Bechukotai
What is the key to the cycles of seasons of our lives?
Reflection by Ariel Yisraelah Hendelman, the Or HaLev Team:
"In the Torah portion of Bechukotai, (בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י) meaning `in My laws` (or statutes), we are told that if we follow in the Divine ways, as the Torah has outlined, then we will be granted `rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and the trees of the field their fruit.` Our blessings will be abundant and overflowing, both spiritually and materially, and we will want for nothing. But on the other hand, if we disobey, then we will be faced with quite the opposite. Even the land that is not allowed to lie fallow will have its Shabbat rest one way or another.
Rather than seeing this as a stream of good-if-you-do-but-damned-if-you-don’t warnings, something opens when we read this portion with a mindful lens. If we permute the letters of the word חוקת (chukat), we get קחת (kachat), meaning `take.` There is a sense that we are being instructed to live a life in balance; not to take more than we are giving; not to take more than we need; not to take more than the earth is able to reasonably provide. This balance is the key to the cycles of seasons that sustain the agricultural harvests that were so vital to our ancestors – and so intimately bound up with the essence of many of our holy days. This balance is also key to the seasons and harvests of our spiritual lives.
In our meditation practice, we often rely on the simple rhythm of the breath as an anchor. The breath teaches us about the importance of balance – every inhale, followed by an exhale, and so on. It is this balanced breath that enables life.
Our lives will have seasons of abundance and plenty, just as they will have seasons of drought and devastation. Our practice is what enables us to navigate through it all, remembering that we are not alone, and that we are resilient.
May our practice bring us into balance with the inner and outer worlds."