Behar/Bechukosai: Never Abandoned

Hi, this is Evan Allaski with the Parsha in 5, where in 5 minutes we try to give you an insight into the Parsha and we finish up Vayikra with a novel double Parsha, Behar Bechukotai. And there's a message here because you're supposed to read Bechukotai on the Shabbos before Shavuos. Takkanah Ezra's. Right? So now calendar more or less works out that way. But the Takkanah of Ezra was that we read the Klalus in Vayikra before Shavuos and we read the Klalus, the curses, in Devarim before Rosh Hashanah. Ki Savo and Tetzaveh ends in Netzavim. Tiklah Shanah u'Klalaseha, we end the year in its curses. Which is interesting that we're calling Shavuos a year, but okay. In any event, we have the Tochacha in Parshas Bechukotai with its 49 curses. We have the Tochacha in Ki Savo with its 98 curses. Now, in addition to the fact that it's double, Ki Savo ends on a very depressing note. It says, "And you'll be taken on boats as slaves to be sold in Egypt and there'll be so many of you that nobody will even want to buy you." So that end is pretty depressing. Bechukotai doesn't. Bechukotai ends on a positive note at the end. As we go through all of the curses, Perek Chavav Pasuk Mem Beis. U'zacharti es brisi Yaakov v'af es brisi Yitzchak v'af es brisi Avraham es Kor Ha'aretz ezkor. V'af gam zo's, these are by the way you find these these Sukkim in the Slichos. V'af gam zo's b'yosnam b'eretz oyveihem, when you're in the land of your enemies I will not be disgusted by you. I won't find you abominable to destroy you and to break my bris. I will remember the bris I made with the earlier ones in Egypt. That's how it ends. Very a big compared to Gizmodo. Yeah. Because there's a promise. There's a promise. And no matter how bad things get, I could never abandon us. Even when things look dark. Even when things seem terrible. Cuz it's always there watching over us. Caring for us. Worrying about us. And that's why as we mentioned last year, there's 49 years that leads you up to Yivo. And there are 49 curses that lead you down. I could say this if positive reinforcement works, that's fine. If negative reinforcement works, I use that. But I will never forget about you. I will never abandon you. I will chase you down all 49 levels till I am able to change your direction. And when you are broken and you suffer all the curses and all the terrible things, I'll remember the promises I made to have them yet to come Jacob. I remember the covenant that I made with your people. And I will never abandon you. Catholicism has this concept called the replacement theory. Uh, what do you do with all these promises that God said, "I'll never abandon Israel?" And it says, "Uh, we're the new Israel. Israel sinned, they lost their status as Israel, and so the Catholic Church is the new Israel." What do you do with a possuk like this? "I will punish you and punish you because of all the sins you've done, but I will never forget you. And I will redeem you and bring you back and always care about you." Kodesh Baruch Hu is always going to be there for us, and like I say, if bracha is work, he'll give us brachas. If klala is work, he'll give us klalas. And we have to always remember to choose what you want in this world. Do you want to live a life of bracha and use that to come close to Kodesh Baruch Hu? Or do you, chas v'shalom, feel like only suffering motivates you and brings you closer? Tikla shana v'kilala s'aha, just by reading these curses, hopefully that's the end, and we have fulfilled all of our curses, and we can go into Shavuos to be able to receive the Torah with strength, as we say at the end, "Chazak, chazak, v'nischazek." We will be strong and be strengthened in Torah, and im yirtzeh Hashem, with that strength, we will go me'chayil l'chayil into Bamidbar, into all of the greatness that Hakodesh Baruch Hu wants and hopes for us. Good Shabbos.