Parshiyyot BeHar-BeChukotai 5786 – 05/09/2026
Beginning with Bereishit 5781 (17 October 2020) we embarked on a new format. We will be considering Rambam’s (Maimonides’) great philosophical work Moreh Nevukim (Guide for the Perplexed) in the light of the knowledge of Vedic Science as expounded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The individual essays will therefore not necessarily have anything to do with the weekly Torah portion, although certainly there will be plenty of references to the Torah, the rest of the Bible, and to the Rabbinic literature. For Bereishit we described the project. The next four parshiyyot, Noach through Chayei Sarah, laid out a foundational understanding of Vedic Science, to the degree I am capable of doing so. Beginning with Toledot we started examining Moreh Nevukim.
BeHar: Vayikra 25:1-26:2
Bechukotai: Vayikra 26:3-27:34
Rambam continues his discussion of the fourfold structures in creation:
There are thus four causes of the motion of the sphere and four sorts of general forces proceeding from it toward us. These are, as we have explained, the force causing the generation of the minerals, the force of the vegetative soul, the force of the animal soul, and the force of the rational soul. Now if you consider the activities of these forces, you will find that they are of two species. For they cause either the generation all that is generated or the preservation of what is generated – I mean to say the preservation of its species in a permanent way and the preservation of its individuals for a certain duration. This is the meaning of “nature,” which is said to be wise, having governance, caring for the bringing into existence of animals by means of an art similar to that of a craftsman, and also caring for their preservation and permanence through the bringing into existence of formative forces, which are the cause of the existence of living beings, and nutritive forces, which are the cause of their lasting for whatever duration is possible. What is intended hereby is the divine decree from which these two activities derive through the intermediary of the sphere.
Rambam identifies four levels of development of physical systems in terms of the different “souls.” The lowest level is the mineral (which is not a soul, as the rocks are not alive). The next levels are vegetable, animal and human, corresponding to vegetation, non-human animals and human beings, which are held to be the only creatures on earth with a rational soul. The angels are a separate issue – they are called “separate intellects” and apparently live in a higher realm. It seems that these four levels can be arranged from gross to subtle: mineral (non-living systems) would be the crudest level, followed by vegetation, animals and human beings. It is a hierarchy from simplest to most complex nervous system, from lesser to greater expression of consciousness. As we discussed last week, there is a fifth element to all these fours, and it would seem that the fifth element here would be either the angels, or Gd. Of course Gd is transcendent, and is not any level of emanation – all the souls and all the bodies exist as virtual fluctuations within Gd’s essence.
Now there is a correspondence between the spheres and their causes of motion, and between the spheres and the processes of generation and corruption, that is, the process of evolution. In an earlier passage Rambam writes:
It is known and generally recognized in all the books of the philosophers speaking of governance that the governance of this lower world – I mean the world of generation and corruption – is said to be brought about through the forces overflowing from the spheres. We have mentioned this several times, and you will find likewise that the Sages say: There is not a single herb below that has not a “mazal” in the firmament that beats upon it and tells it to grow. … By means of this dictum they have made it clear that even individuals subject to generation have forces of the stars that are specially assigned to them. And though all the forces of the sphere pervade all the existents, yet there also exists a force specially assigned to a certain species – as is the case with regard to the forces of a single body – inasmuch as all that exists is, as we have mentioned, a single individual.
The correspondence is: Earth element is the sublunar world (the earth), Water element is the sphere of the Moon, Fire element is the sphere of the Sun and the Air element is the sphere of the Fixed Stars. Finally, the ether / space corresponds to the sphere that’s above all the other spheres – i.e. the field that transcends the four material spheres / elements. The point of this correspondence is that in all of creation, according to this view, it’s the influence from the spheres that affect the elements, and it is the varying confluence of the different elements that give rise to the variegated texture of the physical creation.
Incidentally, the same 5 elements are identified in the Vedic literature as being at the basis of creation (five Prakritis). The word “prakriti” comes from the roots “pra,” meaning “sprouting value” (think of our prefix “proto” as in prototype) and “kri” meaning “action” (same root as karma). In other words, the prakritis / elements are the faintest, sprouting values of the basic impulses, the basic modes of vibrations of the transcendent that are at the basis of everything we see in the manifest world.
Rambam goes on to wax lyrical about the number 4:
This number four is wondrous and should be an object of reflection. They said in Midrash Rabba Tanhuma. How many steps were at the ladder? Four – which refers to the dictum: And behold a ladder set up on the earth [RAR: Jacob’s dream, Gen. 28:12] . And in all the Midrashim it is mentioned and repeated that there are four camps of angels. However, in some manuscripts I have seen the text: How many steps were in the ladder? Seven. But all the manuscripts and all the Midrashim agree that the angels of Gd, whom [Jacob] saw ascending and descending were only four and not any other number – two ascending and two descending – and that the four gathered together upon one step of the ladder, all four being in one row – namely, the two who ascend and the two who descend.
Now we have seen that angels are messengers of Gd, and if we look at the 4 “material” elements, we see two: Fire and Air, that ascend, and two: Earth and Water, that descend. Perhaps this is the connection with the elements, but that is just speculation on my part. There is a fifth element here too, and that is Gd standing over the ladder, but separate from it. So even Jacob’s dream seems to have the 4 + 1 structure.
In modern physics we also have a 4, but we don’t think there’s a +1. There are four forces: Gravity, the electromagnetic field, the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force. I don’t know if we can put these into some correspondence with the elements; perhaps there is some other significance within the context of quantum field theory or unified field theory. Perhaps there’s no real reason to try to make such a correspondence. On the other hand, the structure of the elements seems to hold across cultures (at least in the West and in Vedic culture), which indicates that there may be some deep truth in that structure. If that is so, maybe we should look for that structure in modern physics as well. To paraphrase Groucho Marx: “Sometimes a 4 is just a 4.”
