Shabbat Behukotai 5782
This week, I am going to share music of a different nature. Our Torah portion, Behukotai, includes a long warning about what can happen to the Israelites if they do not adhere to God’s commandments. It’s not a pretty picture, and it seems that societies unmoored from basic decency are liable to fall apart. Their decline be so precipitous that they end up devouring their own children.
I can’t help but think of that passage (Leviticus 26:29) this week, after yet another classroom massacre. Art has a strong tendency to reflect on life, so it should be no surprise that school shootings and violence against children have been themes in music. Below are links to videos and lyrics of several such songs. I truly want you to listen, read, and feel these songs, because being numb is simply not an option.
We can unpack these songs at Shabbat minhah, which begins this week at 7:45 PM, at Seudah Shelishit.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Wise
Candle lighting: 7:58 PM
Torah Reading: Leviticus 26:3-27:34
Haftarah: Jeremiah 16:19-17:14
