Parasha Bechukotai (בחקתי) — Vayikra 26:3 – 27:34. Read on Shabbat, May 29, 2027.
Summary of Parasha Bechukotai
The parasha opens with a promise: if the children of Israel follow G-d’s laws and keep His commandments, the rain will come in its season, the land will yield its harvest, peace will reign in the land, their enemies will be defeated, and G-d will set His dwelling in their midst: “I will walk among you; I will be your G-d and you shall be My people.” Then comes the tochachah, a long series of warnings in case the people reject His laws: disease, defeat, drought, famine, the destruction of the cities, and finally exile, during which the desolate land will make up for its lost years of rest. Yet if they confess their sins, G-d will remember His covenant with Yaakov, with Yitzchak and with Avraham, and He will remember the land; even in exile, He will not reject them to the point of annihilating them. The last chapter deals with vows and consecrations: the valuation of a person according to age and sex, with an adjustment for one who cannot afford it, the consecration of an animal, a house or a field, and their redemption. It also speaks of the firstborn and the tithe of livestock. The book of Vayikra closes with the words: “These are the commandments that G-d gave to Moshe for the children of Israel at Mount Sinai.”
The Themes
- The promised blessings
- The covenant never broken
- Vows and consecrations
Rav Raphaël Benizri’s Lectures on Bechukotai
There are no lectures by the Rav on this parasha yet. Find all available lectures on the Weekly Parasha page.
A Question for the Shabbat Table
Even amid the worst hardships foretold, G-d promises not to reject His people: what gives us hope in difficult times?
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Summary by the Pensées Juives editorial team. The Rav’s teachings are found in his lectures, linked above.