Ki Tavo 5771: Blessings, Thanksgiving and New Beginnings

Please see the photos at http://www.pressconnects.com/ for the devastation suffered by thousands of residents of the Binghtamton Southern Tier area.  Fortunately our farm was well outside of the flooded area.  However, many of our neighbors suffered lots of damage to their farms from the waters as well as from oil tanks that leaked etc.  There are many relief projects going on in the area.  Please consider giving to: Hay for Holly (see the facebook page).  It is a group of people helping raise money to feed the alpaca and sheep this winter for our neighbors Holly and Todd whose farm was flooded and then contaminated by leaky oil tanks and other debris that fell into their land during the flood.  

For more information on tithing or the "maasar" in the Bible see:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maaser_Rishon, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maaser_Sheni.  An interesting view on tithing can be found here:  http://www.pidyon.com/latest-writings/halacha/10-maaser/48-computing-maaser-how-much-tzedakah-charity-do-i-owe.html.