Shabbat Parshat Behar-Bechukotai

This week's Torah Gems were prepared by Jennifer Rudin

Shabbat Parshat Behar-Bechukotai

Assorted thoughts on the parshiot compiled by, and commented on, by Jennifer Rudin

The Parshah in a Nutshell (www.chabad.org)On the mountain of Sinai, G-d communicates to Moses the laws of the sabbatical year: every seventh year, all work on the land should cease, and its produce becomes free for the taking for all, man and beast.Seven sabbatical cycles are followed by a fiftieth year -- the jubilee year, on which work on the land ceases, all indentured servants are set free, and all ancestral estates in the Holy Land that have been sold revert to their original owners. Additional laws governing the sale of lands and the prohibitions against fraud and usury are also given.G-d promises that if the people of Israel will keep His commandments, they will enjoy material prosperity and dwell secure in their homeland. But He also delivers a harsh "rebuke" warning of the exile, persecution and other evils that will befall them if they abandon their covenant with Him. Nevertheless, "Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away; nor will I ever abhor them, to destroy them and to break My covenant with them; for I am the L-rd their G-d."The Parshah concludes with the rules on how to calculate the value of different types of pledges made to G-d.

What did we really receive at Mt. Sinai?
And G-d spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying... (Leviticus 25:1)What has the sabbatical year to do with Mount Sinai? Were not all commandments given on Sinai? But the verse wishes to tell us: just as with the Sabbatical year both its general principle and its minute details were ordained on Mount Sinai, so, too, was it with all the Commandments--their general principle as well as their minute details were ordained on Mount Sinai.(Torat Kohanim; Rashi)Rabbi Ishmael says: The general principles of the Torah were given at Sinai, and the details [when G-d spoke to Moses] in the Tent of Meeting.Rabbi Akiva says: The general principle and the details were given at Sinai. They were then repeated in the Tent of Meeting, and enjoined a third time in the Plains of Moab.Believing that each of us, each and every one of us, were present at Sinai on the very day that G-d spoke to us we might ask ourselves, what did we hear that day, that very day, with our own ears? Did we hear general principles and do we then develop and infer the details later, throughout our lives? Did we hear both the principles and the details on that day and is it our task to synthesize and integrate that which we heard into our very being throughout our lives? Or, did we "hear" nothing at all? Was it the visceral experience of standing at Sinai that informs our day-to-day lives challenging us to grapple with our personal and communal experience, to make sense of what we lived, and to live what makes sense?

We just got here and we're already taking a break?
When you come into the land which I give you, the land shall rest a sabbath unto G-d (25:2)What an interesting concept. We have traveled forty years through the desert, away from a life of slavery, towards a life of freedom and all that was Divinely promised to us, and when we arrive the first thing we are told to do is take a break, slow down, survey our new surroundings, take some time to understand this, our ultimate destination. Can you even imagine that in this day and age? You have a goal, let's say buying a home. You develop a plan, search for the perfect place, jump through the hoops of purchasing your new home and when you finally get the keys, you unlock the door, walk in and wait...change nothing for a year, just live in the place where you have arrived. It might be hard to imagine doing but if you could what a gift it would be. A year to settle in. To survey your new surroundings. To develop an understanding of, and appreciation for, the place where you have finally arrived. Imagine the impact of this shmitah year on your entire future. Just imagine, and the next time you arrive at your newest destination, think about giving it a try, if not for a year at least for a few days. Understanding your new reality before attempting to alter it could make all the difference in the world. This week is brought to you by the number 7...If this week's portion was a Sesame Street episode, it would begin, "This week is being brought to you by the number "7" and the concept "Shabbat." In verse 26:18 God promises to discipline the Israelites 'sevenfold' for their sins and the Rabbis then find the seven steps (one leading to the next- from not studying Torah and doing the Mitzvot all the way to denying God and God's covenant) hinted in the Torah text (Lev. 26:14-5). Rashi furher enumerates seven punishments (on Lev. 26:31) found in the preceding verses to parallel these seven sins. Seven is a key number in Judaism, and this week we are in the middle of three cycles of seven: the regular seven day weekly cycle, the seven weeks of counting between Pesach and Shavuot, and this week's portion that talks about the largest cycle: the seven year cycle ending with the Sabbatical year, and the sevenfold cycle of 49 years that concludes with the jubilee year. There are actually two sabbatical years described in the Torah. In our portion, the focus is on the agricultural (environmental) application. The land is to lie fallow, a Shabbat for the land. In Deuteronomy, the seventh year is called 'shmitah', and all outstanding debts are cancelled. The Torah connects how we treat the land to our relationship with the poor. Just as the weekly Shabbat restores our spirit, the sabbatical and jubilee years were to help society as a whole redefine itself in non-economic terms. Although there is historical evidence that some of the agricultural restrictions were observed, the Rabbis understood that the financial hardships of the sabbatical and jubilee years were not practical, and various legal loopholes virtually abrogated the restrictions of the shmitah year. The jubilee year, (where land was to revert to its original owners, and Hebrew slaves receive their liberty) perhaps reflects a utopian vision that was likely an expression of a social ideal, and was not ever practiced. This week, we are also in the middle of the period of counting-- called 'sefirat ha'omer' between Passover and Shavuot. The structure of the seven weeks of counting of the Omer, 7x7=49 days plus Shavuot-- the fiftieth day parallels the seven times seven years plus the 50th Yovel (Jubilee) year. Shavuot is a renewal of the covenant between God and the Jewish people, like the Jubilee year was a renewal of contracts. The word 'sefirah' (counting) also has another meaning (and connection to seven). In the Kabbalistic sphere, God's emanations were described with ten attributes, and the first three, Chochmah, Binah and Daat (different kinds of wisdom) are solely in the divine realm. The remaining seven emanations, also called sefirot, serve as a map of attributes that we can manifest in our lives. Naturally, there is a tradition that links these seven kabbalistic 'sefirot' with each week of counting the omer.

In honour of this week's recognition of the important role of the number 7 in Jewish life, here are seven ways to save the planet...

1. Make a list of your water usage and decide how you could reduce your use.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and appliances and replace them with energy saving ones.
3. Go for a walk in nature; read Psalm 104.
4. Plant some seeds, design a garden, or plant a tree.
5. Reduce the amount of garbage you produce by composting, recycling and purchasing less.
6. Avoid using your car. Cycle, walk, or use public transit.
7. Eat healthy, locally grown food.