In this week’s parasha, Ki Tavo, Moses instructs the Israelites on the laws surrounding the bikkurim, the first fruits. He tells the people, “When you come in to the Land … you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the Land … and put it in a basket; and you shall go to the place which the Lord your God will choose to place His name there. … You shall speak and say before the Lord your God, ’An Aramean nomad was my father, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there with a small number of people, and became there a nation great, mighty and populous.’ ” (Deut 26:1-5)

This seems like a curious utterance to include in a blessing regarding the first fruits of the land. Would it not make more sense just to say what is written in verses 8-10? As it is written:  “And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm … and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the land, which You, O Lord, have given me” (Deut 26:8-10).

Many commentators have also wrestled with this question, particularly wondering about the phrase “arami oved avi.” Most translations of this is “a wandering Aramean was my father,” but some commentators have argued that it should be translated instead as “an Aramean sought to destroy my father.” In this case, the Torah would be referring to Laban trying to destroy Jacob. Nineteenth century Polish commentator the Netziv argues for this translation because it forms a solid connection between the Jacob and Laban story and the laws of the bikkurim related to the Israelites entering the Holy Land. 

God saw how Jacob was suffering under the rule of Laban and exiled him to Egypt. Similarly, God saw how the Israelites were suffering in Egypt and exiled them into the desert. Though Jacob’s original journey to Egypt was hard, he ultimately thrived and built a great nation. In the same vein, the Israelites suffered in the desert but, in the end, also formed a great nation and entered the Holy Land that was promised to them.

Have you ever felt that you were being punished by God or the universe for no reason? I know I have. Next time you start to feel that way, remember that God did not exile Jacob to Egypt and the Israelites to the desert for no reason, but as part of a divine plan to bring them to where they are meant to go and to thrive. 

This is why the Israelites are instructed to include the story of “arami oved avi” in their blessing for the first fruits, so they never forget that God is always watching over them and that they are a part of a greater divine plan to thrive in the land of Israel. 

Mira Davis is cantorial intern at Congregation B’nai Amoona and is a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association, which coordinates the weekly d’var Torah for the Jewish Light.