They Stood at the Foot of the Mountain
They Stood at the Foot of the Mountain

They stood transfixed at the foot of the mountain" (Exodus 19:17).

There are two Sabbaths in the year in which the Biblical reading is downright frightening, casting a spell of gloom over the congregants. The first is this week's portion of Behukotai, (Leviticus 26: 14– 46); the second is in the portion of Ki Tavo, (Deuteronomy 28:15–68). These include passages known as the "Curses" or "Chastisements," because they detail the horrific inflictions which the Israelites will suffer if they do not heed the laws of God's covenant.

Jewish custom dictates that these verses are read in a whisper and at top speed. Usually the Torah reader himself takes this aliyah and in some congregations no one takes the aliyah at all (a practice of which I disapprove). Nevertheless, you can readily understand how a bleak curtain of despair descends upon the congregation when these particular portions are read.

The Talmud maintains that Ezra, the great scribe and lawgiver decreed that the calendar be worked out in such a way that the "Curses" of Behukotai be read shortly before the Festival of Shavuot and the "Curses" of Ki Tavo be read shortly before the Ten Days of Repentance, which begin with Rosh Hashanah.

Why must we hear the "Curses" twice? And why should they precede the festivals of Shavuot and Rosh Hashanah, respectively?

In terms of the first question, the famed biblical commentator Nachmanides (Gerona, Spain, 1194 – Land of Israel, 1270) maintains that the "Curses" of Behukotai refer to the destruction of the First Temple and the concomitant 70-year exile to Babylon in its wake, and that the "Curses" of Ki Tavo refer to the destruction of the Second Temple and the resultant 2,000 year exile to all four corners of the globe.

In terms of why we are now reading the "Curses" of Behukotai shortly before the Festival of Shavuot, the answer seems to be very clear. Shavuot is, after all, the anniversary of our having received the Revelation at Sinai, which minimally consisted of the Ten Commandments, but according to most commentaries included all 613 Commandments as well as fundamental principles of the Oral Law. I would maintain that Ezra wanted the Jews to understand that the Divine Laws are not options which can be accepted if one wishes to accept them or rejected if one wishes to reject them.

The laws that God commands us are just and necessary payment for the lives that He gives us and the national homeland that He has provided for us. Our continuity as individuals and as a nation depends upon our adherence to the Laws.

Indeed, the Sages of the Talmud describe Revelation in very graphic terms:

Moreover, the eternal Torah is rooted and invested in the very earth, stones and vegetation of the land of Israel. This is true not only in terms of the Biblical covenantal promise which guarantees our constant relationship and eventual return to Israel; it is also true because of the myriad of mitzvoth (commandments) embedded in its bedrock, its soil, and its agricultural produce.

The seventh Sabbatical year provides free fruits and vegetables for anyone who wishes to take them; the "corners" of the field actually "belong" to the poor every day of the year, and they may come and reap their harvests; tithes from the land's produce immediately go to the Kohen – Priest-teachers, the Levite Cantors, and the poor who share in the land of the rest of the nation.

The land of Israel itself cries out to its inhabitants in the name of God: "The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers," (Leviticus 25:23).

Hence God Himself, as it were, becomes inextricably linked – even "incorporated" or "incorporealized," if you will – within the peoplehood, the land and the Torah of Israel, the very objects and subjects which express God's will and out of which our essence and destiny is formed. Indeed, historic Israel, the land of Israel, the Torah of Israel and the Holy One Blessed be He, God of Israel and the universe are truly united in an eternal bond.

"They stood transfixed at the foot of the mountain" (Exodus 19:17):

Rav Avdimi bar Hama bar Hasa teaches that the Holy One Blessed be He forcedly held the mountain above them like a barrel [gigit] and said to them: 'If you accept the Torah, it will go well , and if not, here will be your grave site.'" (B.T. Shabbat 88a)

Hence we read the "Curses" shortly before Shavuot, in order to sharpen the bite which the Laws must have in order for Israel to become "A Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation."

However, this raises yet another problem. Immediately after the Talmud's description of the mountain held over the heads of the nation, Rav Aha bar Yaakov declares "From here, one can bring a strong appeal against the Torah itself." Rashi explains this to mean that if God ever asks us why we did not observe the commandments, we can always reply that our acceptance was under duress and so we never really obligated ourselves.

Moreover, this Aggadic description flies in the face of the basic biblical text, which has the Jews declare "We shall do and we shall obey" without any external pressures and even as a necessary condition for the covenant with God (Ex. 24:7,8).

I would submit that the Biblical "Curses" are not specific punishments which God sends after we commit transgressions in a quid pro quo manner.

When God first elected Abraham to be a founder of a great nation, it was in order that he would "teach his family after him to guard the way of the Lord by doing acts of compassionate righteousness and moral justice" (Gen. 18:19).

Our national task is to become a holy nation and a kingdom of Priest-Teachers to the world –teaching the world morality. If we do not succeed in doing this – first by sanctifying ourselves and then by influencing the world – then the natural and necessary result will be that evil will consume humanity and the world will destroy itself.

And the first victim of the wickedness that will reign supreme will be Israel, the fledgling nation which gave the world a prescription for morality to which it is not ready to adhere. If we do not keep God's laws and we do not emerge as a sacred nation, then the forces of darkness will, God forbid, shut out the light and our message of a God of love, compassion and peace will be dead forever.

In our present day world terror and Jihadism on the one hand versus morality and peace on the other, our need to read the "Curses" of Behukotai before the Festival of Shavuot is most compelling.