📜 Daily Chumash & Rashi Parshas Behar Bechukosaiy Chamishi: The curses received for disobeying G-d’s commands

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Shelishi (Chamishi if connected to Behar)

  • You will still be able to eat from the old fruit when the new harvest arrives.
  • I will place my Tabernacle amongst you and will not become disgusted of you. I will walk amongst you and will become a G-d for you and you will become for Me a nation. I am Hashem who took you out of Egypt from being slaves. I broke the pegs of your yoke and I led you erect.
  1. The curses received for disobeying G-d’s commands:
  • If you do not listen to Me, do not obey all these commands, despise My statutes, and are repulsed by My laws to break My covenant, then I will do the following to you:
    • I will make you panic and make you waste away.
    • You will get fever, causing your eyes to sting.
    • Your sowing of the seed will be in vain as your enemies will eat your produce.
    • You will fall before your enemies and they will rule over you.
    • You will flee even though no one is chasing you.
  • If you still do not listen to me, I will increase tormenting you in seven ways for your sins:
    • I will break your pride.
    • I will turn your heavens into iron and your land like copper.
    • You will exert your energy in vain as your land will not give off produce and its trees will not give off fruit.
  • If you still do not listen to me, I will increase tormenting you in seven ways for your sins:
    • I will send wild animals to attack you and bereave you.
    • I will exterminate your cattle and diminish you.
    • Your roads will be destroyed.
  • If despite these you still do not listen to me, I will increase tormenting you in seven ways for your sins:
    • I will bring upon you an attack by the sword to avenge my covenant.
    • You will gather in your cities and have a plague sent against you.
    • You will be delivered to the hands of the enemies.
    • I will break for you the staff of your sustenance.
    • Ten women will bake bread in one oven and bring the bread back by weight.
    • You will eat but not be satiated.
  • If despite this you still do not listen to me, I will increase tormenting you in seven ways for your sins:
    • You will eat the flesh of your children, the flesh of your sons and daughters.
    • Your towers and idols will be destroyed.
    • I will pile your carcasses on the carcasses of your idols, and I will despise you.
    • I will destroy your cities and Temple.
    • I will not smell the scent of your offerings.
    • I will make your land desolate from you and your enemies.
    • I will disperse you amongst all the nations and empty the sword after you.
    • Your cities will be put to ruin.
  • Appeasing the Shemitah years: Through the above, the land will become appeased from its Shemitah years, from all its years of desolation. All its days of it being desolate it will rest for whatever it did not rest during the years you dwelled on it.
    • The survivors, I will make them paranoid in the lands of their exile. They will flee from the sound of the rustling of a leaf and they will fall without anyone chasing them.
    • You will die from the sword of a friend without anyone chasing you.
    • You will be unable to overcome your enemies. You will become lost amongst the nations and will be consumed by them.
  • You will suffer due to the sins of your forefathers. Then you will confess your sins and the sins of your ancestors due to ignoring my commands. I therefore also treated you with ignorance and brought you to the land of your enemies so that the hardness of your heart become humbled and you will then receive appeasement for your sins.
  1. The salvation after the suffering:
  • I will remember the covenant with Yaakov and Yitzchak and Avraham and remember the land. The land will be bereaved of you and receive appeasement.
  • Even when you are amongst the enemies, I will not abhor you or reject you, to destroy you and the covenant I made with you, as I am Hashem Your G-d. I will remember that I took you out of Egypt and to be a G-d onto you.
  • These are the laws that Hashem gave the Jewish people on Har Sinai through Moshe.

📘 Rashi Q&A — Vayikra 26:10–46

 

26:10 — Old and New Produce

Q1. What does “וַאֲכַלְתֶּם יָשָׁן נוֹשָׁן” mean?

A: You will eat produce that is very old, even three years old, which will be better than newer produce due to blessing.

Q2. What does “וְיָשָׁן מִפְּנֵי חָדָשׁ תּוֹצִיאוּ” mean?

A: You will have to clear out storage of old produce because the new harvest will be so abundant that there will be no room for it.

 

26:11 — God’s Dwelling

Q3. What is meant by “וְנָתַתִּי מִשְׁכָּנִי”?

A: This refers to the Holy Temple.

Q4. What does “וְלֹא־תִגְעַל נַפְשִׁי אֶתְכֶם” mean?

A: God’s Divine Presence will not be repulsed by Israel.

 

26:12 — Divine Intimacy

Q5. How does Rashi explain “וְהִתְהַלַּכְתִּי בְּתוֹכְכֶם”?

A: God will walk with Israel as in the Garden of Eden, without causing fear.

Q6. Why does Scripture add “וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים”?

A: To clarify that despite the closeness, proper reverence remains.

 

26:13 — Liberation

Q7. What does “מֹטֹת” mean?

A: Crossbars of a yoke, preventing removal of the yoke.

Q8. What does “קֽוֹמְמִיּוּת” mean?

A: Walking upright, in freedom and dignity.

 

26:14 — Failure to Listen

Q9. What does “וְאִם לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ לִי” refer to?

