020 - Embodied Chassidus: Ki Savo

Ki Savo, Bikkurim, and the Torah’s Blueprint for Manifestation

This week’s parsha, Ki Savo, is one of those portions that feels like it’s speaking directly into our lives as women trying to juggle family, business, health, and soul. On the surface, it’s about farmers in Eretz Yisroel bringing the very first fruits of their harvest to Yerushalayim. But underneath? It’s really about how we relate to the “first sparks” of energy in our own lives.

The Torah doesn’t tell us to wait until we’ve harvested everything, until we’ve built up enough abundance, until we feel secure, and then bring an offering. It tells us: bring from the very first. That first fig, that first grape, that first pomegranate — don’t eat it, don’t hoard it, don’t wait. Set it aside and bring it to Hashem.

That’s the heart of Bikkurim: giving back from the beginning. First fruits equal first alignment.

Stop Waiting Until You’re “Ready”

If you’re anything like me, you probably feel the urge to wait until things look good before offering them up. I’ll share my work when it’s polished. I’ll feel holy when my mornings look consistent. I’ll show up fully when my kids behave or my house is calmer or my business reaches a milestone.

But Ki Savo is reminding us: don’t wait. Holiness is found in the beginning, in the raw spark, in the imperfect first step.

It’s the first sip of coffee with a quick “thank you Hashem.” The first email draft, even if it’s messy. The first breath you take before snapping at your child. That’s Bikkurim.

You Come First

There’s a teaching from our sages that asks: what came first, Torah or the Jewish people? It would make sense to say Torah, right? But again and again the Torah itself says things like “Speak to the Jewish people” and “Command the Jewish people.” That shows us something radical: we come first.

What does that mean? That your soul, your essence, your connection with Hashem is primary. Torah exists to reveal what’s already true about you — not to make you worthy.

This changes everything. Because how often do we think we have to earn closeness to Hashem? As if once we learn enough, pray enough, or do enough, then we’ll deserve connection. But your essence is already His “first fruit.” Torah just helps it shine out into the world.

Hashem Wants You As You Are

One of the most powerful pieces of Ki Savo is the reminder that Hashem’s love and delight in you are unconditional. He doesn’t need you to be the perfect Torah scholar, or the most organized homemaker, or the coach with the polished website. He’s in the field with you — in the middle of your messy life, while you’re making dinner with a toddler on your hip — smiling at you.

That means whatever you bring, even if it feels small or imperfect, is cherished.

You don’t need to put on a show to be received. You just need to show up.

Even One Grain Counts

Another layer I love: there’s no minimum measure for Bikkurim. Even one grain or berry offered with awareness fulfills the whole mitzvah.

How freeing is that? It means in our own lives, it’s not about quantity. You don’t need a whole perfect harvest to be in alignment. The tiniest moment of awareness — one grain, one breath, one thought — can shift everything.

Think about it in nervous system terms: when you’re overwhelmed, it doesn’t take a full hour-long practice to reset. Sometimes one slow exhale can change your whole state. That’s Bikkurim energy. Even one grain is enough to sanctify the whole field.

The Small Stuff Matters

And here’s where it gets really embodied: every thought, every word, every action is part of your Bikkurim. Even the ones you think don’t matter.

That quick smile to your spouse. That two-second pause before responding to your kid. That tiny draft you finally open in your business. Those are not “extra credit.” They are the offering.

So many of us write off the small moments, thinking they don’t count unless they’re big, impressive, or Instagram-worthy. But Ki Savo says the opposite. The small stuff is the holy stuff.

Manifestation Torah-Style

Now let’s talk manifestation, because tying the "no minimum quantity" concept of Bikkurim from Ki Savo into a well-known Mishnah gives us the clearest Torah-based framework for it. We hear so much about aligning energy, raising vibration, setting intentions — but the Mishnah tells us how it actually works.

It says: make your will like Hashem’s will, and He will make His will like your will.

Read that again: you align your will with Hashem’s, and then He aligns His will with yours. And Bikkurim shows that the "alignment" has no minimum quantity. That first shift in consciousness and awareness is enough to make that magic happen.

That’s not just poetry — it’s the mechanism of manifestation. It’s not about hustling to force reality or bypassing your desires as if they don’t matter. It’s about alignment. When you soften into true, heart-centered desire — not the frantic hustle kind, but the calm, regulated kind — your will fuses with Hashem’s.

And from that place, reality bends. Hashem Himself responds by aligning with you.

This is what Elul is about. Ani l’dodi v’dodi li. I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. I reach up, He responds. From below to Above, and from Above to below. A feedback loop of love.

A Short Practice You Can Try

Let’s bring this into the body.

• Sit comfortably, feet on the floor.

• Bring to mind one desire alive in you right now.

• Place a hand on your heart and whisper inwardly: “I align this desire with Hashem’s will.”

• Inhale as if Hashem’s will is flowing into you from Above.

• Exhale as if your will is rising up toward Him.

• Let your breath become the cycle of Ani l’dodi v’dodi li.

Even three breaths like this are Bikkurim. Even one conscious moment can shift your whole nervous system and sanctify your whole “field.”

Living Bikkurim in Daily Life

So how do we live this, practically?

• In family life: The first hug in the morning, the first tone of voice you use at dinner — that’s Bikkurim.

• In your body: The first sip of water, the first step outside, the first pause before you respond — that’s Bikkurim.

• In your business: The first spark of an idea, the first email draft, the first sale, even if it’s small — that’s Bikkurim.

The point isn’t waiting until it’s big or impressive. The point is to take the first spark and align it. Because even one grain is enough. Even one thought counts.

Journaling Prompts for the Week

• What are your “first fruits” right now — the first sparks of thought, action, or desire — and how can you offer them to Hashem?

• How does it feel to know you are Hashem’s “first,” unconditionally, even without perfection?

• What is one “small grain” of thought, word, or action you can consciously dedicate as Bikkurim this week?

• How does the idea of Hashem aligning His will with yours change the way you understand manifestation?

Closing

Ki Savo isn’t just about ancient farmers carrying baskets of figs. It’s about us — women balancing kids, work, spiritual life, relationships, and our own nervous systems.

Your first sparks — those tiny, imperfect beginnings — aren’t extra. They are the essence. They are your spiritual life.

And when you bring them forward with awareness, they don’t just bless your own field. They ripple out into the world, co-creating revealed Geulah right here, right now.

So this week? Don’t wait until it’s polished. Don’t wait until you feel “ready.” Bring your first fruits. They’re enough. And they’re holy.