Bechukotai

Religious experience or sanctity is a sense of an objective presence outside of self.

William James (20^th Century)

The concept of “sanctity” also called “numinous,” is not dependent on the good or the moral. Numinousness does not stem from a sense of fear, of awe-filled trembling, or dependence or absolute worthlessness, yet neither does it stem from absolute faith, overwhelming love or a sense of security or dedication. Numinousness or holiness is creature-consciousness, the emotion of a creature submerged and overwhelmed by its own nothingness in contrast to that which is supreme above all creatures.

Rudolf Otto (20^th Century)

Human wonderment is so important in Judaism that it is considered the characteristic that separates human beings from the rest of creation, the basis of human morality and of the cultural restraint of urges and desires. The first stage is amazement and questioning, the second is awe, the third is moral and cultural restraint, and the fourth is religious restraint – that is, sanctity. If the world loses its power to cause wonderment and amazement, if the human soul takes the world for granted and is governed by routine, then the motivation for moral development disappears and the world will be taken over by violence, theft and corruption…

Dov Landau (20^th Century)

Rabbi Yehudah (4^th Century) taught that anyone leaving Babylonia for the land of Israel transgresses the positive command, “They shall be carried to Babylon and there they shall stay, until the day that I remember them.” Why was moving to Israel so improper?... At this time Babylonia was the center of Torah learning. It was the key to redemption of Israel and their return to the land. Rabbi Yehudah felt that individuals, even if they have already prepared themselves sufficiently for the holiness of the Land of Israel, should nonetheless remain in Babylonia. The object of exile is not to correct the individual but to correct the nation.

Abraham Isaac Kook (20^th Century)

The sedra of Bechukotai, which itemizes the blessings Israel will enjoy by observing the Covenant, confronts us with a fundamental issue that has perplexed Jewish commentators for centuries. According to the opening verses, the result of observing God’s commandments is…material benefit…but presenting material rewards as motivators for living a Jewish life actually cheapens the moral acts that we freely choose to do out of duty and commitment to our covenantal relationship with God…Abraham Maslow, a prominent psychologist, proposed a theory of personality which bears directly on our discussion. According to Maslow, all of us have a set of needs rooted in our biology. These needs are arranged in a hierarchical order and each must be satisfied before moving to the next. In order to actualize our higher, transcendent humanistic and spiritual selves, we must have sufficiently satisfied our lower, basic needs…The Torha is not cheapening our spiritual relationship with God by offering material rewards for living a moral and ethical life. Rather, it is addressing the psychology of a person who must have their basic needs met in order to pursue spiritual ideals and goals out of duty and commitment…

Steve Bailey (Contemporary)