Reply To: Short & Sweet

Ki Savo: Don’t Deny It

When one brings his ביכורים to the Beis HaMikdosh, one is required to recite a long list of all the good that Hashem has done for us as a nation. Rashi explains that this is so we shouldn’t be כפוי טובה, deniers of the good that Hashem has given us. But why does Rashi say this as a double negative, don’t deny, instead of just saying the simpler phrase הכרת הטוב, recognize the good?

Many suggest that in truth, we can never fully acknowledge everything Hashem has done for us. Literally everything we have is a gift from Hashem: we could never make a list of His gifts that is close to complete. All we can do is not deny how much Hashem has given us.

As we approach Rosh Hashanah, we should be careful not to think only of the all the things that we’d like to ask of Hashem. We must also recognize, or at least not deny, how much Hashem has given to us, and how much we really owe Him.

לעילוי נשמת ר׳ חיים דוב בן בןציון שלום