DVAR TORAH
The first three brachot of the Birkat Hamazon are mi’dioraita - Biblical in origin. They are: “hazan et hakol” - the thanksgiving for the meal; “al ha’aretz v’al hamazon” - the thanksgiving for the Land of Israel; and “boneh b’rachamav Yerushalayim, amen” - a request for the restoration of Jerusalem. Why do we need a prayer for the Land of Israel and Yerushalayim.
In this week’s parsha, we learn the laws of Shemitta - the Sabbatical year, during which the Land of Israel is forbidden to be worked. Shemittah, as is true of Shabbat, is a period of rest dedicated to G-d. Yet, as we all know, resting on Shabbat or refraining from working the Land during Shmittah does not automatically create a spiritual experience. So how can we transform those events into a period of meaning?
The answer may be within the structure of the three brachot of the Birkat Hamazon. Just as we begin by thanking G-d for the food we ate and then continue by thanking Him “for the good land which He has given,” – we can’t stop there because both the sustenance we receive and the Land of Israel are merely expressions of the physical gifts G-d has given to us.
And therefore, the Torah commanded us to add a third bracha - the blessing for a rebuilt Jerusalem. Because Jerusalem was, and will always be, the place of inspiration, the city where we can “feel” the presence of the Almighty. As the Rambam taught, the sanctity of Jerusalem is eternal, not because of us, but because of G-d’s presence which resides on the Temple Mount [Hilchot Beit HaBechira, 6:16]
All of which means that Yerushalayim provides all that we have and meaning to the Land, and it is Yerushalayim where we can discover the true meaning and inspiration for mitzvot.
Fifty-six years ago, this coming Thursday night, our people were privileged to regain access to Jerusalem. It was a miraculous moment that transformed our religious experience and which continues to draw Jews together from the four corners of the earth. And so, this coming Tuesday night is a time to celebrate - a time to give thanksgiving to G-d for giving us the gift not just of sustenance and not just of Land, but of meaning, via the gift of Jerusalem. May it be rebuilt speedily in our day, and may we appreciate it, defend it, and cherish it with all our hearts!
HALACHA OF THE WEEK: Double Parshiyot
Why is this week's parsha of Behar-Bechukotai a double parsha?
The answer is that Chazal divided the Torah into 54 parshiyot. The last one, Vezot Habrachah, is always read on Simchat Torah and never on a regular Shabbat. Therefore, there remain 53 parshiyot which have to be distributed among the Shabbatot of the year.
However, in a non-leap year there are only 50 or 51 weeks, which means that some parshiyot have to be doubled, and even in a leap year, which has 54 or 55 weeks, some of the holidays may fall on a Shabbat (Pesach and Sukkot will always have a Shabbat with a special Torah reading) and therefore, even in leap years there may need to be double parshiyot.
One more fact to remember, in the times of a pre-fixed calendar leap years were not determined until the month of Adar. Therefore, double parshiyot were always reserved for the latter part of the year - from Adar onwards.
Those parshiyot are: Vayakhel-Pekudei, Tazria-Metzora, Acharei Mot-Kedoshim, Behar-Bechukotai, Chukat-Balak, Matot-Masei, and Nitzavim Vayelech.
In general, the first four pairs are read as double portions in a non-leap year and read separately in a leap year. This accounts for the 4 extra weeks added in a leap year. These don't start until Adar, because before Adar it "isn't yet known" whether the year will be a leap year. (The exception to this rule is when Rosh Hashana falls on a Thursday. In a 355-day non-leap year there is an extra non-holiday Shabbat and Vayakhel-Pekudei are read separately. While in a 354-day non-leap year beginning on Thursday, communities that observe 1 day of yom tov read Behar-Bechukotai separately.)
Regarding the other three possible double parshiyot:
1. Chukat-Balak is read as a double portion whenever the 2nd day of Shavuot falls on Shabbat. (This means that Chukat-Balak is never read as a double portion in communities that observe 1 day of yom tov and creates a disparity between 1-day and 2-day communities for several weeks.)
2. Matot-Mas'ei is almost always read as a double portion, except in a leap year beginning on a Thursday when there is an extra Shabbat in the year; and in a leap year in which the following year begins on a Monday, there is also an extra Shabbat at the end of the year. (In the Diaspora this extra Shabbat is absorbed by the 8th day of Pesach so Matot-Mas'ei is combined as usual. However, in 1-day yom tov communities, Matot and Mas'ei are read separately. This latter scenario only occurs in about 10% of all years. But when it does, the Torah reading cylces of the Diaspora and Israel are out of sync for about 3 months!)
3. Nitzavim-Vayelech is read as a double portion if Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat, taking away a Shabbat from the regular Torah reading cycle.
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