Dear Friends,
This week is the double Parsha of Behar-Bechukotai. In some years the distance between Israel and the Diaspora is felt when the Torah readings remain “out of sync” for a number of weeks. This usually occurs when the extra day of Chag during a festival.
This past Pesach the Diaspora’s Pesach finished on Saturday night while in Israel they finished Pesach on a Friday. While the Diaspora continued with their Pesach celebrations and reading the appropriate portion for Pesach, in Israel they continued on reading the Torah reading for a regular Shabbat. As the Diaspora has a double Torah reading to finish the Book of Bamdibar (Numbers), we finally match up again with Israel in time for Shavuot.
In many ways the festivals and the Torah are best observed when living in Israel as they reflect the seasons. For example, the upcoming Festival of Shavuot is known as “Chag Hakatzir”, The “Harvest Festival”, as it is the time to harvest crops that have grown before it enters summer in Israel. While we begin to shiver in Australia and it is most certainly not the appropriate time for harvest, in Israel they are gearing up for the long hot summer.
This week’s double Parsha also discusses some of the Mitzvot that are inherent to the land of Israel such as Terumah and Maaseh (tithe) and produce of the land that belongs to G-d and must be donated to the Temple. This was a way of showing thanks to G-d for the bountiful seasons that was grown in the right seasons and also a form of charity to the Kohanim (priests) and Leviim (Levites) who worked in the Temple on behalf of the Jewish people. In this same vein, the Torah also details the punishments for failure to adhere to Torah law.
While the Torah generally espouses important values such as looking after the poor and taking care of the widow, making welcome the convert and many more, the in-depth Tochacha (rebuke) listed in the Parsha that outlines the myriad of punishments one can face if they do not adhere to G-d’s law seems out of place.
As we all know, relationships of every kind can go through varying phases and may suffer setbacks. The Jewish people’s relationship with the Torah and with G-d is no different. While the potential punishments are unpleasant to hear and make for difficult reading, they also enshrine the principles that the G-d wants the best from us as a people. This rebuke is not meant to scare nor threaten us, but rather acts as a form of constructive criticism.
Though the Temple no longer stands, we are guided to emulate the values that are extended in this week’s Parsha to work on ourselves to become the best people possible. Whether in Australia, Israel or anywhere in the world, the idea that we can continually look inward, and outward, and always seek to work on ourselves is something that is not just beautiful and very in tune with cotemporary mindfulness practices but also a core notion that can inspire each of us in our own way. We not only can, but we must, continue to refine ourselves bringing benefits not just to us and our loved ones but to all.
Chazak Chazak, Venitzchazek!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Gabi
ARK Centre acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which our organisation is located and where we conduct our activities. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past, present and emerging. ARK Centre is committed to honouring Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society.