Rest Is Part of the Covenant - Not a Bonus | Parashat Behar-Bechukotai
We close Sefer Vayikra with a choice. The combined parashot of Behar and Bechukotai offer us two models of Torah – one grounded in liberation and collective care, and one rooted in behavior and punishment. And if you’re a disabled student of Torah, you’ll likely recognize both.
Parashat Behar gives us Shmita – a sacred structures of rest, release, and return. Shmita is a biblical practices that instructs us to allow the land itself to rest every seven years. That even the soil - the most life-sustaining element in the world – is not expected to produce without pause. The message is clear: rest is holy. Rest is non-negotiable. Rest is built into the world the Divine creates. The message isn't, however, often well received in our communities, even today. Shabbat, another structure of sacred rest, occurring every 7 days, becomes a time to talk, to plan, to be seen as a hinderance. For those of us who are disabled, it can even be more exhausting. We'll come back to that.
