Bechukotai
It may be Difficult to see this at first, because as the litany of punishments for disobedience to the Divine far outweighs the rewards for following the right path – or derech eretz.
In fact, the entire book of Leviticus is designed to instruct the priests and ancient Israelites the proper way to keep the presence of the holy one , blessed be she, within the Mishkan, and therefore within the realm of Israelites themselves. The worst thing that could beset the fledgling nation would be God’s removal from their midst.
In bechukotai , it is precisely when the consequences for disobedience are so severe – with punishment that rivals the worst of Eicha- that we are reminded of Gods never ending devotion to his.her people with this hopeful message.
“Yet, even then, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or spurn them so as to destroy them, annulling My covenant with them: for I יהוה am their God. I will remember in their favor the covenant with the ancients, whom I freed from the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God: I, יהוה.”
So too, through the challenges and tragedies that face us today- hate, bigotry, antisemitism-we find that these words of hope help us move forward at times of great strife.
Have We Even?
Have we even heard-
This holy human family
Ripped apart
By cries of
I can’t breathe!
Have we even witnessed
From our sofas on social
The bodies
Black, brown
Yellow and white
Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Jew
In Buffalo, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh
Have we even seen
The anguish
Despair, the horror
Yes-The horror
Last night
(Why is it always last night?)
On yet another parent’s stricken face
Of yet another future destroyed
This devastation demeaned
By our descent into the new normal
Where Reading today’s helpful post entitled:
What to do in the case of….
Is EXPECTED
What say you-
Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland,
Uvalde?!
Have we even felt the
Pain of our brothers and sisters
Who continue to come together in love,
in hope, in prayer
To remember
and rise up together against the heresy of hate
To unite and YES, to fight…?
May we have the courage to hear, witness, see, and feel
In mindful presence in order to remove
The veil of numbing complacency
And May the Holy One of Blessing, shelter us all in the protection of Divine and Infinite Love
Amen