Bechukotai

Parashat Bechukotai  

48 Kinyanim 

We will shortly arrive at kabalat haTorah. The Zohar haKadosh reveals (Parashat Emor) that the seven weeks of sefirat ha’omer constitute “shiva nekiyim” - seven days of purification akin to that of a nidah. Today, we are approaching the final week; let us try to use it to its fullest.  

The Mishna states that Torah is acquired with 48 things (“kinyanim”). The Sifrey haMussar explain that these 48 things are the method by which one makes a personal acquisition of Torah, to become a “kli kibbul” - a receptacle for Torah. 

The 48 kinyanim have a specific order. Just as regular kinyanim to acquire moveable objects or real estate must be effected in a certain manner, so must Torah. Many say that on each of the first 48 days of the Omer a person should seek to acquire one kinyan - in order. If he misses even one he is lacking the full, personal acquisition of Torah. 

After working on attaining the 48 kinyanim on 48 days of the omer, what should a person do on the 49th - Erev Shavuot? Some say he should review the 48 kinyanim. Others say he should dedicate the day to tefila; praying that the kinyanim should remain with him and that Hashem should give us the Torah again, like at Sinai. 

Reading the Tochacha 

This week we will read Parashat Bechukotai, the parasha that contains the tochacha - the series of curses and punishments that will befall Am Yisrael if they fail to observe Torah and mitzvoth. The gemara relates (Megila 31b) that Moshe Rabbbenu instituted that we read Bechukotai prior to Shavuot and Parashat Ki Tavo (which also contains klalot) prior to Rosh Hashana. (We do, however, have a week break between reading these parshiyot and Shavuot / Rosh Hashana.) 

There are several reasons offered for this enactment. I would suggest the following approach. 

Dangerous Beasts 

The parasha details many of the rewards for fulfilling Torah and mitzvot, which cover the physical necessities for living in this world - rain, produce etc. It also promises, “v’hishbati chaya ra’ah mei’artzechem - I will remove dangerous beasts from your land”. This pledge is the subject of a fascinating dispute among the tannaim (Torat Kohanim 2:1) and a lengthy comment of the Ramban. 

According to Rabbi Yehuda Hashem’s promise is to remove evil beasts from the land, meaning, that they will not be present in the land at all. According to Rabbi Shimon the promise is to render these animals harmless. The Ramban explains that this will reflect the utopian existence that was present prior to the sin of Adam haRishon; in those times, animals did not pose a danger to humans, for originally they were all herbivores. It was only after the sin that animals began to attack them. In the future, when Eretz Yisrael returns to the spiritual health of primeval times, the animals’ nature will revert back to its original form. 

In other words, according to the Ramban, the berachot of this parasha represent the ideal state of Am Yisrael. They are supposed to live, as did Adam haRishon, with the angels themselves serving them meat and wine. This is what creation was supposed to produce. 

The same idea is evident from the gemara in Shabbat (30b), in which Rabban Gamliel tells his student that, in the future, women will gestate and give birth in one day, trees will produce new fruit every day, and the land will grow loaves of bread and fine clothes. The world was always designed to be this way; it is sin that has prevented it from being so. 

The Chachamim relate that this is alluded to in the words, “va’achaltem lachmechem la’sova - and you will eat your bread in satiety”. The word “la’sova” is an acronym for “letaken olam b’malchut shakai - to repair the world with the kingdom of G-d”. 

Toil in Torah 

How do we return the world to its ideal state? By fulfilling the first dictum of the parasha - “Im bechukotai telechu”. Rashi cites a Chazal that state that the mitzvah of “Im bechukotai telechu” is to toil in Torah. If so, toiling in Torah serves to change the entire world! 

Let us examine the mitzvah of “Im bechukotai telechu” more carefully. (Famously, the Or haChaim haKadosh has 42 explanations!) 

Alef to Taf 

The Torat Kohanim note that the berachot in the parasha begin with an alef (“Im bechukotai”) and conclude with a taf (“v’olech etchem komemiyut”). This indicates that the correct order of creation - the “alef to taf” was supposed to include these berachot. The klalot by contrast begin with a vav (“v’im lo tishme’u li”) and conclude with a heh (“b’yad Moshe”). This indicates that the existence of the klalot is unnatural and disordered (heh should come before vav in the order of the alef-bet), and not a part of the complete version of creation (thus the klalot do not span the entire alef-bet). 

The alef-bet are unlike any other alphabet. The letters have intrinsic meaning, in fact, they were used as building blocks for creation as part of the asara ma’amarot - G-d’s ten statements of Bereishit. If the berachot of Bechukotai span the alef-bet it means that they are an intrinsic part of creation; the way things ought to be. 

Mehalchim, not Omdim 

As stated above, Rashi explains that the mitzvah of “Im bechukotai telechu” is to toil in Torah. Why is toiling in Torah alluded to in the word “telechu - going”? 

 Chazal relate that there is a fundamental difference between people and malachim. Malachim are called “omdim - those who stand”. People are called “mehalchim - those who go”. The reason for this is that man is able to reveal new vistas and experiences, by going from one thing to another. In Torah he must explore new spiritual worlds, always moving from one achievement to the next. Because If he stops moving, he stops achieving. 

Shabbat Shalom! 

Rabbi Gad Bouskila