Bechukosai portrays the consequences of obeying, or disobeying, God's instructions. “If you will follow My laws and keep my Mitzvos… I shall provide your rains in their proper time, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall bear their fruit.” If the Jewish People lives up to its Divine mission, there will be abundant sustenance for all, peace in the land and freedom from fear and want. The Jews will be fruitful and multiply, enjoying a close relationship with God and finding satisfaction in all their endeavors.
If, however, the people forget their spiritual destiny, a series of escalating misfortunes will ensue. The Torah describes a gradually deteriorating state of affairs, as people stop studying Torah, then stop doing the Mitzvos, prevent others from doing the Mitzvos and eventually deny Torah’s validity altogether. The more they obstinately ignore God’s message, the worse things will get; only by improving their ways will they improve their lot.
Classical Torah commentators note that the blessings and curses in the Torah focus on physical needs like food, health and political stability. Why does the Torah leave out the eternal Heavenly reward in the World to Come – the true goal of our existence? The Commentators explain that the Torah is not describing the primary reward and punishment, but the justified consequences of, our behavior: commitment to God’s Mitzvos will earn us the peace and prosperity we need to do even more good deeds, free from troubles and distractions that can hamper our spiritual growth; shirking our responsibilities will result in further obstacles in our path, our progress stymied by difficulty and misfortune.
The ultimate, underlying message is one of love: “Even this – when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not have rejected them or despised them, to destroy them and annul My covenant with them – for I am Hashem, their God.” God’s love is eternal; the negative consequences of sin goad us along the path of self-improvement, so we can be worthy of renewing our beautiful relationship with Him.
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