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will correspond to the three higher sefirot of Binah, Chochmah, and £Dedicating Our First Fruits£Dedicating Our First FruitsDedicating Our First Fruits
Keter. £
The first mitzvah, corresponding to the sefirah of Binah, is
teshuvah. This mitzvah is usually translated as repentance, but in In Chassidut the first fruits represent much more than just an annual
a deeper sense means returning to God. In this context, perpetual agricultural offering. The first fruits symbolize the “first”: the initial
teshuvah means that in the Messianic era human consciousness will thought, intention, or inspiration that comes to mind in a host of
be raised to such a level that people will constantly be turning to situations, not to mention, one’s initial gut-feeling or instinctive
God, the soul will be continuously engaged in drawing closer to its response to various circumstances. The more we have clarified
Divine source, thus fulfilling the Talmudic dictum that one should and refined our consciousness, the more we can trust these initial
spend “all one’s days in teshuvah” (Shabbat 153a). reactions, thoughts, and insights.
The second mitzvah, corresponding to the sefirah of Chochmah, The first words a Jew speaks in the morning are: “Thankful am I
is learning Torah. In this context, the obligation to learn Torah before You, living and eternal King, that You returned within me
extends beyond learning the appropriate books to attaining a state of my soul with compassion – great is Your faithfulness.” This simple
consciousness that will allow all of one’s life experiences to be filtered but profound expression of thanksgiving, acknowledging God’s
through the Torah, as if one was wearing “Torah-colored glasses.” compassion and strength, is designed to help us start a new day on
Thus, at every moment in one’s life, deeper and deeper aspects of the right foot. Dedicating our first conscious thoughts and words of
Torah will be revealed.
the day to praising God is like bringing the first fruits. Those who
The third mitzvah, corresponding to the sefirah of Keter, is pray the morning prayers first thing in the morning before becoming
that of Kiddush Hashem (Sanctifying God’s Name). Colloquially, involved in more worldly pursuits are also symbolically dedicating
the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem often refers to the willingness to their first fruits to God. 19
martyr one’s self for God. However, in the future, every breath of
life, every thought and action will contribute to the sanctification of
God’s name. This mitzvah corresponds to the highest sefirah of Keter
because through it human consciousness and God will intersect and
unify in a relationship of eternal sanctity. £Torah-Colored GlassesTorah-Colored GlassesTorah-Colored Glasses
££
Although these three mitzvot will only become perpetual in the
future, even now we can accustom ourselves to integrating their
essences into our consciousness. The six continual mitzvot and In studying Ki Teitzei, we learned how the mitzvah of building a
guardrail around the roof of a new house symbolizes the need to create
the mitzvah of perpetual prayer already provide the Jew with a
fundamental orientation, creating the proper parameters for a life a disciplined plan of action to put our New Year’s resolutions into
effect, so that we do not squander our newly found, highly elevated
of holiness and purity, a Divine space where the soul can find refuge
and peace of mind. ideals. Without discipline and a workable plan, we will inevitably
“fall off the roof,” returning to our prior levels of consciousness.
The Ba’al Shem Tov taught a similar message using the basket in
which the first fruits were placed. He taught that the three Hebrew
letters of the word for basket (tene) were an acronym for ta’amim, the

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