Parshas Behar-Bechukotai: Honesty is the Best Policy

We have a double Torah portion this week, Behar-Bechukotai, Vayikra (Leviticus) 25:1 - 27:34. Parshas Behar, Leviticus 25:1 - 26:2, focuses on laws related to land management, real estate and various transactions. Following God's rules in these areas produces abundance and liberty; not following God's rules in these areas produces destitution and servitude.

Of special relevance to us is verse 25:14, You shall not defraud one another.

You Shall Not Spread Abortion Lies

Cheating, defrauding, lying and deceiving happen as a matter of course in modern business. Online scams. biased news, corrupt medical protocols and slanted scientific research studies abound. Sadly, in Jewish culture, the ultimate fraud prevails in the relentless pursuit of personal power and profit - the baby in the womb is not human, its life is not protected in Jewish law, it's not alive until it's born.

Many Jews hold these false beliefs because we have been lied to by pro- abortion homicide ideologues entrenched in religious and cultural leadership. Too often, our friends and family ignore Torah's life affirming principles in favor of secular ideas repeated over and over again by respected authorities who present themselves as arbiters of truth and justice. They ignore readily available facts about human development. They dismiss perspectives that contradict the majority opinion.

For decades we've been exposed to distorted interpretations of Torah verses and arbitrary Jewish legal opinions that permit self extermination through abortion. In our schools, media, and synagogues the fraud perpetrated against babies in the womb has succeeded in convincing most Jews that killing them is legal in Judaism and a religious right/rite. Jewish abortion activists and those that emulate their strategy now have tremendous sway in politics and law.

The Power of the Lie

Two recent examples show how powerful the lie has become. A  judge in Kentucky ruled recently that the state's abortion ban based partly on the fact that human life begins at conception is unconstitutional because it violates the Jewish religious belief that life begins at birth. The NCJW submitted an amicus brief representing fifty mostly Jewish groups to the Supreme Court of the United States arguing against any restrictions on mail order abortion pills.

We really do need to get current on the science of human development and quit playing dumb. We really do need to get current on the data proving abortion drugs harm women and that safety guidelines make sense. We need to ask ourselves three questions. Who benefits from perpetuating the fraud?  Who suffers because of it? Why do we participate in it?

The Power of the Truth

Our second Torah portion this week, Bechukotai, Leviticus 26:3 - 27:34, opens with God calling on the Israelites to thoroughly accept and follow the Divine blueprint for living given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The Almighty commands the nation of Israel to embrace this new way of life so that they may glorify Him and testify to His greatness. 

HaShem knows the Israelites are unpracticed and skeptical of this new way of life, so He encourages them by outlining the earthly rewards they will derive if they do so. They will enjoy abundant harvests, peace, fertility and healthy children, successful warfare, happiness, and the inner peace and satisfaction in life that comes from unconditional obedience to God’s will.

They are also well informed of the consequences of rejecting His guidelines and undermining His authority. They will be cursed with famine, sickness, barrenness, invasion, warfare and dispersion into foreign lands where they will be oppressed by tyrannical rulers, persecuted and killed.

These natural vectors of positive and negative energy represent spiritual laws established by God. Because His covenant with us remains constant, vital and enduring, we alone are responsible for their force and direction.

We can infer from the increasing hostilities around the world towards Jews and Israel that we are experiencing the harsh realities promised to us when we play god and pursue measures that annihilate innocent human life in the womb. 

Each unborn baby that is destroyed is an attack on the Almighty Himself. Each one adds to the negative vectors directed against us.

The Redemptive Power of Return

The remedy for our current situation is to acknowledge how we are causing our own troubles through defiance of God's natural order and correcting it by ceasing to support and use abortion homicide. The Almighty promises us that a return to respecting His supremacy over human affairs will quickly restore our reputation and safety. Any other strategy is doomed to fail.

Israel just quintupled its PR budget to $730 million; experts say it won’t work

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-just-quintupled-its-pr-budget-to-730-million-experts-say-it-wont-work/

Hope for Israel and the Jews endures because God promises to redeem us no matter our failings or mistakes - if and when our repentance is absolute, intentional and serious. We can believe this because we know that God exists and that He loves us enough to save us from ourselves. His Presence reveals itself with each miracle of life, healing and renewal - gifts for which there is no human agent.

Parishas Bechukotai closes listing various ways of supporting the Tabernacle and priests. God’s dwelling place within our hearts, minds, and communities requires frequent contributions of time and money. More importantly are the life altering  sacrifices of reputation, approval or livelihood that may result as a consequence of taking actions that protect innocent human life from intentional slaughter.

In the death culture in which we live, speaking in favor of innocent life, especially innocent human life in the womb, requires courage, moral integrity, and unwavering faith in Providence. Dig deep. It's there inside of you.

In our Haftarah portion this week, Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 16:19 - 17:14, Jeremiah foretells of a time when generational deceptions bring ruin and hopelessness. A time like ours when many Jews and non-Jews believe the lies that human beings in the womb are not alive nor do they have a right to life under law.

Jeremiah cries out, "Lord, Who are my power and my strength and my refuge in the day of trouble, to You nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Only lies have our fathers handed down to us, emptiness in which there is nothing of any avail!"

Hope for renewal persists, however. The portion ends as the prophet reassures us that God stands ready to restore our brokenness and bless us whenever we appeal to Him: "Heal me, O G‑d, then shall I be healed; help me, then I shall be helped, for You are my praise!"

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Cecily Routman

Cecily Routman is the founder and president of the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation. She opposes abortion homicide in general and among Jews in particular and laments secular policy making in Israel that results in loss of Jewish life and delays the messianic redemption. Cecily envisions a Torah based holy Land of Israel and a world that respects the life of every human being from conception.

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