Judaism

Bechukotai Sidra Summary

“Any tithe of cattle or of the flock, any that passes under the staff, the tenth one shall be holy to G-d” (Vayikra 27:32)

1ST ALIYA (KOHEN) – VAYIKRA 26:3-5

G-d promises that if we keep His laws, then He will provide rain, the Land will give plenty of produce and we will not suffer any physical threat from enemies.

2ND ALIYA (LEVI) – 26:6-9

More blessings are promised if we follow G-d’s will. Wild beasts will withdraw from the Land and our enemies “will fall before us”. G-d will make us fruitful and multiply our numbers.

3RD ALIYA (SHLISHI) – 26:10-46

This aliyah opens with further blessings if we choose the right path – a huge abundance of crops and a tangible sense of G-d’s presence amongst us: “I will walk among you, I will be G-d unto you and you will be a people unto Me”. However, it then continues with the tochacha, the Passage of Retribution, which is recited in an undertone by the person reading from the Torah. If we do not listen to G-d and do not observe the mitzvot, the consequences will be grave. Five stages of punishments are listed. These include: being captured by enemies, the Land being unproductive, livestock being destroyed, famine, hunger and being chased from the Land but finding no comfort on foreign soils. Eventually, however, G-d will remember His covenant with the forefathers. He will never fully reject Israel. Point to Consider: With which transgression does Rashi associate the onset of the retribution? (26:14)

4TH ALIYA (REVI’I) – 27:1-15

One is able to make a vow pledging to give one’s monetary value or the monetary value of someone else, to the Temple. These gifts are referred to as erechin (‘valuations’). The amount is based on a list of fixed values depending upon age and gender. After designating an animal to be brought as an offering, one is not allowed to try to switch its status to another animal.

5TH ALIYA (CHAMISHI) – 27:16-21

The Torah details how to ‘redeem’ a house or field, as first discussed in the 3rd and 4th aliyot. This includes calculating the amount of time left until the Jubilee year (Yovel) at the point of redemption.

6TH ALIYA (SHISHI) – 27:22-28

A firstborn animal is dedicated from birth to be a Temple offering. If a person dedicated a non-kosher animal to the Temple, he must redeem it and bring its monetary value instead, after adding a fifth to its value.

7TH ALIYA (SHEVI’I) – 27:29-34

Certain types of agricultural tithes can be redeemed if an additional fifth of the original value is added. This is the closing part of the book of Vayikra. We stand for the final verse and after it recite: “chazak, chazak ve’nitchazek”, a phrase asking for continued strength for our study of the Torah.

HAFTARAH

The prophet Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) admonishes the people for worshipping idols and forecasts the downfall of those who turn their hearts away from G-d. In contrast, Yirmiyahu encourages those who trust in Him, comparing them to “a tree that is planted near water, which will spread its roots alongside brooks and will not see when heat comes, whose foliage will be ever fresh”.

Bechukotai

RABBI DR RAYMOND APPLE

A WALK IN THE STATUTES

The Sifra is puzzled about the opening statement that says we should “walk in G-d’s statutes”. To tell us to *fulfil the commandments* would be obvious, but the fulfilment of the mitzvot is actually stated separately in the same sentence as the one we have quoted. The idea of walking must have a particular purpose if it is given independent mention.

What the Sifra is telling us is that statutes (blunt rules for which the text gives no elaborate explanation) require a special kind of activity. We have to obey such laws without too much discussion or debate. They are clear and unambiguous.

What G-d is telling us is, “Do this, don’t do that, don’t argue about it! Take this path, walk the way I tell you, don’t make a fuss about it: I know what I am doing, My wisdom is reliable; don’t think you can find a better way!” laws which HaShem gave the Children of Israel” (Lev. 26:46).

The Alshich finds it strange to have a summing up of this kind placed at the beginning of a section of the Torah. It seems more logical, he thinks, to make this the peroration of the whole Torah.

The explanation is that it is the heading of the solemn message which Moses has brought down the mountain with him. It is the introductory announcement of the agenda that both he and the people of Israel will henceforth have to live by in the wilderness and then in the Promised Land.

There was certainly a case for a good peroration at the end of the Torah but the list of the laws needed a heading.

