‘Lucky Streak’  Parashat Behar – Bechukotai 5785

The Portion of Bechukotai begins with a list of blessings that will be received if a person scrupulously keeps the Torah and its commandments. This list is followed by “The Admonition (Tochecha)”, a graphic list of curses that will, Heaven Forbid, be levied if a person chooses to disregard the Torah. The Talmud in Tractate Megillah [31b] teaches that the Tochecha is read in close proximity to the holiday of Shavuot to serve as a spiritual reminder that the blessings of Torah and the yearly renewal of the Sinaitic Covenant on Shavuot come with the responsibility to adhere to its laws, lest the curses in the Tochecha be invoked[1].

Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin[2], writing in “Oznayim LaTorah”, makes a passing comment. Both the blessings and the curses in the Portion of Bechukotai are phrased as a sort of “if-then relationship”: If (you keep the Torah) then (you will be blessed). If (you violate the Torah) then (you will be cursed). Rabbi Sorotzkin notes that the if-then relationship regarding blessings is subtly different than the if-then relationship regarding curses. If we keep the Torah, then the result will be as follows [Vayikra 26:4-13]: “I will give your rains in their time, the Land will yield its produce, and the tree of the field will give forth its fruit. Your threshing will last until the vintage, and the vintage will last until the sowing; you will eat your food to satiety, and you will live in security in your land. I will grant peace in the Land, and you will lie down with no one to frighten [you]; I will remove wild beasts from the Land, and no army will pass through your land; You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you….  I am G-d, Who took you out of the land of Egypt from being slaves to them; I broke the pegs of your yoke and led you upright.” Using the if-then format, we can summarize as follows: “If (you keep the Torah), then (you will have rain, prosperity, security and so on)”. One input leads to many outputs. Sounds like a great investment.

The curses are different. If we do not keep the Torah, then [Vayikra 26:16] “I will order upon you shock, consumption, fever, and diseases that cause hopeless longing and depression. You will sow your seed in vain, and your enemies will eat it…” Then the Torah pauses and warns [Vayikra 26:18-19] “And if, during these, you will not listen to Me, I will add another seven punishments for your sins: I will break the pride of your strength and make your skies like iron and your land like copper…” The Torah pauses once again with a another warning [Vayikra 26:21-22]: “If you treat Me with hostility (keri), and you do not wish to listen to Me, I will add seven punishments corresponding to your sins: I will incite the wild beasts of the field against you, and they will bereave you…” The Torah pauses no less than five times, each time turning up the volume, threatening to ramp up the punishment seven-fold. Using the if-then format, we can summarize as follows: “If (you do not keep the Torah), then (bad things will happen). If (you still do not keep the Torah), then (worse things will happen)”. Things will progressively worsen until you repent and are redeemed.

The reason why the punishments are slowly increased while the blessings come in one fell swoop is due to a concept called “the measure of good is greater than the measure of punishment.” This concept is discussed in the Talmud in Tractate Yoma [76a]. It is a fundamental principle in Judaism, emphasizing G-d’s greater inclination toward mercy and reward over punishment. G-d is slow to anger but easily placated, and His dispensation of beneficence is even quicker.

I would like to proceed a little bit further down Rabbi Sorotzkin’s path. Rashi[3] explains the word “keri”, translated above as “hostility”, as deriving from the word “mikreh”, meaning “coincidence” or “happenstance”. Rashi suggests that this indicates the Jewish People could be led to attribute the Divine punishments, such as disease, famine, and exile, to random chance rather than recognizing them as G-d’s deliberate warnings or judgments for their disobedience. Their continued failure to acknowledge the punishments as divinely ordained and not simply as a case of continued “bad luck” will inexorably lead to further suffering.

Let’s try to fold this insight back into the blessings at the beginning of the portion. When viewed holistically, it can be posited that the blessings are not a random assortment of gifts, but, rather, a sequence. It all begins with the rain. Israel, until only very recently, when it unlocked the secret of desalination, was exquisitely dependent upon rain. Rain in Israel is seasonal, with a completely dry summer and a relatively wet winter. What rain that does fall is captured in aquifers and in the Sea of Galilee. Between 2013 and 2018, Israel suffered six consecutive years of drought. Aquifers reached critically low levels. The Sea of Galilee dropped to near its “black line”, a threshold below which water cannot be pumped without risking ecological damage. In 2018, rationing measures were implemented in agriculture and in public parks and green spaces. But between 2019 and 2023, Israel merited “I will give your rains in their time”, experiencing a period of unusually heavy rainfall, reversing the effects of the previous drought years. The winter of 2019–2020 was particularly wet, with significant flooding in the Negev and a sharp rise in the Sea of Galilee’s water level. Subsequent years continued this trend, with intense storms – often caused by a “train effect” of successive rain cells – leading to record-breaking downpours. These rains replenished reservoirs and aquifers, negating the need for water restrictions. An immediate result of the blessing of rain is “the Land will yield its produce”. In 2020, Israel wheat production was up thirty-six percent from 2019, largely due to the bountiful rain. Israel’s economic prosperity enhanced its security by enabling large and robust investment in defence. This investment made it possible to stand up to regional threats, particularly Iran – “You will live in security in your land”. Israel’s strength and her willingness to project power beyond her borders bred the Abraham Accords, joined by the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, opening up avenues for collaboration in trade, defence, and tourism. The Accords have weathered this current war admirably. Indeed, Etihad and Flydubai from the UAE have continued flying to Israel where nearly every other foreign carrier did not – “I will grant peace in the Land[4]”. We can now update our if-then format as follows: “If (you keep the Torah), then (you will have rain) and then (you will have prosperity) and then (you will have security), and then (you will have peace)”. This knife cuts both ways. Some scientists attribute the abundant rainfall of 2019-2023 to oceans heated by global warming. This might lead one to conclude that the sequence of events that led to peace was not the result of a Divine blessing, but, rather, a predictable result of man spewing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Such a conclusion would be deadly. It would transpose our blessing into a curse: The sin of attributing our punishments to chance is eclipsed only by the sin of attributing our blessings to chance. If we do not see the Hand of G-d in the wonders of the world, why in the world should He show us wonders?

This insight can explain the last verse in the blessings: “I am G-d, Who took you out of the land of Egypt from being slaves to them; I broke the pegs of your yoke and led you upright”. What is the innovation here? What kind of blessings does this verse bring to the table? The answer is that this is not a blessing, it is a warning. I am the same G-d that broke the laws of physics in Egypt. It was I Who turned the river to blood. It was I Who split the sea, taking you through and drowning the Egyptians. That economic, military and political windfall you are experiencing now is not a lucky streak – it is also Me. G-d challenges us to see Him when times are good, lest we be forced kicking and screaming to see Him when they are not.

Ari Sacher, Moreshet, 5785

Please daven for a Refu’a Shelema for Shlomo ben Esther, Sheindel Devorah bat Rina, Esther Sharon bat Chana Raizel, and Meir ben Drora.

[1] The Tochecha is separated from Shavuot by the Portion of Bemidbar, which serves as sort of a buffer.

[2] Rabbi Sorotzkin lived in Pinsk, Belarus, and in Israel in the previous century.

[3] Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, known by his acronym “Rashi,” was the most eminent of the medieval commentators. He lived in northern France in the 11^th century.

[4] G-d mixes blessings with curses – it is not one or the other. The Abraham Accords are a blessing, the Massacre of October 7 was a curse. The restructuring of the Middle East is a blessing. And so on.