May 24, 2025 · כ"ו אייר תשפ״ה
Behar Bechukotai · בהר בחוקותי
A PEEK AT THE PARSHA We read two parshiot this week: Behar and Bechukotai. Behar begins with Hashem teaching Moshe the laws of Shmittah—the Sabbatical Year— on Har Sinai. Every 7th year, the land in Eretz Yisrael must rest. Farmers are not allowed to plant, prune, or harvest their fields or vineyards. Instead, whatever grows on its own becomes free for anyone to take. Even animals can eat from the fields (the next Shmittah year is 2028–2029).
One of the biggest mitzvot of Yovel is freeing all Jewish servants. These servants were usually people who were very poor and had to sell themselves to work for others. During Yovel, they go free and can return to their homes. Another important mitzvah is that land that was sold goes back to its original family. This way, families never lose their portion of the land that Hashem gave them.
Then the parsha introduces Yovel—the Jubilee Year. Yovel happens every 50 years, after seven cycles of Shmittah. During Yovel, the land rests just like in Shmittah, and a shofar is blown throughout the land.
Parshat Behar also teaches us to be honest and kind in business. We must always use correct weights and measurements and never cheat anyone. We are not allowed to overcharge people (ona’ah), and when lending money to another Jew, we are not allowed to charge interest (ribbit).
ONE BIG IDEA
Parshat Bechukotai discusses what might happen if Bnei Yisrael doesn’t learn Torah or keep the mitzvot. Hashem warns them with something called the tochacha, which means “curses” or punishments. For example, it says, “You will plant food, but your enemies will eat it.”
Shmittah and Shabbat are very similar. Just as Shmittah is a break from farming every seventh year, Shabbat is a break from work every 7th day. What did the farmers do with all this extra time? Hopefully they spent the year learning Torah, doing mitzvot and ultimately getting closer to Hashem. Similarly, every week, we have the gift of Shabbat to take a break from our weekday responsibilities so we can focus on getting closer to Hashem.
Still, even in the middle of all these warnings, Hashem promises He will never completely leave Bnei Yisrael. Even if they are sent out of their land, Hashem will still remember the special promise He made with Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov.
TIMES - זמנים Candle-lighting: 7:55pm Havdalah: 8:57pm allah: 5:25pm