Chazak, Chazak v’Nitchazeik!
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Commentary by Steve Sufian
Parshiyyot Behar-Bechukotai
The main thing that we can learn from these parshiyyot is to schedule regular periods of rest into our lives and schedule deeper, longer rest also regularly: just as we are to rest every seventh day and the land is to rest every seventh year and all are to be freed in the 50th year.
“Behar” means “on the mountain,” literally, Mt. Sinai; symbolically, that highest level of our awareness when we are able to hear Gd and to express Gd’s Will in our actions in our familiar everyday world.
Also, since Rabbinic tradition derives “Sinai” from “sin-ah,” “hatred,” a reference to the hatred of other nations for the Jews who received the Word of Gd, we might see Mt. Sinai as being the mountain of Wholeness which is hated by those who see only pieces. But Wholeness doesn’t mind just as a parent doesn’t mind the anger of a child.
Contacting the Mountain of Wholeness within us through rest, loosens the restrictions that veil Wholeness, opens the awareness to fuller happiness and ability and dissolves fear and hatred. The Sabbath and the Sabbatical Year are examples of means to gain this rest and to gain the experience that brings trust and releases doubt and fear.
But even on days other than the Sabbath, we begin the day with prayers, pray afternoon and evening and conclude the day with prayers. These prayers and other spiritual practices we may do can serve as times of rest during the day.
Ideally, our continued prayers, activity, and Sabbaths become integrated and we experience a continuous state of lively rest that pervades every moment of our day: we become perfectly attuned with Gd and are restored to Full Awareness, that Gd is One, that our individual personalities are roles that Gd plays, and we are One with the One, we are All in All, the One and Only “I.”
In Behar, Gd declares that land belongs to Him and cannot be sold permanently. And just as every 7th day, we must rest from work, so also every seventh year, the land must rest. In truth, everything belongs to Gd including our energy, our thoughts, our body and all these must rest, not only during sleep but also during days, hours and moments when we take a break from our projects. I’ve seen it commonly advised to take a break from the computer for 10 seconds every ten minutes and 10 minutes every hour.
In this parshah, Gd tells Moses about the Sabbatical year: every seventh year, no work is to be done on a field and the produce is free for anyone to take: human or animal.
Lev 25: 21. Gd says that in the sixth year, He will bless the land so that it produces enough for three years, and, thus have not only enough for the sixth year, but for the seventh and the eighth also.
Symbolically, the Sabbatical can mean that when we are fully attuned to Gd, our work is easy, and the benefits of it do not feel hard-earned but like Gifts from Gd, Gifts that we can share freely, KNOWING that Gd is our Shepherd, we shall not want. So, the Sabbath is not only every seventh year, or day, but the all-time reality of our life; each moment Gd is giving us rest, each moment is bearing fruit for itself and for the future.
And the seventh Sabbatical, the 49th year, all work ceases, all indentured servants are set free.
Just as the land belongs to Gd, so does everyone and everything, including servants.
Symbolically, this can mean that the restrictions we place on the freedom of our thoughts and feelings to flow into action–restrictions that come from, for example, from our choice of professions, daily routines, residence—the restrictions are released and we can live life freely in the confidence that Gd is blessing our thoughts and feelings, renewing our lives.
Interestingly, when we look at the cortex of the brain, the grey matter, we see it has six layers and below the cortex is white matter. We can look at this as a concrete basis, symbolizing the six days in which Gd created/revealed the separation between Heaven (the subtle) and Earth (the gross); the seventh is the day of rest. Similarly, in terms of years, and in terms of seven times seven years – each group of six is a subtler level of the cortex and of the affairs of the physiology and of our lives governed by that level; each seventh is, similarly, a transcendence within the layer to a more restful level of functioning.
So Torah is built into our physiology, our physiology is built of Torah, and by attuning ourself to Torah, we attune every aspect of our personality to Gd and Gd’s Creation – we become capable of loving Gd with “all our heart, all our soul, all our might” and we become capable of loving not only “our neighbor as our self” but also all of Gd’s Creation – land, crops, animals, mountains.
Torah and the various aspects of Rabbinical Guidance (Talmud and Siddur, for example) and our healthy life style create the routines and intuition that can return us to full knowledge of the Oneness that is Gd and We Combined, of the Oneness that is Pure Oneness, of our Self that is Pure Love, capable of Loving Itself and our neighbor, all Creation, as our Self.
“Bechukotai” means “By my decrees”: Gd declares that when we follow Gd’s Decrees, all will be well. Rain will fall, harvests will be abundant, we will be at peace , victorious over enemies, fertile (“productive”), and be aware of Gd’s Presence. The opposite will happen if we do not follow Gd’s Decrees.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman, author of Tanya, dedicated to unifying the ritualistic ways of the Vilna Gaon, with the Joyful ways of the Baal Shem Tov, comments that “Bechukotai” comes from the word “chok,” which means “engraved” and so we need to follow Gd’s decrees to such a deep and natural extent that we do not even to have to think about doing right – the decrees are engraved in our soul and we automatically follow them.
Signs of this engraving are spontaneous Joy in our lives.
My experience with members of our congregation is we generally radiate great Joy, sharing it through every action, becoming more and more aware and Aware of Gd’s Presence every moment and experiencing every moment the softening of the duality of Gd as Wholeness and we as limited expressions of Gd.
Life is definitely worth living!
Baruch HaShem