Emor-Behar-Bechukotai+-+Sfirat+Haomer+&+Shavuot

= = = What's Behind Door #1? = = Part I: Bechukotai: FILL IN THE BLANKS – CAREFUL NOT TO STUMBLE! =  Hashem promises that if the people of  __________ (US/ Israel) will keep His ______________ (mitzot/chukim), they will enjoy _______________ (material/spiritual) prosperity and dwell _____________(securely/insecurely) in ____________ (Israel, USA). But He also delivers a harsh rebuke,” warning of the ______________(exile, persecution and other evils/all of the above) that will befall them if they _________(give up/break/do not honor) their covenant with Hashem. As the Gemara in Shabbat (33a) expresses, the Torah is clearly indicating that the _____________of Shemitah and Yovel is a direct cause of exile from Eretz Yisrael. Nevertheless, “Even when they are in the land of their enemies, “I will not cast them away’ ; nor will I ever abhor them, to destroy them and to break My covenant with them; for I am _____________ (their G-d/Who else do they have?) The Parshah  concludes with the rules on how to calculate the values of different types of pledges made to G‑d, and the  mitzvah  of tithing produce and livestock. ** Part II: a. Why does disobeying Shmittah get us kicked out of Israel? ** ** b. Why do people, then, not keep the mitzvoth? ** ** c. What will you choose? (thought question) ** Part III: Match the psukim to the content above: which sentence does this concept apply? [] Gemara Shabbat 33b ...Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yossi and Rabbi Shimon were sitting, and Yehuda Ben Gerim, was sitting near them. ** Rabbi Yehuda commenced ** [the discussion] by observing, ‘How fine are the works of this [Roman] people! They have made marketplaces, they have built bridges, they have erected baths.’ they made they made for themselves; they built market-places, to set whores in them; baths, to rejuvenate themselves; bridges, to levy tolls for themselves.’ Now, Yehuda Ben Gerim went and repeated what they had said, until it finally reached the government. The Romans decreed: ** Yehuda, who exalted [us], shall be exalted **, ** Yossi, who was silent, shall be exiled to Tzippori; ** ** Shimon, who defamed us, let him be executed. ** Rabbi Shimon and his son went and hid themselves… hid in a cave. A miracle occurred and a carob tree and a water well were created for them. They would strip their garments and sit up to their necks in sand. The whole day they studied; when it was time for prayers they robed, covered themselves, prayed, and then put off their garments again, so that they should not wear out. Thus they dwelt twelve years in the cave. Then Elijah came and stood at the entrance to the cave and exclaimed, Who will inform the son of Yohai that the emperor is dead and his decree annulled? So they emerged. Seeing a man plowing and sowing, [|click here for the rest.] //by Jesse Dunietz //
 *  אָז תִּרְצֶה הָאָרֶץ אֶת-שַׁבְּתֹתֶיהָ, כֹּל יְמֵי הָשַּׁמָּה, וְאַתֶּם, בְּאֶרֶץ אֹיְבֵיכֶם; אָז תִּשְׁבַּת הָאָרֶץ, וְהִרְצָת אֶת-שַׁבְּתֹתֶיהָ.  || **34 ** Then shall the land be paid her Shabbatot, as long as it lies desolate, and you are in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and repay her sabbaths.  ||
 * **לה ** כָּל-יְמֵי הָשַּׁמָּה, תִּשְׁבֹּת, אֵת אֲשֶׁר לֹא-שָׁבְתָה בְּשַׁבְּתֹתֵיכֶם, בְּשִׁבְתְּכֶם עָלֶיהָ.  || **35 ** As long as it lies desolate it shall have rest; even the rest which it had not in your sabbaths, when you lived upon her.  ||
 * Part IV: And what does this have to do with Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai? **
 * Rabbi Yossi was silent **. ** Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai answered… **, ‘All that
 * || **Who’s the Boss? **

