Parshas Behar - Bechukosai: Courting the Living Torah

Have you ever considered that Torah might be alive, seeking relationship with those who truly cherish it? This groundbreaking perspective transforms our understanding of what it means to "toil in Torah."

At the heart of Parshas Bechukosai lies a divine promise of abundance – timely rain, bountiful crops, peace, health, and prosperity. The condition? "Im bechukosai telechu" – if you will go in My laws. But what does this really mean? Rashi's revolutionary interpretation reveals it's about being "ameilim baTorah" – toiling in Torah study. Yet why would God want us to suffer or struggle with His wisdom?

The answer lies in understanding Torah as a living entity rather than a static text. As evidenced in Sefer Mishlei, where wisdom "cries out in the streets" and "raises her voice in the squares," Torah has a heartbeat, feelings, and desires. Just like any meaningful relationship, Torah seeks those who demonstrate sincere devotion and prioritization.

This explains why Yehoshua earned leadership over Moshe’s own son – not because of intellectual prowess, but because "he arranged the chairs and smoothed the tablecloths" in the study hall. He served Torah passionately, rising early and staying late, making it feel cherished above all else.

True "ameilis baTorah" means courting Torah like a potential life partner – demonstrating that it's the most crucial relationship in your life. When we approach Torah this way – as a living presence rather than information to master – it reciprocates, "falling in love" with us and revealing its most profound wisdom.

How might your relationship with Torah change if you treated it not just as a text to study but as a presence to honor, cherish, and prioritize? Start courting Torah today, and watch as it opens its heart to you, revealing treasures beyond imagination.

Chapters

• 0:00 God's Promise: If You Follow My Laws
• 3:05 The Meaning of "Going in God's Laws"
• 10:26 Torah as a Living Entity
• 16:22 Courting and Befriending Torah
• 21:32 Yehoshua: The Model of Devotion

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

It's that simple. If you'll go in my laws and you'll protect my observances, my commandments, and you'll do them, I'll give you your timely rain, your water will be pure, your crops will be watered, you'll have produce, you'll have plentiful, effervescent, overflowing crops for you, tooming on your trees. Your life will be perfect, life will be peaceful, you'll be living as a wealthy servant of God and you'll be living with health and vitality. It is all there for the taking. There is a caveat, and the caveat is the very tiny two-letter word at the beginning of our Parsha ImI, m, im, im, if, if, if. If you will follow the rules, then you'll have everything you could ever want. God made up the game and God made up the rules of the game, and it's our job to go in them, to protect them and to do them. What's left for us to define is what does it mean to go in the laws, what is the literal translation of what's being stated here and asked of us, and how can we crystallize it with total lucidity for us to actually get done what God wants, and then, hopefully, everything will be great. So let's translate the words In b'chukot sa'i te lechu, and by translating I mean we'll look at Rashi to figure out what everything means here, one of the most world-famous ground-shaking, eye-opening Rashi's. In kol ha-torakula, in b'chukot sa'i te lechu yoch uz'kiyom ha-mitz, I thought it just simply meant fulfilling the mitzvos. Isn't that what it means to go in God's laws? But then the hemshech, the continuation of the Pesach, says so. Now kiyam ha-mitzvah is stated there. So what is the original three words of the Pesach mean of what's left? What is this referring to? What is asked of us Beyond just simply fulfilling the mitzvot? Rashi's famous lead up to the most incredible, ground-shaking three words what is required of us? What does the Almighty ask of us? And in b'chukos haitei leichu, citing the sephra, it means simply that you should be a malem in Torah. Hmm, simple enough Toil in Torah.

