Deuteronomy · Weekly Torah portion
Parashat Ki Tavoכִּי־תָבוֹא
Torah reading
Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8
Haftarah
Isaiah 60:1-22
What happens in Ki Tavo
When you enter the land — ki tavo — bring your first fruits in a basket and recite the story: 'My father was a wandering Aramean...' — the declaration that became the backbone of the Passover Haggadah. Blessings are to be proclaimed from Mount Gerizim and warnings from Mount Ebal, followed by the great tochecha, a long and harrowing rebuke. Moses closes: 'You have seen all that God did... but God has not given you a heart to know until this day.'
Big themes
- Gratitude out loud
- Knowing your story
- Warnings taken seriously
If this is your bar or bat mitzvah portion
The first-fruits ritual scripts gratitude: you bring the basket and retell where you came from. Ki Tavo says memory and thanks are performed, not just felt. At a bar or bat mitzvah, standing up and telling the story is the mitzvah.
Learning to chant Ki Tavo?
Ready 13 builds a verse-by-verse practice plan for this exact portion — chanted reference audio, karaoke highlighting, trope games, and a countdown that keeps the big day on track.
Start Free Trial