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Towards the end of the Tochachah, the extended rebuke that constitutes the majority of Parshat Bechukotai, the Torah traces Bnei Yisrael’s eventual exile to the neglect of the Shemitah and Yovel years. The Pasuk states, “Az Tirtzeh HaAretz Et Shabtoteha Kol Yemei Hashamah…Eit Asher Lo Shavtah BeShabtoteichem BeShivtechem Aleha,” “Then the land will be appeased for its Shabbat-years [i.e. Shemitah and Yovel] during all the days of desolation…that which it did not rest during the Shabbat-years when you dwelled upon it” (26:34-35). As the Gemara in Shabbat (33a) expresses, the Torah is clearly indicating that the abandonment of Shemitah and Yovel is a direct cause of exile from Eretz Yisrael. The “appeasement” mentioned in this Pasuk is somewhat vague, and open to a fair amount of interpretation. Ibn Ezra believes that it is the land itself that is appeased in some sense, as the exile allows it “rest” to make up for its lost “Shabbatot.” Similarly, Kli Yakar comments on a very similar phrase several Pesukim later (26:43) that “the land…assert[s] a claim for the offense it took and for the disregard of its Shemitah years.” Rashi takes a slightly different approach, interpreting the Pasuk’s somewhat odd language to mean that the exile and resultant desolation will appease Hashem, Who will be angry about “its [i.e. the land’s] Shemitah years.” Although each Peirush has a slightly different slant, they all appear to agree that it is somehow the land itself that has been slighted. This seems to be placing the focus on the wrong thing; why would the Torah focus so much on the role of the land in this punishment, when it is Hashem against Whom Bnei Yisrael really sinned? Is their offense really against the land? The commentary known as Chashavah LeTovah implicitly answers this question in his comments to the aforementioned Gemara. He wonders why the punishment of Galut is so appropriate for abandoning Shemitah in the first place. He points out that the primary purpose of Shemitah is to serve as a reminder that the land is not our own, that we are not the true masters of our property. We are merely servants of Hashem, working land that is effectively rented on condition of good behavior. As long as we continue to recognize this, we are granted continued presence on the land. If, however, we act as though we are the absolute masters of the land, which is the attitude expressed by neglecting the Shemitah and Yovel years, we forfeit our right to keep the land. Middah Keneged Middah (measure for measure), a total loss of mastery occurs in exile, where we are instead subjugated to the human rulers under whose hands we fall. This explanation leads to one possible answer to our original question. A farmer who does not keep the laws of Shemitah and Yovel marginalizes the role of Hashem in his agricultural success, casting himself as the ultimate controller of his land. As a corrective punishment for this errant attitude, Hashem evicts the farmer from the land to demonstrate that the farmer is, in fact, subservient to the land. It is not, as the farmer would like to think, that he simply works his land and reaps a crop proportionately; rather, Hashem has decreed that he has certain responsibilities towards the land, and if he neglects them, the land will not remain subservient to him. Since he tries to ignore these responsibilities and to dominate the land, the land has a stake in expelling him, and becomes an active participant in Hashem’s rebuke of the farmer. The message of this cause-and-effect relationship between Shemitah and exile is a powerful one. In our own time, much conflict has erupted in Eretz Yisrael over various political and religious issues. But regardless of one’s opinions on such matters, regardless of how much land Eretz Yisrael cedes, we must always keep in mind Who is really in command. If we treat ourselves as the ultimate masters of our land, this week’s Parsha indicates that none of it, ceded or otherwise, can remain our land for long. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> || ||

Parshat Emor, Behar Bechukotai and Sefirat Haomer and Shavuot

=The Final Countdown=

What was most major ‘graduation’ in Jewish history?

2. Dividing and Conquering E”Ywith Yehoshua 3. The Exodus 4. Other:__ || Which do we commemorate?
 * 1. Sinai – Matan Torah
 * Parshat Emor, Sefirat Haomer and Shavuot**

= PARSHAT BEHAR - HOPE YOU LIKE ONIONS! =

1. What are reasons for mitzvoth? Why are they compared to an onion?

2. How many mitzvoth have reasons assigned to them? Why? Explore them! A. **Divya** – a. what is difference between knowing the REASONS for mitzvoth and knowing the REWARD for mitzvoth? B. List a few mitzvoth for which we know the REWARD; [] **B.** **Ilan and Gabe: Read the first para on this link by Mr. Sam Davidowitz. Which mitzvoth are considered** **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">שבת שבתון ? See Vayikra 25:4** [] C. **Jonathan and Ariel**: **Vayikra 25**: What mitzvoth are mentioned here (at least 3)? What are the reasons, if any, provided? D. **Yoni and Zeev**: Ta’amei Hamitzvot: Medrash Rabba, Rambam and Pascal [] E. **Mack and Jordan**: **Vayikra 26:** What mitzvoth are mentioned here (at least 3)? What are the reasons, if any, provided? And Rashi Vayikra 18:4 –What are the reasons for mitzvoth? []

OR WE COULD SAY, ** HAVE YOU TAKEN YOUR MEDICINE **?