Speaker 1: 3:34

Maybe you can recall your Balmusser or rabbi yelled these words at you in your youth, that you gotta toil in Torah, you gotta work hard in your learning. You have to strive, labor, suffer, maybe even in your Torah study Shetiu ha-melem ba-Torah. But when we really open up the hood and look inside of these words and think honestly about them, don't you think it's interesting that God wants us to toil in our learning? Isn't it rather odd if we take a very superficial understanding of this concept that you need to toil in your study. A very superficial understanding of this concept that you need to toil in your study. Don't you think it's weird that if Torah is a chachma, torah is the book, the all-encompassing book of God and it's for us to understand it and know it? Don't you think it's weird that pain and toiling and struggling and suffering in it is also part of the deal? Why should it matter whether or not you hurt yourself or felt the pain to understand God's Torah or not? Did you do the mitzvot? Maybe you're even besimcha about it. You do it with tremendous zrizos and hislavos, it's all there. But if you're not om al-batora, somehow you have nothing Weird. What's the pshat? Why is toiling required?

Speaker 1: 5:09

So often we jump out and kind of round the corners here and say that the toiling means in the learning, it's a vert in the learning. No, the learning needs to be with real diligence. We'll say it means to push yourself in your learning, exert yourself in your learning, sit there at long hours trying to understand. But it's not what the words say. This is not a vart. In the Talmud Torah or in the Limud HaTorah or even in the Hasmodos HaTorah. The words are Amalim BaTorah, a new concept that is required in the acquisition of Kenyan ha-Torah.

Speaker 1: 5:49

So what is amelis? Should we put thumbtacks on our chairs that we're sitting on to learn, so that we can learn Torah with more toil? Should you stand up and learn, because that increases the pain and you should study the hardest commentaries while your legs cramp from constant exertion? Is that what's to be asked of us? That's what amelos is and that's what God wants? Certainly not. So what does amelos mean? What does it truly mean? Why is it crucial?

Speaker 1: 6:24

This year I came across this idea. I've actually seen it times before, but never really understood it. This year I think I have a grasp on what Rabbi Rucham, the great spiritual dean of Yeshiva Asmir during the Roaring Twenties, means to bring out here. I think I have a grasp and with this piece of Chachma, if we're merit, if we will merit to say it over with clarity, to understand it, it shines a bright spotlight of lucidity upon so many tough-to-understand topics, and it all begins from chapter one of Sefer Mishlei.

Speaker 1: 7:03

Wisdom cries out in the streets. It raises her voice in the squares, at the head of the busy streets. She calls out At the entrance of the gates of the city, she speaks aloud. How long will you simple ones love your simplicity? How long will you scoffers, be eager to scoff? How long will you dullards hate knowledge? Tashuvu luk toichachti Hinei obio lachem ruchi oy dia divora yeschem? You are indifferent to my rebuke and I will now speak my mind to you and let you know my thoughts. Ya'an korosi utme'enu natisa yodi ve'en makshiv. Since you refused me when I called and paid no heed when I extended my hand. These are the words of Shlomo HaMelech. There is something crying out in the streets.

Speaker 1: 8:22

If you've heard these psukim or maybe you've heard hearing them now for the first time maybe they seem cryptic, maybe you're unsure who's talking. It seems like it's a female, but it also seems like it's chachma. All of its clarity and all of its simplicity. What's going on here is that Torah is complaining. Torah. If you put it all together here we have Shlomo HaMalch describing how it's Chachma. We also know Torah is always called female. It's Torah Hashem Tamima.

Speaker 1: 9:07

When you continue on, you understand that Torah here is complaining and rebuking and Torah is taking on this interesting reality, this interesting personality. Torah is almost somehow getting a heartbeat and when you go through Mishle. What continues to become apparent is that we are actually describing Torah itself living, breathing, walking and rebuking. Al ta'azva'u se'shemera ehev ovesirtzecha. Describing Torah itself living, breathing, walking and rebuking. Do not forsake her, mishlei, and she will guard you, love her and she will protect you.

Speaker 1: 9:37

It's clear that it's something living and it's Torah's Chaim that's talking, says Rabbi Rocham. He proves this over and over through all of the Pesukim, that it isn't just wisdom, it isn't just some muscle, it isn't what people say, that Mishle is a bunch of proverbs and everything is to be understood deeply. But it is plain as day to see. Read it in English, translate it. Go to Safaria and figure out the most basic understanding and you'll see that Sefer Mishle and right here is the easiest way to see it that Torah is living and rebuking and yelling out in the streets that why does nobody care about me?

