Parshat Ki Tavo opens with the commandment of bikkurim: the requirement to offer the first fruits, just like the farmers brought their fruits as offerings to the Beit HaMikdash. As expressed in this week’s parsha verses, these offerings remind us, “Arami oved avi.” Meaning, our ancestors escaped slavery, wandered the desert, and were ultimately redeemed and given the holy Land of Israel. 

Ki Tavo contains a series of commandments, but it also holds a valuable lesson in gratitude. As the farmer brings his fruits to the priest, he does not brag or complain of the labors he worked to produce them, he remembers the plight of his forefathers and how their hardships allowed him to be grateful for the ability to labor. 

The level of gratitude the Torah speaks of goes beyond the surface of just saying “thank you,” but being able to share your gratitude with others in the form of an offering. The goal is to simultaneously thank God for the ability to sow and toil while remembering that our ancestors did not have the same privilege of freedom to work the land for themselves.  Even more than the lesson of gratitude, the parsha teaches the value of balancing individuality with peoplehood. Our actions are not simply a reflection of our present, but they are a product of our past and what has given us the ability to perform in the present.

“Armi oved avi” is the part of the Torah we refer to at the Pesach Seder. When we tell the stories of our ancestors at the Pesach seder, we become the farmer in Ki Tavo, connecting ourselves in the ongoing story of the Jewish people and God’s generosity. When we encounter a blessing, we should appreciate the fruit, but, on a deeper level, we must acknowledge the story that gave rise to it. Our Gratitude deepens when we remember we are a part of a story bigger than ourselves.