This week’s parasha opens with the bringing of first fruits (bikkurim) to the Temple and the statement made by the person who brings them. That statement is what is read and expounded at the beginning of the Passover Haggadah, where the verses serve to summarize the history of the Children of Israel. They establish a strong connection to our identity and remind us that when we are successful and content, we must give thanks for all the bounty we enjoy — and to be concerned for welfare of the landless Levites and the resident aliens. Further on, in connection with the commandment to give tithes, we read that we must give to the widow and the orphan as well.
Actually, we are to look after all those in need. The Torah contains mitzvot between humans and God and mitzvot between oneself and one’s fellow human being. Without ethical behavior, religious ritual is meaningless. The prophet Isaiah rebukes all who take unfair advantage of others:
“That you come to appear before Me — Who asked that of you? To trample My courts …
Your new moons and fixed seasons fill Me with loathing …
Though you pray at length, I will not listen.
Your hands are stained with crime.”
We must fulfill his request: “Devote yourselves to justice … Uphold the rights of the orphan; Defend the cause of the widow.”
Only in that way can we be truly religious people.
