CONGREGATION MELECH YISRAEL OF TORONTO

Tehellim / Psalm 111:10 tells us that «The fear of G-D is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.» 

That fear is good and necessary. If it were not for the fear of G-D would many of us have changed our lives to try to please HaShem, would we listen to Him and read His word, would we respect, honor and love Him…I think not. Rather, we would follow our own wicked ways. To take G-D’s word seriously we have to fear Him.

Paracha B’chukotai, by dwelling at length on the curses, does a great deal toward inspiring a good fear of G-D that should discourage us from sinning and keep us on the narrow path, but if we still persist in not listening to G-D’s warnings and sin against Him, it tells us that punishment will automatically follow. 

However, the good news is that the curses are not meant to destroy us. We have to remember that G-D punishes us for a purpose and never blindly.  What He really wants is that we return to Him.

In Vayikra (Leveticus)26:41-42 HaShem says : «If their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt; 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember». HaShem goes on to say in verse 44: «I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the L-rd their G-D.»

Thus a true life of repentance and obedience to Torah is the surest way to avert G-D’s curses from ourselves. Let’s take heed and be thankful that G-D, being G-D and always true to his word, remembers our Avot (Fathers) and the promises he has made to them.

So we have seen that G-D has designed his covenant in such a way that his children can either be blessed or cursed. To ensure that we are getting G-D’s blessings and not his curses, let’s try to understand His covenant and see how it works.

Firstly, which covenant is referred to here. It is the covenant with Moshe on Mount Sinai. This covenant is based on the Torah, as opposed to the first covenant, established with Avraham, which required only Avraham’s faith. It is through our obedience to Torah that we get the blessings and that the promises are fulfilled. It requires of us that we believe that G-D will honor his part of the contract, and give us what He has promised, if we keep our part of the contract, which is to obey His Torah. The choice is ours to keep—or not to keep—His covenant, and to get the blessings or the curses.

Secondly, many of the Laws and the dos and don’ts are meant to separate us from the other nations which don’t care about or love the One True G-D. We live in a secular world and G-D doesn’t want his children to be like every body else around. We shouldn’t blend in with the crowd.

Our ways should be different from the rest of the world. We should be modest and humble, for only G-D is good; kind to strangers; avoid fornication as the Torah tells us, for our bodies are the temple of G-D. We should strive for holiness and live a life of repentance, and atone for our sins in order to draw near HaShem. In biblical times this was the function of the korbanot (sacrifices); nowadays Yeshoua is our sacrifice and our atonment, and we can only draw near G-D through Him.

These are only a few examples found in the Torah of how we should behave before the other nations and before G-D.

Finally, and ultimately, the covenant is meant to honor G-D. When we keep the Shabbat and the Feasts, which are at the core of G-D’s covenant, we truly honor Him the way He wants to be honored. It brings more Glory to G-D and less to man.

If we do this and keep G-D’s covenants, HaShem will be a G-D to us and bless us abundantly. But if we don’t, we will get the curses.

To recap, keeping G-D’s covenant and observing His Torah is to get the blessings and receive life abundantly, to separate ourselves from the other nations and from the profane, and finally to honor our G-D in a way that is pleasing to Him.

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Baruch HaShem
By Sylvain Martel