This week’s parsha opens with the mitzvah of Bikurim which is to bring a portion of the first ripened fruits of the new season to the Beit Hamikdash (the Holy Temple), present them to a Kohen (Priest), and make a declaration of thanks to the Almighty for giving the Jewish people the holy land of Israel and its produce. When making the declaration the Torah states, וְעָנִיתָ וְאָמַרְתָּ לִפְנֵי ד' אלקיך which Rashi translates as, "And you shall lift up your voice and say." Why does the Torah find it important to make this declaration in a loud voice?

Sfas Emet answers that whatever way we endeavor to sustain ourselves, we face the challenge of forgetting the guiding hand of Hashem and thinking that our efforts will determine our success. Farming is different because a farmer can’t ignore that the growth of his crops depend on factors that are beyond his control such as rain. There is nothing he can do other than pray to Hashem. Therefore, he fervently pours out his heart and pleads with Hashem for the proper conditions for a successful crop. However, once the crops grow he too will face the challenge of thinking that it was his efforts that bore fruit. He therefore brings the first of his new fruits to the Beit HaMikdash to acknowledge that it was Hashem who blessed him with success.

But even as he pronounces the declaration of thanks, subconsciously he might still be of the notion that he too played a role in his success. Unlike before his crops grew when he passionately beseeched Hashem for his mercy he now expresses his thanks somewhat half-heartedly.

Therefore the Torah tells the farmer to express his thanks in a loud voice. It is common for a person begging Hashem for His mercy to emotionally cry out in a loud voice. The Torah is teaching us to thank Hashem for His kindness with the same intense emotion as when we prayed for His mercy. That comes from the deep realization that the blessing of new crops is solely in the hands of the Almighty.

Amuka, located in the north of Israel, is the burial place of the Mishnaic sage Yonatan ben Uziel. There is a tradition that his burial place is an auspicious place for one’s prayers to find a spouse. Many people pour out their hearts there to Hashem to send them their partner in life. A married woman was once praying there with noticeable happiness. Noticing an onlooker’s curiosity she explained that she too had difficulty finding her match and came to Amuka to pour out her heart. Shortly afterwards she met the man that became her husband. She felt that if she came here to cry out in pain, it was only right to return here to joyfully express her thanks.

That’s the message of making the thanksgiving declaration of Bikurim out loud. Thank Hashem in the same way that you pray to Him.

Shabbat Shalom!
Yitzchak