The name of the Parshah, “Behar,” means “on Mount [Sinai]” and it is found in Leviticus 25:1. The name of the Parshah, “Bechukotai,” means “in My statutes” and it is found in Leviticus 26:3.
On the
mountain of Sinai,
G‑d communicates to
Moses the laws of the
Sabbatical year: every
seventh year, all work on the land should cease, and its produce becomes free for the taking for all, man and beast.
Seven Sabbatical cycles are followed by a fiftieth year—the
Jubilee year, on which work on the land ceases, all indentured
servants are set free, and all ancestral estates in
the Holy Land that have been sold revert to their original owners. Additional laws governing the sale of lands, and the prohibitions against
fraud and
usury, are also given.
G‑d promises that if the
people of Israel will keep His
commandments, they will enjoy material prosperity and dwell securely in their
homeland. But He also delivers a harsh “rebuke,” warning of the
exile, persecution and other evils that will befall them if they abandon their covenant with Him. Nevertheless, “Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away; nor will I ever abhor them, to destroy them and to break My covenant with them; for I am the L‑rd their G‑d.”
The Parshah concludes with the rules on how to calculate the values of different types of pledges made to G‑d, and the
mitzvah of
tithing produce and livestock.
Learn:
Behar-Bechukotai in Depth
Browse:
Behar-Bechukotai Parshah Columnists
Prep:
Devar Torah Q&A for Behar-Bechukotai
Read:
Haftarah in a Nutshell
Play:
Behar-Bechukotai Parshah Quiz
