This week's 10-Minute Torah (May 28, 2022): "Parashat Behukotai" 5782

https://youtu.be/uLReCkZK_6E

Parashat Bechukotai 5782 / פָּרָשַׁת בְּחֻקֹּתַי

28 May 2022 / 27 Iyyar 5782 (Diaspora)

Parashat Bechukotai is the 33rd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.

Torah Portion: Leviticus 26:3-27:34 https://tikkun.io/#/r/3-26-3

Bechukotai (“In My Laws”) is the final Torah portion in the Book of Leviticus. It begins describing blessings that follow obedience to God's laws and curses that come with desecration of them. It ends with laws of vows and consecration of people and property. [1]

Triennial year 3

1: 27:1-4 · 4 p’sukim ·

2: 27:5-8 · 4 p’sukim ·

3: 27:9-15 · 7 p’sukim ·

4: 27:16-21 · 6 p’sukim ·

5: 27:22-25 · 4 p’sukim ·

6: 27:26-28 · 3 p’sukim ·

7: 27:29-34 · 6 p’sukim ·

maf: 27:32-34 · 3 p’sukim ·

Haftarah: Jeremiah 16:19-17:14 · 17 p’sukim

Commentary and Divrei Torah : Sefaria OU Torah Jewish Theological Seminary

Our Triennial portion addresses vows made for the upkeep of the Temple. The Temple required a lot of upkeep, such as replacing the gold and silver as the paraphernalia were used and animals and grains for the daily offerings. It also required wood for burning.

Israelites could pledge based on their own worth as human beings. For example, a male from ages twenty through fifty would be worth fifty shekels of silver while a woman in the same age bracket would be worth thirty. Those values would be their pledges.

Yes, males and females are valued differently. Why? The best explanation is because of productivity. While women’s role was seen as raising and instilling social values into their children, and maintaining the household, men did the more physical labor of farming and herding animals. Consider that the work that men did was more pertinent to physical surviving, producing food and clothing and also building and maintaining structures.

This is not a value judgment whatsoever; rather it is a judgment based on value.