A: Failure to toil in Torah study, not merely to performance.

Q10. Why does Scripture say “לִי”?

A: It refers to someone who recognizes God yet intentionally rebels.

 

26:15 — Seven Sins

Q11. What does “בְּחֻקֹּתַי תִּמְאָסוּ” mean?

A: Despising those who observe the commandments.

Q12. What does “מִשְׁפָּטַי תִּגְעַל נַפְשְׁכֶם” mean?

A: Hating the sages who teach God’s ordinances.

Q13. What seven sins are enumerated here?

A:

  1. Not studying Torah
  2. Not performing mitzvot
  3. Despising those who do
  4. Hating the sages
  5. Preventing others from mitzvot
  6. Denying the commandments
  7. Denying God Himself

 

26:16 — First Punishments

Q14. What is “שַׁחֶפֶת”?

A: A wasting illness causing weakness and despair.

Q15. What is “קַּדַּחַת”?

A: A burning fever, inflaming the body.

Q16. What does “מְכַלּוֹת עֵינַיִם” mean?

A: Unfulfilled longing, hope that is dashed.

Q17. What does “וּזְרַעְתֶּם לָרִיק” imply?

A: Either the crops will not grow, or enemies will consume them.

 

26:17 — Added Punishment

Q18. What does “וְנָתַתִּי פָנַי בָּכֶם” mean?

A: God will focus His attention exclusively on punishing Israel.

Q19. What does “וְנַסְתֶּם וְאֵין־רֹדֵף” indicate?

A: Israel will flee in fear even without pursuers.

 

26:18–20 — Intensification

Q20. What does “שֶׁבַע עַל חַטֹּאתֵיכֶם” mean?

A: Seven punishments corresponding to the seven sins.

Q21. What is “גְּאוֹן עֻזְּכֶם”?

A: The Holy Temple, pride of Israel’s strength.

Q22. How is this curse more severe than in Deuteronomy?

A: Here heaven gives no rain and earth destroys produce, whereas there only the earth was dry.

 

26:21–22 — Wild Beasts

Q23. What does “קֶרִי” mean?

A: Serving God casually or stubbornly, only intermittently.

Q24. What seven punishments are listed here?

A:

  1. Wild beasts
  2. Domesticated animals killing
  3. Venom
  4. Bereavement
  5. Loss of livestock
  6. Diminished population
  7. Desolate roads

 

26:23–26 — Siege and Famine

Q25. What is “נְקַם־בְּרִית”?

A: Vengeance for breaking God’s covenant.

Q26. Why does plague cause capture?

A: Corpses must be removed from cities, leading to enemy capture.

Q27. What does “מַטֵּה־לֶחֶם” mean?

A: Support and sustenance of food.

Q28. Why will ten women bake in one oven?

A: Lack of fuel and scarcity.

 

26:27–31 — Ultimate Punishment

Q29. What is implied by eating children’s flesh?

A: Extreme famine, the ultimate curse.

Q30. What are “בָּמוֹת” and “חַמָּנִים”?

A:

  • Fortresses / towers
  • Sun‑idols on rooftops

Q31. What does “וְגָעֲלָה נַפְשִׁי” mean?

A: Departure of the Divine Presence.

 

26:32–35 — Exile and Rest

Q32. Why is desolation of the land good for Israel?

A: Enemies cannot settle or enjoy it.

Q33. What does “אָז תִּרְצֶה” mean?

A: The land will appease God for the unobserved sabbatical years.

Q34. Why was exile decreed for 70 years?

A: Corresponding to 70 missed sabbatical and Jubilee years.

 

26:36–39 — Fear and Disintegration

Q35. What is “עָלֶה נִדָּף”?

A: A rustling leaf, whose sound will cause terror.

Q36. What is the Midrashic meaning of “וְכָשְׁלוּ אִישׁ בְּאָחִיו”?

A: Israel will stumble because of each other’s sins, as all are responsible.

 

26:40–42 — Repentance and Remembrance

Q37. What does confession include?

A: Their sins, fathers’ sins, betrayal, and stubbornness.

Q38. What is implied by “אוֹ־אָז יִכָּנַע”?

A: Either if their hearts humble, or perhaps they will.

Q39. Why are the Patriarchs mentioned in reverse order?

A: Jacob’s merit may suffice; if not, Isaac’s, and if not, Abraham’s.

Q40. Why is “remembering” not stated about Isaac?

A: Isaac’s binding is eternally present before God.

 

26:43–46 — Eternal Covenant

Q41. What does “יַעַן וּבְיַעַן” mean?

A: Retribution upon retribution.

Q42. What does “וְאַף גַּם זֹאת” assure?

A: Despite all punishment, God will not annihilate Israel.

Q43. What does “בְּרִית רִאשֹׁנִים” refer to?

A: The covenant with the tribes who left Egypt.

Q44. What does “וְהַתּוֹרֹת” (plural) teach?

A: Both the Written Torah and Oral Torah were given at Sinai.

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.

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