This week's double-Parsha closes out the Book of Leviticus. Parshas Behar begins at Mount Sinai, where the Almighty instructed Moshe to convey a series of laws to the Jewish people. The first is the mitzvah of Shemittah, the prohibition of engaging in any agricultural work every seven years. In two chapters in the Torah (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28) we read about the positive consequences of obeying the Torah and heeding its laws; and the terrible, painful consequences of disobeying the Law. Though reading Parshas Bechukosai is scary and a tad depressing, the truth is that this framework is the secret to our nation enduring such long and painful exiles.

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Passover marks the Exodus from Egypt. But leaving Egypt was only the beginning of the radical transformation that the Almighty brought about. 50 days after the Exodus, the nation coalesced around Mount Sinai and experienced theophany - national prophecy, national Revelation - at the mountain. The whole nation heard the word of God and lived. This cemented the transformation of the Exodus. This permanently ensured that the nation will be servants of God, not servants of pharaoh. Passover and Shavuot are effectively two bookends of one mega festival of freedom from bondage. The days that link the two are known as the Omer days. What we do during these days will determine how much we benefit from the power of this festival.

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Spiritual pleasure is vastly, infinitely greater than physical pleasures, and are completely imperceivable by bodies. Only if you work assiduously to develop a sensory connection with your soul, can you begin to taste it. The ultimate venue of spiritual pleasure is known as Olam Haba, the world to come. What about other venues of reward? What about Paradise, Resurrection, and the days of Messiah? How do those rewards featured in the Literature fit into the system of reward and pleasure of Jewish eschatology? In the third and final installment of Rambam's magisterial essay, we explore the other venues of reward and punishment.

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The story of the first person to ever be executed in a Jewish court of law is featured at the end of this week's Parsha. An unnamed man, the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man, blasphemed and was executed. When we ponder the story we discover all sorts of interesting tidbits. The blasphemer has a fascinating back story and his motivation to blaspheme is quite surprising. In this podcast we study the episode of the blasphemer and emerge with a powerful lesson that can make a big impact on our lives.

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Is free will limited or unlimited? What is the scope of free will? How much of our decisions must filter through that system of choice? How much can we actually accomplish if we set our mind to it? What is the mechanisms of ascending a free will ladder? In part 2 of our study of free will, we continue our exploration of fundamental concepts in free will, and learn about the transformative insight of the point of free will conflict.

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Parshas Emor contains a staggering 56 mitzvos, nearly all of them relating to either to the Kohanim, the priests, or to the Festivals, and the parsha ends with a very unusual episode that happened at Sinai.

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If you chanced upon sparring mates going at it, you may come to the mistaken impression that these two are enemies who want each other's throats. But the truth is, a sparring mate is helpful tool to improve your craft. The Almighty endowed us with a very helpful sparring mate to help bring the best out of us. At first, blush, this force seems to promote the worst in us. Upon close examination, we learn how this ostensible enemy is actually exceedingly good.

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There is great confusion about what the ultimate reward for righteousness and the ultimate punishment for wickedness are. Rambam's magisterial essay is designed to provide clarity in these lofty matters of eschatology. In part 2, we learn all about the concept of spiritual pleasure. Our bodies are very finely attuned to experiences of pain and pleasure. We discover that our souls are equally sensitive to pain and pleasure, though our default distance from the soul makes us fail to perceive it in a sensory way. Spiritual pleasure is inaccessible by default, but there is a way to experience it. It will require very hard work, but just one tiny taste of it changes your life forever.

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DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

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