Joseph’s early life was filled with tragedy. He was hated and betrayed by his brothers. He was thrown into a pit and his father made to believe he was dead. He was sold into slavery and carried down to Egypt where he was sold yet again. And just when things started looking up his master’s wife tried to seduce him. When he refused her advances she brought up false charges against him and he was thrown into prison. It so happens that Joseph found himself in Pharaoh’s dungeon alongside two former employees of the king. Both the royal cupbearer and the royal baker had been thrown into prison because they had displeased Pharaoh in some capacity. One night they both had troubling dreams and told them to Joseph who interpreted them. For the cupbearer, Joseph said that his dream was to let him know he would be restored to his position within three days. Joseph said the baker’s dream, however, signified that within three days he would be executed. Both of these dreams came to pass just as Joseph had interpreted them. When the cupbearer was released, Joseph asked him to put in a good word for him with Pharaoh. The cupbearer forgot, however, and exactly two years after Pharaoh’s cupbearer was released from prison Pharaoh woke to a disturbing dream of his own—in fact, two parallel dreams.

Pharaoh’s first dream was that he was standing near the Nile and seven plump, fat cows rose up from the river and began grazing nearby. Then, immediately, seven other cows who were emaciated looking came up out of the Nile as well. But rather than grazing alongside the first seven cows, they ate them instead. Pharaoh awoke, but fell back to sleep and had a similar dream to the first. He saw seven ears of plump, healthy grain growing on one stalk. Then immediately, he saw seven more ears of grain that were withered and diseased that sprouted up and consumed the original, healthy ears of grain.

The Responsibility of Influence

Parashat Ki Tavo is so named because of its open verse, which says, “When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it …” (Deuteronomy 26:1). The words ki tavo mean “when you come.” Thus, this parashah is focused on the responsibility of the Children of Israel when they arrive in the land promised to them by Hashem. The first few paragraphs address bringing the bikkurim, the first fruits of the land to the LORD and the ceremony surrounding this procedure. After this Hashem gives Israel a reminder of their responsibility as a people who are consecrated to the LORD: 

This day the LORD your God commands you to do these statutes and rules. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared today that the LORD is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice. (Deuteronomy 27:16–17)

Immediately following this, instructions are given to renew the covenant through a ritual which includes dividing up the tribes and set them onto two mountains: the Mount of Blessing (Mount Gerizim) and the Mount of Curses (Mount Ebal). The Levites are to command them from the valley between the two. The ones on Mount Gerizim are to bless the nation and the ones on Mount Ebal are to repeat a series of curses, to which all of the people will affirm, “Amen.” The specific curses that are to be recited are listed in verses 15-26. Two of these, however, are connected in a way that may not be obvious at first. Let’s look at these two curses and find the link between them:

“Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.” (Deuteronomy 27:18)