To paraphrase the Lubavitcher Rebbe , when one is instructed by a doctor to take a certain medicine, he does not attend medical school prior to taking the medication in order to understand why he must take this particular medication, and exactly how its ingredients will cure him. Rather, he takes the medication immediately. If after following the instructions he is still curious, he can then do his research into all the above.

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: red; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: yellow; font-size: 20pt;">SO: <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: red; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: yellow; font-size: 20pt;">What are reasons for mitzvoth? a. To become closer to G-d b. To show our devotion to G-d c. To understand the ways of the world d. To perfect our actions e. All of the above f. A, b, and d

PARSHAT EMOR CONTINUED...

How do we commemorate them? Match psukim to holiday: Then you shall observe the festival of shavuot for Hashem, your God; the voluntary offerings that you give should be commensurate with how much Hashem your God will have blessed you. || Vayikra:
 * <span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">שִׁבְעַת יָמִים, <span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">מַצּוֹת תֹּאכֵלוּ --<span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">אַךְ בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן , <span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">תַּשְׁבִּיתוּ שְּׂאֹר מִבָּתֵּיכֶם : <span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">כִּי כָּל -<span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">אֹכֵל חָמֵץ , <span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל --<span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">מִיּוֹם הָרִאשֹׁן , <span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">עַד -<span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">יוֹם הַשְּׁבִעִי . || ** 15 ** Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread; the first day, you shall put away leaven out of your houses; for who ever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. **Shmot 12:15** ||
 * || ** Dvarim 16:10 **
 * <span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">שִׁבְעַת יָמִים --<span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">שְׂאֹר, <span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">לֹא יִמָּצֵא בְּבָתֵּיכֶם : <span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">כִּי כָּל -<span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">אֹכֵל מַחְמֶצֶת , <span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מֵעֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל --<span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">בַּגֵּר , <span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">וּבְאֶזְרַח הָאָרֶץ . || ** 19 ** Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses; for whomever eats that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or one that is born in the land.
 * Shmot 12:19 ** ||
 * || ** Shmot 34:22 ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">וְלֹא -<span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">יֵרָאֶה לְךָ שְׂאֹר בְּכָל -<span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">גְּבֻלְךָ, <span style="font-family: David,sans-serif; font-size: 19.5pt;">שִׁבְעַת יָמִים ; || ** 4 ** And there shall be no leaven seen with your borders for seven days; **Devarim 16:4** ||
 * || ** Shmot 23:16 ** ||


 * > וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם, מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת, מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם, אֶת-עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה: שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת, תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה. ||< **15** And you shall count for you from the day after the day of rest, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the waving; seven weeks shall there be complete; ||
 * > **טז** עַד מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת הַשְּׁבִיעִת, תִּסְפְּרוּ חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם; וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם מִנְחָה חֲדָשָׁה, לַיהוָה. ||< **16** until the day after the seventh week you shall number fifty days; and you shall present a new meal-offering to Hashem . ||

Vayikra
 * > וּבְקֻצְרְכֶם אֶת-קְצִיר אַרְצְכֶם, לֹא-תְכַלֶּה פְּאַת שָׂדְךָ בְּקֻצְרֶךָ, וְלֶקֶט קְצִירְךָ, לֹא תְלַקֵּט; לֶעָנִי וְלַגֵּר תַּעֲזֹב אֹתָם, אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם.
 * ויקרא 22:22** ||< **22** And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap the corner of tey field, neither shall you gather the gleaning of your harvest; you shal leave them for the poor, and for the stranger: I am Hashem your God. ||