Next Reading
Torah Reading
Leviticus 26:3-27:34
Haftarah
Jeremiah 16:19-17:14
In this Torah portion, God tells the people of Israel that if they follow God’s commandments, they will be provided with rain to feed their crops. God then describes the long list of punishments that will be inflicted on the Israelites if they do not follow God’s laws.
Featured Commentary
The first curse described in this portion hinders our ability to listen — even to ourselves.
We must pray for beneficial rain, and then follow through with environmental action.
The curses in Bechukotai were actualized during the Holocaust.
The fate of the individual is often determined by the behavior of the community as a whole.
We can achieve redemption only when striving for unity, holiness, and justice.
The environmental destruction intended as a punishment for failing to observe the sabbatical year raises contemporary questions of how to prevent environmental devastation.
Jeremiah's deep faith despite the impending exile predicted in Parashat B'hukotai can teach us to turn to God in the most troubling of times.
Incentives to keep the covenant are directed at Israel because of Israel's power, through its behavior, to break the covenant.
Kohenet Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny
The curses in this week's portion are a reminder of the calamities we all face.
Jealousy can paralyze us and force us to define ourselves by another person's successes.
The global community has an opportunity to oppose Robert Mugabe's tyranny in Zimbabwe.
God enumerates the rewards for keeping the commandments and the punishments for violating them; the laws of tithes are then listed.
Two interpretations of a word illustrate different understandings of punishments listed in Parashat Bechukotai.
