Weekly Thought for Shabbat. Shabbat Behar. May 9, 2014. 9 Iyyar 5774. Rabbi Leah Lewis Radical. That is how I describe the laws contained within this week’s Torah portion. They are radical because, through all of their detail, they teach a lesson that is completely countercultural in our day. The laws detailed in parashat Behar describe the cycle of creation, and the need, on a regular basis, to step out of the busy world of creating in order to step back and appreciate creation. There are laws about the sabbatical year, during which not only people, but the land are commanded to rest and rejuvenate. And there are laws about the jubilee year, which completes seven sabbatical cycles, during which the land and people rest, and even social norms take a rest…slaves were to be set free and the land itself was returned to its original boundaries. In our society, we busily go about the work of creating and attaining. After a while, this becomes exhausting, even to the most determined among us. The Torah comes to remind us that at the end of the day, everyone and everything needs to return to its original state, to rest and recharge, and to be given a fresh start. It is with this backdrop that we wish Rabbi Steinberg all the best as he takes these next few months for his sabbatical time so that he can step back from all that he creates on a day-to-day basis and recharge. On this Shabbat, the ‘sabbatical day’, let us all be inspired to be radical…to stop creating, to appreciate the creation around us, and to recharge. Shabbat shalom.
Posted on: Fri, 09 May 2014 21:54:21 +0000
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