Parashat B'har-B'chukotai

Holy Scrollers Preview Parashat B’har- B’chukotai Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg We conclude the book of Leviticus this week with a double parasha. The first parasha, B’har, lays out the laws concerning the sabbatical and the jubilee year – periods where we are commanded to let the land lie fallow. It also includes laws about how to treat a kinsman who is “in straits,” providing a kind of social safety net for those who fall on hard times. One theme that permeates this parasha is that of “security.” We are assured that if we follow these laws, we will dwell securely in the land. What does it really mean to have a sense of security, and what does leaving the land fallow have to do with it? Where does security actually come from – defensive walls? Strong armies? Owning land? The parasha seems to provide a counterintuitive answer to this question: “ . . . for the land is Mine; you are but strangers resident with Me” (25:23). The second parasha, B’chukotai, lays out a vision of destruction and horror – the curses that would befall the Israelites if they did not adhere to the covenant and follow the laws. These curses seem to be specifically linked to the laws of the sabbatical and jubilee. If we disobey those laws, then God throws us off the land so that the land can recover the lost years of sabbatical that we did not provide for it. The principles that are meant to keep us secure (letting the land lie fallow, creating a safety net for the community) are thrown upside down in these curses – the land will not give its fruit, we will be exiled from the land, and our community will be dispersed. Again – what is the Torah telling us about where true security lies?