Shabbat Shalom Weekly

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Torah Portion: Behar – Bechukotai

 

Repairing the World
by Rabbi Yehuda Appel

Judaism recognizes that everyone has a particular role to fulfill in this world. The mystical teachings state that with each waking hour God grants us, there comes an accompanying responsibility to in some way help repair the world.

This concept of “Tikkun Olam,” repairing the world, also extends to repairing our own selves. Every person has one dominant area of weakness (whether it be gossip, dishonesty, arrogance, etc.) where they need to focus attention in order to accomplish a “personal tikkun.” In fact, explain the Sages, the need to correct this area of weakness is why a person has been put into the world in the first place!

A corollary to this idea, is the belief that everyone should select a particular mitzvah to observe to the utmost of their abilities. Whether it be giving charity, visiting the sick, keeping kosher or whatever, this “one special mitzvah” helps focus a person to “go all out” in one area of spiritual growth. Moreover, each person’s special mitzvah can serve as a “defending angel” on the day of judgement.

This week’s Torah portion, Bechukotai, deals with the tremendous responsibilities given to the Jewish people. Just as each individual has a task to improve the world, so too the Jewish people have that role.

In the parsha, God addresses the Jewish people collectively, informing them of the severity of judgements – ranging from illness to exile – that they will face if they do not follow His path. The harshness of these afflictions can be seen as a direct correlation to the importance of the Jewish people’s mission. As the nation who has been entrusted with God’s instructions for creating a perfect society, the Jewish people are held to a higher standard.

On the other hand, at the beginning of the parsha, God promises the Jewish people that “if you walk in My laws and guard My commandments,” you will be blessed with great peace and wealth. As much potential as there is for tragedy, great blessing can also be theirs.

Of course the big question is what does the Torah mean when it says “if you walk in My laws?” What exactly is expected of the Jewish people?

Rashi explains that “walk in My laws” means that everywhere we walk we should be studying Torah. The Jews are to engross themselves in the study of Torah and become a nation of scholars.

The Sfas Emes, a great 19th century Chassidic rabbi, says this goes beyond the simple acquisition Torah wisdom. Walking in God’s laws means to become so connected to the will of God that the presence of the Almighty becomes manifest on earth.

This in turn teaches a profound insight into the nature of each person’s individual “Tikkun.” This is accomplished when the individual becomes an instrument of expressing God’s will here on earth. And this is truly the deepest meaning of Tikkun Olam.

 

The Big Trust
by Rabbi Menachem Weiman

Striking the balance between effort and trust

At the end of the book of Leviticus – with all the offerings, Temple vessels, and priestly duties – we have a special group of commandments that may be one of the strangest ideas in the entire Torah: the Sabbatical year (Shmitta), when we abandon the agriculture of our country for an entire year.

And while we’re at it, why not command mass suicide for the entire nation? Sure, there are some smart people who wrote books on Bible criticism, suggest that a man or a group of men wrote the Torah. But how could a human being have written about the Sabbatical year? It doesn’t make sense. Some say it was to let the land rest and rejuvenate. Of course, if you want to do that, you would rotate the fields, not skip planting an entire country.

At the end of the book of Leviticus – with all the offerings, Temple vessels, and priestly duties – we have a special group of commandments that may be one of the strangest ideas in the entire Torah: the Sabbatical year (Shmitta), when we abandon the agriculture of our country for an entire year.

And while we’re at it, why not command mass suicide for the entire nation? Sure, there are some smart people who wrote books on Bible criticism, suggest that a man or a group of men wrote the Torah. But how could a human being have written about the Sabbatical year? It doesn’t make sense. Some say it was to let the land rest and rejuvenate. Of course, if you want to do that, you would rotate the fields, not skip planting an entire country.

No human being in his right mind would make a commandment that would cause such a hardship on the entire nation. Especially when you consider that at that time, agriculture was the main source of the nation’s food supply and commerce.

It had to be God who wrote this. And why would God cause us such hardship? He explains in Leviticus 25:21: “I will command My blessing for you in the sixth year, and it will be enough produce for three years.” Again, this is something only the Infinite One can promise. A blessing in the land for a bumper crop? Who can control of the sun, wind and rain to make such a promise? Only the Almighty can promise that.

* * *
TRUST

To trust the Almighty is a natural consequence of believing in Him. If there is an Infinite Being Who loves you and wants the best for you, then it follows you should trust Him. The more convinced you are of the truth of His existence, His infiniteness, and His love for you, the more trust and faith you’ll have.

When we discuss concepts of trust, it usually seems to be an outgrowth of our adherence to Torah; it doesn’t feel like a specific command on behalf of the Creator. But here we see in Shmita a commandment to trust that God will take care of us.

Of course, trust in God is a broad topic, and is not limited to the realm of Shmita. But every seven years we express in the grandest way we can as a nation that we believe in the Almighty. It’s sort of like millions of people all saying the Shema at the same time.

And what about Shabbat? While for many of us, the ability to leave work for a day each week is not difficult, for many people it is difficult. And for many years throughout history, it has been difficult for the Jews to leave work for a day each week. Shabbat and Shmita parallel each other in this way. Both the day of Shabbat and the Shmita cycle are a sign of our trust in God.

* * *
HEAVENLY SCORECARD

Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler (1892-1953) described trust in God as a constant fluctuating relationship. We have choices all day long that affect our relationship with the Almighty, how much we rely on Him, how much effort we think we need to put into our endeavors, etc. If we do nothing, and wait for Him to fulfill our needs, saying, “God loves me, He’ll provide,” it may be a cop out. We may not want to do any work and we’re just using trust in God as an excuse. If so, when the money doesn’t fall through the window, we might conclude that God doesn’t run the world.

