By Rabbi Becky Silverstein Parashat Behar-Bechukotai (Leviticus 25:1 – 27:34) Being human is not easy. I carry this thought with me constantly. It lives
39th day of the Omer
Let’s start from the end of this double parasha. Bechukotai is extremely difficult to read. Hashem’s rage excoriates the Jewish people beyond tolerable limits. Even more horribly, the descriptions of divine wrath resonate through the most painful moments in Jewish history. We have suffered famine, fear, alienation, displacement, and exile. Moments of desperation during the worst persecutions and moments of catastrophe have seen the devouring of our own children, recorded even Eicha and recalled on the 9th Ab. When the Torah describes these most horrific sufferings of the Jewish people, we receive a paradigm and lens for understanding the human condition. I suggest that Bechukotai teaches us about the condition of humanity, and Behar actually provides a salve for the curses. God provides the cure before describing the affliction.