REAPING A REWARD

Judaism insists that reward and punishment are determined by human action. If you obey G-d you will be rewarded, if you disobey you will be punished.

The general principle is beyond debate, but the details are a problem. How do we define reward (or punishment)? Are we rewarded financially, agriculturally, climatically, intellectually, emotionally, psychologically?

Is the reward (or punishment) in this world or the next? Are there personal consequences of our deeds, or are the consequences communal? Who gets the reward or punishment, me or my society or mankind as a whole?

What does the word “obey” (or “disobey”) connote – believing in G-d, fulfilling a ritual mitzvah, being ethical?

An unexpected approach comes in Pir’kei Avot 4:2, where Ben Azzai says that the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah and the punishment of a sin is a sin. Maybe this means that the reward of a mitzvah is the thought and feeling that you have done a good thing. Maybe it means that the reward of a mitzvah is the opportunity of going on to do the next mitzvah.

THE SIGH OF RELIEF.

Regular synagogue-goers tend to breathe a sigh of relief when the Torah readings come to B’chukkotai.

Weeks and weeks have been occupied by the Book of Vayyikra; Temple rituals, priests and sacrifices have been our weekly agenda.

This Shabbat, however, Vayyikra comes to an end, and the “interesting” parts of the Torah resume next week.

However, the Torah itself does not seem to share this approach.

It states in this week’s portion, “These are the statutes, the ordinances and the laws which HaShem ordained between Him and the Children of Israel on Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses” (Lev. 26:46).

Nothing is said about the Book being replete with boring material. Instead it assures us that the sacrificial laws and the other allegedly boring stuff derive from Sinai and must be treated with respect.

Possibly one explanation is that the sacrificial system has an underlying symbolism which dare not be minimised.

A philosophy which remains in the realms of theory has little chance of building and changing people’s lives. A set of principles that does not translate into detailed actions has neither excitement nor inspiration. A cause that does not evoke a spirit of sacrifice can never draw people to its service.

Belief in G-d requires day-to-day commitment.

Rabbi Raymond Apple was for many years Australia’s highest profile rabbi and the leading spokesman on Judaism. After serving congregations in London, Rabbi Apple was chief minister of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, for 32 years. He also held many public roles, particularly in the fields of chaplaincy, interfaith dialogue and Freemasonry, and is the recipient of several national and civic honours. Now retired, he lives in Jerusalem and blogs at http://www.oztorah.com

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JUDAISM 31 Sefiras Ha’omer: Achieving the Impossible

BY RABBI SHMUEL REICHMAN

Imagine a teenager lying on a grassy field, gazing into the night sky. As he stares up at the stars, he thinks to himself, “Look at how enormous the universe is. The sky just expands endlessly... It must go on forever.” After sitting with that thought for a few moments, he becomes uncomfortable. “How can anything go on forever? Everything must stop eventually.” But after a few moments of relaxation, his thoughts intrude again. “But how can the universe stop? What exists on the other side when the universe ends? It must go on forever...” And this inner dialogue continues as he struggles to contemplate the infinite within his finite mind. This struggle is not a childish one; it is a challenge that confronts any finite being who tries to connect to the infinite.

Younger children, however, do not face this struggle. They are dreamers, living in a world of fantasy where anything is possible. Just ask a group of children what they want to be when they grow up, and you’ll get some of the most fantastic, unrealistic responses imaginable. “I’m going to be an astronaut fireman, so that I can save people on the moon,” or “I’m going to become a great tzaddik and learn how to speak every language so that I can teach Torah to everyone.” Children live within the infinite, the realm of endless possibility. However, as we grow up, we begin to experience the struggle of reality, where our notions of the infinite start being challenged. We then face the question: How do we, as physical and limited beings, transcend our finite dimensions? How do we relate to the abstract, to the infinite, to the spiritual? Let us approach this question through the lens of sefiras ha’omer, the counting of the omer.