Speaker 1: 10:19

Torah lives, torah breathes, torah rebukes and Torah comples, torah rebukes and Torah complains. It is an actual entity, a living organism, a being. We tend to think of Torah as a dead object, but it's an object. No, it's wisdom. It's something that can't be understood. It's far out. It's different. I relate to it through the book, maybe. No, it's wisdom. It's something that can't be understood. It's far out, it's different. I relate to it through the book, maybe.

Speaker 1: 10:50

No, all of it is lacking the real definition of what it truly is, which is Torah's Chaim. It's the living Torah. It is an entity that lives and breathes. It's touchable, feelable, it has a heartbeat. It's actually not just an entity, it's really the only entity, if you're Kabbalistic speaking, but Torah, it's complaining that no one is taking care of me, listening to me, and with this Kiddush, let it be clear that this is the chiddish, that Torah lives and it's a thing. Everything comes into light, it changes everything.

Speaker 1: 11:37

Because how do you think If you, whether in Shidduchim or you, just want to find a friend in camp, you could make someone or something that's living want to befriend you? How do you think you are to win them over to be your friend? Well, step one be nice to them, pay attention to them, care for them, try to win them over, try to do kind gestures, Court them, perhaps Go the extra mile for them, listen to their stories late, connect with them, care for them, wait for them, hang out with them, be there for them, wait for them, hang out with them, be there for them. See, torah is living and that's what Torah wants us to do. But Rashi shows us that what's the way to court the Torah, what's the way to acquire the Torah? What's the way to im b'chu kosai te lechu? What's the way to? What's the way to let Torah open up its heart and share with you its deepest secrets? You must be not in the study of Torah. It's not a halacha in the learning of Torah, but it's an all new idea Of that. You must show that you love Torah and you must give up for Torah. You must court the Torah and be the trusty, handsome prince charming to save Torah, that it loves you back and wants to open up to you. It wants to be your friend because Torah lives. Amelos, the Chiddish Amelos. You have to ingratiate yourself with Torah. Work hard for the Torah, because the Torah doesn't want to just be friends with anyone or anything. Torah is special and it only wants to be friends with the cool kids. It only wants to be friends with someone that really understands what it is and what it has to offer. So you have to earn its trust by being omel for it.

Speaker 1: 14:01

Torah is called something that has 48 ways to acquire it and the Lashon of the Mishnah is. There's Memchaz, kenyoni Torah. To make a Kenyon on it, there's 48 separate things that you need to befriend the Torah with to actually make this acquisition. And surely you're aware that to make an acquisition in Halacha, masech, hakadushim be'ezam, be'ez niknis can't do a kenyon balkarcha. You can't marry a woman against her will. You can't acquire the Torah against its will. It needs to be biritzona, she needs to be want in on it, she has to want to marry you. You have to earn the trust and the love, the desire of the other person. That's all done through Amelos, over and over, throughout Shas, this same concept shows itself. And don't you know the Megillah, the Masechta Megillah?

Speaker 1: 15:02

Vav Amet Bez Omer Rab Yitzchakim Yoim Alecha Olam Yogati V'Lei Matzossi Altamen. The only way that you can tell the rest of the world that I got this superstar person to be best friends with me, maybe even to marry me, this special entity, this special person called the Torah, the only way you'll be believed is if you are yogati. Yogati is what makes the Torah feel nice and warm and welcomed and there's no pressure, and it wants to open itself up to you. Yogati doesn't mean pain, but it means showing that you're willing to go the extra mile for it. You're willing to go, stay up late and listen to its stories. You don't leave it unattended in the car. You're willing to think about it and get lost in it. You're willing to be all mile for it. You're willing to stay up late and wake up early for it. And so that Torah feels loved by you and wants to open up its ever-flowing and revitalizing and encouraging wellsprings of Torah to you, of life. You have to earn it by being omel and courting the Torah, to show the Torah that you're worthy of it, so it will open up to you. That's what a megalos is.

