Ki Tavo
Rabbi Schapiro on the Parshah: Ki Tavo
Traces the din that bikurim require a keli, and that a poor man's cheap reed basket is given to the kohen along with the fruit while a rich man's silver or gold basket is returned, to a Chassidic remez in which bikurim represents the neshamos of Yisrael, called reishis just as the Bnei Yisrael and the Torah are both called reishis before creation. Explains why bikurim precedes terumah, since the machshavah of Yisrael's neshamos preceded even the machshavah of Torah. Applies this to the neshama's own descent into a physical body, a yeridah tzorech aliyah that lets it fulfill Hashem's desire for a dirah b'tachtonim, showing why mitzvot done through the lowest, most physical actions accomplish the deepest purpose of that descent.
Parshas Ki Savo
A vort on Parshas Ki Savo exploring the mitzvah of bringing the first fruits as an expression of gratitude for the land and its produce.