SEFIRAS HA’OMER: OUR YEARLY COUNTING

We are commanded to count the days between Pesach and Shavuos, a period known as sefiras ha’omer (Vayikra 23:15–16; Devarim 16:9). At first glance, this can be understood on a very simple level: As we approach Shavuos, we excitedly count down to Matan Torah as we anticipate our acceptance of the Torah. This can be compared to a countdown toward a wedding, a vacation, or some other exciting event. However, there is a feature of the sefiras ha’omer count that is markedly different: Rather than counting down toward the destination, Shavuos, we count up from the starting point, Pesach. We don’t mark how many days remain until Shavuos; we count how many days have elapsed since Pesach. What is the meaning behind this strange method of counting? And more generally, what is the purpose of counting in the first place? By no other holidays do we count the days between them; we don’t count the days between Sukkos and Chanukah. Why then do we specifically count the days between Pesach and Shavuos?

BUILDING, NOT COUNTING

In truth, we are not counting down to Matan Torah, but rather are building toward it, ascending one day at a time. We do not wait for Shavuos to arrive; we actively bring it ourselves through the time and effort we invest as we count the omer. If Shavuos — and its accompanying Matan Torah — are a skyscraper, each day of the omer is a brick. Each day we place the next brick in our building, and each day we build ourselves one step higher. The extensive halachic emphasis on counting each and every day of the omer highlights the fact that every single brick is essential and that every single day is fundamental (Tosafos, Menachos 66a). If while building a staircase you miss one step, you simply cannot build the next step up. Each step requires a foundation to rest on. The same is true of counting the omer. Each day builds upon the previous ones, ascending toward our ultimate destination. Matan Torah does not come after forty-nine days, it comes because of them, built by our effort and investment during sefiras ha’omer. This is why we count up. We are not counting down to Matan Torah; we are building up toward it, one day at a time.

TIME-BOUND MITZVAH?

This elucidation of sefiras ha’omer sheds light on the Ramban’s enigmatic approach to the counting of the omer. He maintains that women are obligated to count the omer because it is not a mitzvas aseih she’ha’zman grama — a time-bound commandment. How are we to understand this? Sefiras ha’omer, the counting of each specific day between Pesach and Shavuos, seems to be the epitome of a time-bound mitzvah!

However, a deeper understanding of sefiras ha’omer clarifies the Ramban’s opinion. In general, a time-bound mitzvah is an opportunity to tap into a certain power of time that exists at that moment. On Pesach, when we eat matzoh, we tap into the power of freedom, a pre-existing reality. This same principle applies to all time-bound mitzvos. For sefiras ha’omer, however, we don’t tap into a pre-existing time; we create time. When we count the omer, we do not tap into the reality of the omer, we create it. Time does not create the omer; we do. This is why there is no specific date mentioned for Shavuos in the Torah. Shavuos — and Matan Torah — are not tied to a specific day (the sixth of Sivan); it is the result of the forty-nine days that we count. The fiftieth day, the day of Shavuos and Matan Torah, emerges from the forty-nine days of counting. We bring it into existence. This is why the holiday of Shavuos literally means “weeks” — the seven weeks that we count create the holiday of Shavuos. (Shavuos also shares the same root as the word sheva (seven), reflecting the seven weeks that creates the chag of Shavuos.)

CONNECTING TO THE INFINITE

Just like the teenager in the introductory story, we all struggle to connect with the infinite; to see the spiritual within the physical; to find genuine meaning and purpose in an often turbulent and chaotic world. It can feel overwhelming — if not impossible — to build a skyscraper; the task is quite daunting. However, the key is to have the ultimate goal in the back of our minds while we focus on each individual day, trying our best to place each individual brick perfectly while we build toward our ultimate destination. Each day of the omer is a new brick — a new part of our journey toward Matan Torah, toward the infinite, and toward marrying Hashem. May we be inspired to create something magical as we build toward Matan Torah, one day at a time.

Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is the author of the bestselling book, “The Journey to Your Ultimate Self,” which serves as an inspiring gateway into deeper Jewish thought. He is an executive coach and speaker who has lectured internationally on topics of Torah thought, Jewish medical ethics, psychology, and leadership. After obtaining his BA from Yeshiva University, he received Semicha from Yeshiva University’s RIETS, a master’s degree in education from Azrieli Graduate School, and a master’s degree in Jewish Thought from Bernard Revel Graduate School. He then spent a year studying at Harvard as an Ivy Plus Scholar. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and son where he is pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago. To enjoy more of Rabbi Reichman’s deep and inspiring content, visit his website: ShmuelReichman.com