Hey everyone!

I hope you had a super week! With summer fast approaching, the weather only gets hotter here in Florida!

So this week’s parsha is double…. again! We read Parshat Behar and Parshat Bechukotai. I’ve decided to tell the summary to you in a different (and clearer, in my opinion) way.

Parshat Behar:

–  The parsha begins by talking about shmita, a law that applies to any farmer in Israel. Farmers can work their land for six years, but on the seventh they must allow the land to rest and the poor people to take crops.

–  There is also the law of yovel. Every fiftieth year a farmer must not only stop working his land for the year, but also, all slaves must go free, and all land must be returned to its original owner. We are told not to worry about having enough food during shmita and yovel, because Hashem will cause enough food for three years to grow the year before one of these special years.

– The parsha tells us that a Jew cannot charge another Jew interest.

Parshat Bechukotai:

– The parsha begins with Hashem’s promises if we keep the Torah and mitzvot. Here are a few:

a)      There will be enough rain for our plants to grow.

b)     There will be enough food for everyone.

c)      There will be peace and safety.

–          Then Hashem tells us that if we don’t keep the Torah and mitzvot, bad things will happen.

–          The parsha tells us how to know how much our gifts to Hashem are worth.

When I read all the good things that Hashem promises for keeping the Torah, I realized something very important. To me, Baruch Hashem, these things are natural. So I noticed how I take things for granted. I don’t always remember what a blessing it is to have rain, food, safety, and other things. We should always remember not to take our life for granted.

So here are two questions: What have you once taken for granted? How do you show people appreciation for what they give you?

<3 Tamar