Rabbi Roodyn

This week’s sedra contains the mitzvah of vidui maaser, where the farmer has to make a verbal declaration at the end of the Biblical tax year, that he has fulfilled his obligations in giving the various tithes to their intended recipients. At the end of this declaration he says that since we have met our obligations, we can now also hope that You, Hashem will grant us the blessings that you promised to us.

Rav Hirsch notes that it is at with this mitzvah that the giving of the law is concluded. The final two mitzvos of Hakhel, gathering the people together on the sukkos after the shmitta year and the mitzvah of writing a sefer torah, relate to the entirety of Torah whose laws have now been concluded. Both these mitzvos serve, in different ways, to preserve the Torah in its totality in the hearts and the minds of the people.

It is interesting to note that this mitzvah of vidui maaser is a unique one, nowhere else in the Torah do we have to make a verbal statement that we have done a mitzvah. Rav Hirsch deduces from here that we see how much importance the Torah attaches to these mitzvos and that the realisation of the principles behind these mitzvos furthers the aims that correspond to the goal of the entire Torah.

The three tithes teach us that we are meant to use our material resources for the purposes set by Hashem for these tithes, purposes of the spirit, of the body and of the welfare of our fellow man. Through the Torah we enlighten the spirit, this is maaser rishon, which was given to the Leviim for their service in the Temple and for teaching Torah. Through moral purity we care for the body, as represented by maaser sheini which is eaten in the Holy city.  Finally, through our devotion to a sense of duty we promote the welfare of our fellow man via maaser oni, which is given to the poor.

The realisation of these three purposes encompass the sum total of our national mission. We are to build a national life whose material endeavours are committed to a realisation of these purposes. In doing so, we free ourselves from the ego and moral corruption. It is through living this way that we can get as close to perfection as is humanly possible. Once we have internalised these ideas and are committed to living with them, we can then call to Hashem and request His blessings and protection and His blessings that we should be granted the resources to be able to carry out this noble mission.