With God’s Investment?

This week’s parsha, Ki Tavo, begins with the mitzvah of Bikkurim, bringing the first fruits to the Temple.

The Land of Israel was blessed with seven species, and after working throughout the year—planting, tending, harvesting—the farmer finally sees the fruits of his labor. He takes the first and best of those fruits and brings them to Jerusalem as an expression of gratitude to God.

But what does he say when he gets there?

He doesn’t simply say, “Thank You, God, for giving me a successful harvest.”

Instead, he tells our national story.

He remembers where we came from. He recalls the difficult beginnings of our ancestors. He remembers our slavery in Egypt, our suffering, and how God took us out of Egypt and brought us to the Land of Israel.

Why tell that entire story while holding a basket of fruit?

Because the Torah is teaching us that success must be understood in context.

The farmer worked hard. He planted. He watered. He harvested. His success did not simply fall from heaven. But at the same time, he must recognize that his success was not his alone. God gave him the land, the rain, the strength, the intelligence, and the opportunity to succeed.

The declaration of the first fruits also reminds us of something else: our past does not have to determine our future.

We were slaves, and we became a free nation.

We came from difficult beginnings, and we built a society.

We therefore should never believe that we are fated to remain trapped by whatever difficulties confront us. Whether those challenges are economic, social, national, or personal, God gives us tools and abilities with which we can confront them. The question is what we choose to do with those tools.

I am reminded of a famous American talk-show host who described his talent as something that had been loaned to him by God. His idea was that eventually God would ask him: What did you do with the talent I loaned you?

There is a powerful idea there.

Perhaps we can put it slightly differently. Our talents are not merely loans. They are investments.

God invests abilities in each of us. One person may have intelligence, another leadership ability, another compassion, another creativity, another the ability to teach or inspire others.

And eventually we have to ask ourselves:

What did I do with God’s investment in me?

That is one of the great lessons of Ki Tavo.

When we experience success, we should certainly take pride in the work we have done. But we should also remember where we came from, recognize the gifts that made our achievements possible, and be grateful to God for investing those abilities in us.

And the same is true collectively.

Ki Tavo reminds us that we are not merely individuals. We are a nation with a shared history, a shared destiny, and shared responsibilities.

God has invested extraordinary talents in our people. The question is not simply what talents we possess.

The question is:

What are we doing with them?

Something to think about.