Uninterrupted Blessings (Behar-Bechukotai)
In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently. -Anthony Robbins
The Torah portion of Bechukotai provides a long list of blessings that God will bestow on the nation of Israel. The blessings are conditional. God declares that the blessings will only come to fruition if we obey God’s laws and commands. On the other hand, God provides an even longer list of curses. Understandably, the curses will fall upon us if we rebel against God and ignore his commands.
In these descriptions, there’s very much a sense of the God-Man relationship being a reciprocal one. If man is good, obedient, and follows God’s laws, God will show his munificence to man. If man betrays God and violates God’s wishes and instructions, God’s wrath will be unleashed upon man.
The Bechor Shor on Leviticus 26:5 delves deeper into the idea of the reciprocal relationship and explains that the reciprocity can be quite direct and highly dependent not only on what we do but also on whether it’s consistent or not.
He suggests that God is expecting us to be consistently devoted to Him – not just once in a while, or when it’s convenient, or when we feel like it. God expects us to be continuously cognizant and obedient to His commandments. He wants us to be constantly occupied with His Torah. If we are steadfast in taking God’s requests seriously, He will be unwavering in bestowing blessings upon us. His blessings won’t be just once in a while, but rather constant.
The blessing states:
“Your threshing shall overtake the vintage, and your vintage shall overtake the sowing; you shall eat your fill of bread and dwell securely in your land. I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down untroubled by anyone.”
The Bechor Shor details that there will be an uninterrupted stream of material blessing. There will not be anything lacking. We will be healthy and strong. We will be safe and secure and will be able to fully enjoy all of these material blessings without any fear or concern.
However, to receive the uninterrupted blessings from God, He requires that we provide uninterrupted service to Him. It’s a two-way relationship. We have to earn our blessings. God does provide plenty of unearned blessings continuously, but the Bechor Shor implies that to reach the level of full unending blessings requires a more serious commitment on our part.
May we appreciate all the blessings in our lives.
Shabbat Shalom,
Ben-Tzion
Dedication
To the memory of the victims of the Meron tragedy and to the complete and rapid healing of the injured.
