Behar Bechukotai: Zemer of The Week

 

Blessed is the person who trusts in Hashem,
and Hashem will be his security.

From the haftarah for Parshat Bechukotai (in Yirmiyahu 17:7)

 

In the haftarah, the Navi contrasts two paths:

• one rooted in human control and certainty
• the other rooted in trust in Hashem

The image of the tree is striking: Even when conditions are uncertain, the tree continues to grow – because its roots are deep.

As emphasized in the Word of the Week, growth does not come from eliminating uncertainty – it comes from rooting ourselves deeply enough to grow despite it.

The zemer for this week: דרור יקרא
Fun Maccabeats “Cups” version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itIG4WU3WUc

This zemer begs Hashem to protect Bnai Yisrael, to destroy its enemies, and to bring peace and redemption to it.
It was written more than 1,000 years ago by Donash ben Labrat.
His first name is the acrostic formed by the first letters of the four lines of each of the first, second, third, and last stanzas.

Central elements of this parsha include the observance of the Yovel and Shemittah years, and the curses in the Tochacha of Parshat Bechukotai.

Some of the connections to the parsha:

·    First 2 words (and zemer name):
“דרור יקרא” (“Freedom shall He proclaim”) – To open the Yovel year, Bnei Yisroel are instructed:
“וקראתם דרור בארץ לכל יושביה” (“You shall proclaim freedom throughout the land for all its inhabitants” – Vayikra 25:10).

o    According to the Ramban, “Yovel” means “freedom of movement” for the slaves of the land.

·    4^th line of 1^st stanza:
“שבו ונוחו ביום שבת” (“Sit and rest on the day of Shabbat”) – The parsha refers to the Shemittah year as being a “Shabbat l’Hashem” on which
“ושבתה הארץ” (“the land should rest” – Vayikra 25:2).

o    Likewise, the last line of the last stanza – “שמור שבת קדשך” (“observe your holy Shabbat”) – mirrors the last pasuk of Parshat Behar (Vayikra 26:2).
·    2^nd line of 3^rd stanza:
“וגם אשר גברה בבל” (“And also Babylon which has overpowered us”) – The extensive Tochacha in Parshat Bechukotai describes how our sins will result in our being overpowered by our enemies.

o    In both parshas, Rashi sees strong foreshadowing of the Babylonian Exile and the sins that precipitated it: The 70 years of the Babylonian Exile correspond to the 70 Shemittah years that Bnei Yisroel neglected (Rashi to Vayikra 25:18 and to Vayikra 26:35).

·    More generally, in “Dror Yikra” we ask Hashem to punish our enemies with the horrors predicted for us in the Tochacha.  For example:

o    3^rd line of 3^rd stanza:
“נתוץ צרי באף ועברה” (“Smash my foes with wrath and anger”).

o    1^st line of 5^th stanza:
“קנא ק-ל קמי הדוך” (“Crush my foes, O G-d who is jealous”).