Sedra of the week: Behar Bechukotai
Assistant rebbetzin at St John’s Wood Synagogue, Dina Golker, looks ahead to this week's portion of the Torah
Throughout this past year, millions of people have lost their jobs, financial security has diminished and lifestyles have changed completely.
The psychological insights on poverty in this week’s parsha are so poignant. In Parshat Behar it says: “If your brother becomes impoverished and his hand falters with you (imach) you shall hold on to him….so that he can live with you.”
It is interesting the word imach, with you, is written after “and his hand falters”, because the verse would read just as well without it.
Rav Meir Leib Frey suggests that imach teaches us an important lesson. He compares this verse with a line in the Talmud, which says: “Poverty in a person’s home is more difficult than 50 plagues.” The Talmud also uses an interesting choice of words: “In a person’s home”.
Rav Frey draws a parallel between two types of poor people: one who has always struggled and another who appears to have all the trappings of wealth, but more recently his lavish lifestyle has become a complete facade.
The Talmud means poverty is more difficult when it is hidden inside a person’s house, where no one would ever believe it. This second type of poor person is who the Talmud is referring to, where other people’s knowledge is limited.
Similarly, the Torah is saying that when your brother or friend becomes poor “and his hand falters with you”, that is no one else knows about it but you, with whom he was financially on par beforehand.
In these situations, it is incumbent upon those who know to help reinstate our fellow Jews to their original wealth, so “your brother will continue to live with you” according to the same lifestyle he was used to.
- Dina Golker is assistant rebbetzin at St John’s Wood Synagogue
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
