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Parashat Behukotai: What's Going On Here?

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Parashat Behukotai: What's Going On Here?
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ByHadar Institute

What's going on here? מַה זֶה?

The opening pasuk of our parashah states that חֻקּוֹת (hukkot) are what we have to follow in order to gain God’s blessing.

What exactly are hukkot (or, in singular, hukkah)?

  • Sforno says that hukkot are rules that don’t have an obvious logical explanation.
  • Rashi and Ibn Ezra say the hukkah here is learning Torah.
  • Midrash Rabbah points out that hukkah comes from the שֹׁרֶשׁ (shoresh, root) ח.ק.ק, which means “to engrave.” The midrash imagines God engraving the rules of nature in the sun, moon, oceans, and the earth. Following God’s hukkot could mean living our lives with the awareness that everything around us is part of God’s plan.