Many times I have personally put an effort into a particular endeavor, only to find that my effort was not linked to the desired outcome; it came about through a different means. God likes to remind us that He runs the world. But we need to be open to this message.

In Heaven, there is a hidden scorecard, so to speak, that evaluates our trust. The events that happen to us are somewhat based on the types of challenges to our trust that we need in order to get to the next level.

Some sages even suggest that all of life – all of our challenges – are really about trust, as the Prophet Habakuk said; “A righteous person lives by his trust” (Habakuk 2:4).

* * *

RAISING THE BAR

How do we put in a proper amount of effort, while at the same time trust the All-powerful, All-loving, Infinite Being running the show? Here’s a four-point plan:

1) Don’t worry so much. Whatever challenges arise are for your growth.

2) Pray for the outcome you want – no matter how much effort you’ve put in, or how sure you’re going to achieve what you want.

3) Keep track of the times when things worked out the way you wanted “accidentally.” (Nothing is an accident.) Once, when my teacher, Rabbi Noah Weinberg o.b.m., asked an extremely wealthy man how he was able to be so successful, the man replied with great honesty, “Sometimes mistakes turn out wonderfully.”

4) Keep your mind on what God wants in every situation, and you’ll see more of His hand in supplying you with what you want. As it says in the Talmud (Avot 2:4): “Make His will your will, so that He will make your will His will.” The more you see His hand in your life, the more you’ll come to trust Him.

* * *
Spiritual Exercise:

This week, pray for one small thing you think you don’t need God’s help for.

A Little Respect
by Nesanel Yoel Safran

From this week’s Torah Portion 

It’s great to be respectful. The upcoming day of Lag B’Omer is special for many reasons. One of them is that it celebrates the end of a terrible plague long ago that killed nearly all the great rabbis and scholars of the Jewish people. Our sages teach that the plague came because people didn’t treat those around them with enough respect. When we show respect for others, it shows that we respect ourselves.

In our story, two boys get a new perspective … on respect.

“And this field right behind us,” the tour guide said with the sweep of his hand, to the school-kids and others gathered for the war memorial ceremony, “was the site of one of the most ferocious battles of the Civil War. Thousands of troops … “

“Hey! Cut it out!” Jamie yelped, as his friend, Ken, tickled him, drawing a few looks from the people standing next to them in the crowd.

“… more people lost their lives in one day …”

“Give that back!” Ken squealed, reeling around to try to catch Jamie’s hand, which was now dangling the cupcake he’d just snatched out of Ken’s backpack.

“Shh!” An elderly lady standing nearby held her finger up to her mouth with a stern look.

The two boys looked at her and giggled. “She looks like she could be from the civil war herself,” Jamie said, almost loud enough for the woman to hear.

“And this monument to your left,” the guide pointed to a tall granite pillar, “is inscribed with the names and place of birth of every single soldier who fell right here on that solemn day … “

“You twerp!” Jamie shouted, crashing to the ground as Ken tripped him from behind. He leapt up and started chasing Ken in a circle. The people around them jumped out of their way, some looking annoyed, others scared. The tour guide stopped his speech. The running boys were both laughing loudly…until they ran into a tree trunk – or at least that’s what it looked like until they looked up and saw the ‘tree’ was none other than the biggest, tallest security guard either of them had ever seen.

“Come with me,” the man said, in a voice as deep as the Grand Canyon. Like shaking sheep, the boys followed the mountain of a man, as the guide resumed his presentation to a relieved-looking audience.

The threesome stopped at the security booth at the edge of the nearby parking lot.

“W … we’re really sorry, sir,” Ken managed to stutter, Jamie bobbing his head in agreement.

“Is that so?” the man said, looking serious, but not angry. “Well, it could be. But to be sorry, a person has to know what he’s sorry for, doesn’t he?”

The boy nodded nervously.

“Well?” the man asked, “What exactly are you sorry for?”

The two friends looked at each other. Finally Jamie spoke. “It’s a memorial ceremony and we were too rowdy. It’s like we weren’t respectful to the dead, right?”

The man, now hiding a grin, looked them over. “Yes … and no,” he said. Seeing their confused faces and the questions they were afraid to ask, he went on. “True, it is important to respect the dead. But, it’s even more important to respect the living. There was a knowledgeable man trying to speak. There were people who’d come from far away who were trying to listen to him. Some of those people,” he looked the Jamie in the eyes, “were old enough to be your grandmother. How would you feel if someone was making fun of her?”

The boy lowered his head as the man went on. “So what do you say, guys? Do you go back and participate in the ceremony – this time giving the people around you the respect they deserve … or do you sit it out here with me until your teacher comes to fetch you?”

The boys walked back to rejoin the crowd, this time carrying with them a new perspective – on respect.

Discussion Questions

Ages 3-5

Q. How did Ken and Jamie feel about the way they were acting at first?
A. They didn’t care if it was bothering people.

Q. How did they feel afterwards?
A. They understood that they needed to respect the people around them.

Ages 6-9

Q. What life lesson do you think the boys learned that day?
A. While they realized it was proper to show respect for the dead at the war memorial ceremony, they’d forgotten that it was even more important to show respect to the living people around us that we encounter each day.

Q. Why was the way the boys were acting disrespectful?
A. They were goofing around and not paying attention to the tour guide who was speaking, which was insulting. They were also disturbing others who did want to pay attention.

Ages 10 and Up

Q. What make a person ‘worthy’ to be treated respectfully?
A. Just the fact that he’s a person. We don’t have to respect people’s ideas or actions if they conflict with our values – but we should respect them for just being human.

Q. Can a person be respectful to God without being respectful to people?
A. No. God wants us to respect each other. So if we fail to do so, we are failing to respect Go wishes, which is in essence showing a lack of respect to God.