Beware

 Bechukotai

Lev. 26:3 - 27:34

 

Précis: The parasha, the final parasha in Vayikra, begins with a statement promising blessing if the People follow Adonai’s ways. The blessings are discussed in detail. But, if the People disobey, terrible punishments will be visited upon them, and these, too, are listed in agonizing detail. The Book of Leviticus then concludes (as it opened) with regulations regarding the upkeep of the Sanctuary, from voluntary tithes, land gifts, firstborn redemption, and the tithes of flocks.

 

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z’l, describes the blessings and curses of this parasha (Covenant and Conversation, 5/14/20). He notes that when the Bible was written, a nation’s fate mirrored the conduct of the nation. If people behaved well, the nation would prosper. If they behaved badly, bad things would happen. He cites Martin Luther King who paraphrased our prophets, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Not always immediately but ultimately, good is rewarded with good, bad with bad.
            Sacks characterizes the curses as “savage eloquence,” noting that the effect is intensified by the repeated hammer blows: “If after all this … if you remain hostile … if in spite of these things … if in spite of this.” The word keri, he suggests, is key to the whole passage, and is repeated seven times. Since it appears nowhere else in the whole Tanach, its meaning is uncertain. It may mean rebelliousness, obstinacy, indifference, hard-heartedness, reluctance or being-left-to-chance. But the basic principle is clear. If you act toward Me with keri, says God, you will be devastated.
            Sacks asks why the curses are so much longer and stronger than the blessings? His answer: God loves and forgives, but only if when we do wrong, we acknowledge the fact, express remorse, make restitution to those we have harmed, and repent.

            Traditional sources suggest that we take the curses as warnings.   As with the Book of Jonah, Sacks suggests that a prophecy is not a prediction but a warning, describing a fearful future in order to persuade the people to avert it.                                        

            While ours is a religion of love and forgiveness, it is also a religion of justice, and fear of the bad is an inducement, a motivator of the good. When we as a society make wrong choices, we lose our solidarity. When we as a society fail to consider the consequences of our actions (see, e.g., gun violence, global warming, financial crashes, the rise of totalitarianism) the curses of this parasha are made manifest. As Sacks concludes, the message of this parasha is: “Beware. Take note. Don’t function on autopilot. Once a society begins to fall apart, it is already too late. Avoid the bad. Choose the good. Think long and choose the road that leads to blessings.”