Behuqqotay: Respect the moral order

By Rabbi Arik W. Ascherman on May 19, 2006 - כ"א אייר תשס"ו

The double portion of Bahar and Bekhukotei finish up the book of Leviticus. Bahar in particular links two of the areas of greatest concern to us at the moment, economic justice and the agricultural cycle. God sets out a vision of a society which does not eliminate inequality or the fact that individuals can succeed or fail economically, but mandates periodic corrections through the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. The guiding principle, with all of its ecological and social justice implications is that, “The Land is Mine; you are but strangers resident with me”. Furthermore, it is clear that we are our brother’s and our sister’s keepers. We are commanded to take care of and redeem any of our kinsman/woman who fall on hard times. Not only do we have here a vision of a just and caring society that can be an example to us as we ponder the state budget and its implications for the poorest and weakest among us, but we have a warning against the ancient precedent to today’s “Economic Arrangements Law (Khok HaKhesderim) which we have been urging the government to cancel for years. God warns about going around the intent of the law requiring a cancellation of debts in the Jubilee year by refusing to make loans as the Jubilee approaches. Of course, the Economic Arrangements Law empties other legislation of content by creating a collective bypass of anything which any given government finds inconvenient. This is especially used to avoid implementing social legislation passed by the Knesset but deemed as being too costly.

Our portion does have a double standard for Jews and non-Jews. Jews can be indentured servants but must then be released with compensation. Non-Jews can be enslaved in perpetuity. At the same time, it is clear from the context that non-Jews can also live among us and prosper. In recent days we have heard from Palestinian farmers, who in spite of our efforts to ensure that every person can fully actualize their right to work their land, have told us that the land is now too dry for plowing and what they haven’t managed until now simply won’t be done. It is deeply painful to me each time I hear this, even as I celebrate each success at accessing land which wasn’t accessible for 5or 10 or even 15 years. Yes, our portion teaches us that the Land must have its rest, but not because of settler violence or artificial barriers.

Bekhokotai recites the rewards for following God’s commandments and the punishments for ignoring them. In the same way that the Land will have its way and force on us its need to rest if we do not observes sabbatical years, the connection between the moral and natural orders will come to haunt us if we forcibly separate the Land from its caretakers. On the other hand, the rewards of peace and harmony with nature and humanity could be ours if we were to respect the moral order which God has weaved into our world.

Rabbis for Human Rights recommends that you read these articles in Behuqqotay

Behuqqotay: Human Rights, Peace and Justice - May 23rd, 2008
Behuqqotay: Reward and Punishment - May 19th, 2008
Behuqqotay: Respect the moral order - May 19th, 2006

Rabbis for Human Rights recommends that you read these articles in Vayyiqra-Leviticus

Behar: A vision of a just and caring society - May 19th, 2006
Behuqqotay: Respect the moral order - May 19th, 2006
Emor: Unity and equality between Jews and non-Jews in front of the law - May 12th, 2006
Qedoshim: Striving to be holy - May 5th, 2006
Behar: From Slavery to Freedom - April 28th, 2006
Shemini: Partners with God - April 21st, 2006
Vayyiqra: Hurting others and seeking atonement for our failures - March 30th, 2006
Qedoshim: Justice under the law - May 6th, 2005
Tazria: A single soul - April 8th, 2005
Shemini: Quench this strange fire and return to the fire commanded by God - April 1st, 2005

Categories: Behuqqotay, Vayyiqra-Leviticus
Tags: Behuqqotay, Bo, ease, harmony, human rights, order, palestinians, peace, rest, Rewards, settlers