Below is a collection of Parashat Behukotai resources created by The Lookstein Center staff or contributed to the site by Jewish educators.
This is a growing collection. Check back soon or write to us at content@lookstein.org if you didn’t find what you’re looking for.
Parasha Points
- God promises rewards of a bountiful and peaceful life if Israel follows His mitzvot, but threatens awful consequences if they do not.
- God’s threats and the consequences for defying His instructions are intended as reminders for Israel to correct their ways. Ignoring those reminders brings even worse consequences.
- God will never abandon His people.
Major Mitzvot
- When someone takes an oath, they have a religious requirement to fulfill it.
- If someone dedicates an animal as an offering and later decides to exchange it for another, both animals must be brought.
- People can dedicate their own “value” to the Mishkan (Tabernacle). There are fixed values for different people based on gender, age, and status.
Educational Themes
- God works with a system of rewards and punishments for His mitzvot.
- God will never abandon His people, even though it sometimes appears that He does.
Notable Quotes
- Cited in the prayer for the State of Israel –
ונתתי שלום בארץ - God will never abandon His people –
לא מאסתים ולא געלתים לכלותם להפר בריתי אתם כי אני ה’ אלקיהם - If someone dedicates an animal as an offering and later decides to exchange it for another, both animals must be brought –
והיה הוא ותמורתו יהיה קדש
DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Question #1: In Parashat Behukotai, we read about reward and punishment for keeping the mitzvot. About ten verses describe the rewards, and thirty describe the punishments which are called the tochacha, “rebuke.” When this section is read in the synagogue it is often read quickly in a quiet voice – as if we don’t want to really hear about the punishments and want it over as quickly as possible. Does knowing about a punishment help people do the right thing?
Question #2: Parashat Behukotai discusses the rewards for obeying and then the punishments for disobeying. Do you think that the possibility of a reward encourages you to do the right thing? Does the possibility of punishment stop you from doing the wrong thing? Maybe you should do the right thing because you believe in it and not because of a possible reward or punishment. What do you think? Can you think of specific examples when the promise of a reward helped you, or the promise of a punishment stopped you?
Question #3: A significant part of this parasha focuses on Divine punishments for Israel’s wrongdoing. Do punishments have a positive side? How can we distinguish between a constructive punishment and a destructive one? Is there a difference between punishment on the scale of a family and those imposed by a broader society?