Speaker 1: 16:33

Moshe Rabbeinu wanted to give over the keys to Klal Yisrael to be the next mayor, to be the next leader, to his son. He saw that there's a certain passing down of things from father to son, father to daughter. The Benos Lovchad got a share based on family rights. So Moshe Rabbeinu said now is as good a time as ever for me to ask that my son should be Yorshu B'nai Es Kvaydi. Am I the one who has the keys to the Torah? Who knows who has the keys to the Torah? No, no, a famous medrash who has the keys to the Torah.

Speaker 1: 17:20

Who has Torah opened up to? To the smartest one? No, to the wisest one? No, who does Torah? Who? Who? What it the living Torah? Who does it want to be friends with Yehoshua? Harbe shayoscha, veharbe cholak lacha?

Speaker 1: 17:47

Yeshua worked hard to take care of you. He gave you honor, he woke up early, he stayed late in your vadim, in your musr shmuzes. He was the janitor. He organized the chairs before yeshiva, before it became study time. He smoothed out the tablecloths to make sure that everything was ready to go. He did the small things Hoyol v'hu she'roscha b'cho kocho. He toiled. He took care of you with all of his strength. Kedai hu, she'yishamesh es yisrael she'enoy me'abetz haro. He is the chosen one. Does Torah open itself up to the smartest one? No, torah opens up itself and all of its beauty, all of its perfection, to the one that rises early to straighten the chairs and stays late to smooth the tablecloths and prepare the study hall.

Speaker 1: 19:00

What lives in this medrash? Clearly and obviously and plainly, it's for us to see. Because Yeshua loved it, befriended it, took care of it, made it the most important thing in his life. He was omal for it. He didn't just have pain. That's not what amelos means, but it means try to convince and earn the trust and love and ingratiate yourself with Torah. So it says, ah, this person really wants me, this person really gets me, I'll give him another date. That's what amelos is about, because the Torah lives.

Speaker 1: 19:40

These aren't just figures of speech but with this new idea that Torah is alive, it's walking around looking for people to open up and listen to it. So many different concepts throughout Tanakh become clear. So many gemaras and midrashim become enjoyable different, powerful, deep. They're not just figures of speech describing Torah as a thing, but it's alive. The mushels are so easy, they're plentiful.

Speaker 1: 20:23

Imagine it that you stay up late and wash the dishes After a long day. You're a gentleman, you open up the door for Torah. How does their spouse, how does Torah? How is it that that person, that living Torah, is going to look at you? You donate for it, you put it on a pedestal, you pet it, you take care of it.

Speaker 1: 20:44

When you do that for Torah not just toiling with pain, but toiling by living and making it the most important thing, like that, that's amelos bat Torah. That should tee you. Amelon bat Torah. Some people are even willing to catch a grenade for Torah.

Speaker 1: 21:08

Give up everything for Torah, those people, they earn the real prize. They really stay up late and hear all about Torah's feelings. Torah opens up to them with all of its life stories and this living, fiery, hot Torah. It reciprocates when you're omel for it and it feels special and treasured. That's what amilos means. It means to court, it means to be a gentleman. It means to laud, protect, obsess, cherish and protect this living female entity of perfection that's called the Torah Literally lives. That's what it means.

Speaker 1: 22:06

Cherish Torah, make it the most important thing. When you do that, cherish Torah, make it the most important thing Shetihi you amelim baTorah. When you do that, torah wants to get cozy with you and Torah wants to give you everything and the rains v'nasati gishmeichem be'ita munasah aretz yavula ve'eita hasad ha'yitim perio. Keep this in mind. Internalize this living Torah's chayim and look for it throughout all of Shas and see how this vart is. Just so, ms from Yerubal, work hard in Torah. Show everyone, including Torah, that you're in love with it and you want it to open up all of its wisdom to you. Be Amal BaTorah. It's as simple as that, because if you are Amal BaTorah, torah falls back in love with you and gives you everything that it has to offer. That's what it means. And Bechukos Ha'eteleichu Sh'tihi Amalim BaTorah.