Shalom,

As we reach the end of the Torah and the Israelites are approaching the promised land, Moshe gives a speech to the Israelites highlighting what is called “Bikkurim”. The direct definition of Bikkurim is the commandment to bring your first ripe fruit when they are in season to the Beit HaMikdash in gratitude to Hashem for the gift of your fruit grown in the land of Israel. You might be thinking, 40 years walking in the desert with terrible conditions, extreme heat, non-stop walking. Everyone must be so tired and did all of this insane journey just to get to Israel, and right before they arrive, MOSES IS TALKING ABOUT FRUIT!? Truth be told, Bikkurim were never about the fruit. It was about the beauty of what Eretz Israel was, and the yearly reminder of how beautiful this gift is that Hashem gave us. A land that flows with milk and honey, and has been blessed by Hashem; how beautiful is it that we get to live here. 

Fast forward 3,000 years, and we no longer do Bikkurim; there is no Beit HaMikdash. But there is something that is still there that has survived thousands of years of persecution, conquest, war, bloodshed, and tears, and that would be our home of Israel. As an Israeli-American, my Zionist identity is very dear to me. I am Israeli, and nobody can change that about me. For others, they may be very proudly Jewish but not necessarily very connected to Israel. So when you ask someone like me, what defines a Zionist? I would give you an answer like, “Zionism is the belief that Jewish people have a right to live in their native homeland of Israel”. Whereas if you were to ask the other, they might say something along the lines of “Zionism is Israeli patriotism”. Two very different opinions, one topic, one religion. You might be thinking now, how do we find a definition to this complex structure that is Zionism if there are such vast opinions? And to nobody’s surprise, there isn’t a clear answer to this as well. But after learning about Parshat Ki Tavo, and the mitzvah of Bikkurim, the answer is right there in the text.

Bikkurim is Zionism. Bikkurim isn’t asking you to define what Israel is to you. It isn’t asking you to have a political debate, or prove your opinion right and the other wrong. All it asks of you is to bring your fruit from the first batch to the Beit HaMikdash to give thanks for what you have in front of you. I could care less about what you want to define Zionism as; at the end of the day, we are all B’nei Israel who have our history deeply rooted in the land, and no matter how you say it or do it, we are entitled to our form of Bikkurim and the way we cherish our home. Modern-day Zionism is finding happiness in your Judeo-Israeli identity no matter what that is. Nobody should be pressuring you into making an opinion. Your Jewish heritage comes from the land of Israel no matter how deep your connection is. So my wish for this Shabbat is that all of us Jewish people dive into our connection to Israel and find our own special meaning with the land, so that one day we can all say Bikkurim together as one Am Israel.

Shabbat Shalom and Am Israel Chai, 
Ben Zion Marcoschamer
Kol Harim BBYO #828, Eastern Region #6: North Carolina Council