Parashat Behar-Bechukotai

The first curse described in this portion hinders our ability to listen — even to ourselves.

Why Shmita, the commandment to let Israel's farmland rest every seven years, is relevant even for today's urban Diaspora Jews.

How to restore the world to a single divine reality.

Behar affirms that the land belongs to God, and the land must be permitted to observe its Sabbaths, too.

We dwell on the land at God's pleasure, always on condition.

If we ignore God's will that we care for the earth now, we risk losing everything in the future.

We must pray for beneficial rain, and then follow through with environmental action.

One of the Torah's central insights is its effort to minimize human ownership.

The concept of the sabbatical year reveals the awesome splendor of God's earth.

The American narrative and the biblical narrative offer conflicting approaches to wealth and material gain.

Numerous translators of the Bible understand differently the command to strengthen those that are falling low, but all agree on its importance.

The curses in Bechukotai were actualized during the Holocaust.

The commandment to bring the redemption of the Land of Israel reminds us of the inextricable link between Judaism and Israel.

The fate of the individual is often determined by the behavior of the community as a whole.

Biblical laws of business ethics.

The rabbinic understanding of commerce laws in Behar focuses on ensuring that consumers have access to market information.

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.

The prohibition against worshiping idols includes falsely attributing to ourselves power over land.

The Jubilee year encourages us to take time to appreciate our labors and the role God plays in our lives.

The reinterpretation of the term "forever" encourages us to strive for new realities within our own lifetimes.

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.

Where is God when we are grieving after the bad things happen?

Jealousy can paralyze us and force us to define ourselves by another person's successes.

Your relationships with others can only be real if they rest on honest assumptions.

Letting go is hard work, but loosening our grip will ultimately make us feel freer.

Bechukotai: A resource for families.

Ten women bakers.

The Jubilee year.

Behar: A resource for families.

Learn more about the weekly Torah portion.

Divine punishment is real.

The global community has an opportunity to oppose Robert Mugabe's tyranny in Zimbabwe.

The mountain in this week's Torah portion can be a place of spiritual growth or an impediment.

Leviticus 26:3-27:34

Leviticus 25:1-26:2

Two interpretations of a word illustrate different understandings of punishments listed in Parashat Bechukotai.

Charity is rooted in our understanding that those who need our help are indeed our brothers.