The portion of Bhukkotai includes a Tochechah; verses of reproof (the major Tochechah comes in Deuteronomy). In the Tochechah, Israel is warned about the consequences of any potential unfaithfulness. While the warnings sound harsh and even cruel, Israel has much at stake in creating its national life. The nation was created as a moral nation, which would follow a particular path of life. By abandoning its unique lifestyle, Israel would bring moral as well as physical decay to its country and to its people.

In many congregations there is a custom to read the verses of reproof in a low voice, as if to suggest that the message is frightening. The point, however, is for the people to recognize that they must bear the consequences of all their actions, positive and negative. In the beginning of the portion, God promises: “If you follow My laws and faithfully observe my commandments, I will grant your rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and the trees of the field their fruit.”

How do we moderns make sense of such a threat/promise? Can we and should we take rain as a sign of blessing? Should the absence of rain serve as a punishment? Is such talk nonsensical in a contemporary era? In the Etz Hayim commentary on the Torah, Rabbi Harold Kushner teaches the following:

What is the modern reader to make of these threats and promises, aware of the fact that righteous people are not always rewarded and that wicked people are not invariably punished? We can see them as a vision of what the world will be like when it truly becomes God’s kingdom. Or, we can see them as a collective assurance: When most members of a community follow God’s way, the community as a whole will prosper even if some innocent individuals suffer illness or injustice. Alternatively, we can understand these verses, as addressed to a still immature Israelite nation, not mature enough to do good for its own sake, capable of responding only to promises of reward and threats of punishment. Although these passages may be the word of God, they need not be God’s last word on the subject.”

The language in the Tochechah is quite brutal: “But if you remain hostile to Me, I will spurn you. I will lay your cities in ruin and make your sanctuaries desolate…”

Some thoughts:

There are many times when we warn our children about the consequences of negative behavior. We offer our warnings instructively and as acts of love and concern, not as harsh consequences of disobedience; sometimes their disobedience leads to consequences beyond our control. While we do our utmost to protect our children, we cannot and should not always rescue them. Hopefully, the personal experiences they encounter will enable them to grow and will help enrich their lives.

God does not condone serious punishment but enables Israel to act autonomously and with free will. Exercising free will is our ultimate expression of freedom. How could we construct a modern Tochechah to reflect society’s life today? In what specific ways can we translate the warnings of Bhukkotai into contemporary terms?

Haftarah Reading: Jeremiah 16:19-17:14

The prophet speaks about the mistakes of Judah:

With a pen of iron, and the point of a diamond,
It is graven upon the tablet of their heart, And upon the horns of your altars.

Jeremiah calls attention to the unfaithfulness of the people; while they will suffer the consequences of their unfaithfulness, one day they will reconnect with god and undergo a spiritual healing.

The Haftarah concludes with a prayer for healing; the same prayer which has been lifted out of the Haftarah and incorporated into our weekday Amidah prayer.