Bechukotai - Original Sin & The Shekinah of the Third Temple
The last Torah portion in Vayikra / Leviticus is found in Leviticus 26:3–27:34, and is called Bechukotai, which means "In My Statutes," from the phrase, "If you walk in My statutes" in chapter 26, verse 3. The root, chok, connotes a kind of commandment that is permanent, and may also be elusive in meaning. They may not make sense to the natural mind that is without faith.
In Bechukotai, Hashem promises blessings upon Israel if they will keep the Torah, and curses if they do not. He promises that if the people of Israel will keep His commandments, they will enjoy material prosperity and dwell securely in their homeland. But He also delivers a harsh rebuke and warning of the exile, persecution and other evils that will befall them if they abandon their covenant with Him.
Nevertheless, Hashem says that “Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away; nor will I ever abhor them, to destroy them and to break My covenant with them; for I am the L‑rd their G‑d.”
The last chapter discusses laws pertaining to vows, valuations and tithes - how to calculate the values of different types of pledges made to G‑d, and the mitzvah of tithing produce and livestock.
Original Sin
Some deny any notion of the idea of original sin, or Adam's sin of disobedience in eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and its effects upon the rest of the human race. However, this Torah portion proves, at the very least, that failure to keep God’s commandments can have negative consequences that harm not only us as sinners, but our environment, others living in it, and therefore future generations as well. After all, the exile of the Jewish people finally happened because of generations of sin. Innocent children had to bear the burden of the exile and other punishments as well, just as the descendants of Adam and Eve had to suffer from the original sin of Adam as well as Eve. Don’t even innocent children suffer when their parents make wrong choices? They can suffer not only on a physical level, but sometimes, depending on the sin, it can even affect them on a spiritual or genetic level. But besides just the natural consequences of our sin, Hasidic Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain from the early 1900s wrote,
“In the days of the Messiah, the world will return back to the state that the first Adam found himself in before the sin ... sin is rooted in the tree of the knowledge, which brought about a loss of innocence ... The correction for this sin came at the time of the receiving of the holy Torah when they said, "We will hear, and we will obey." (Shem MiShmu'el)
So the loss of innocence and state of perfection in the world was due to Adam’s sin, but we have the key to correct this sin, which is the blueprint for how humanity should walk, which is the Torah. Yeshua came to elucidate and uphold this Torah, and inspired and empowered his followers to do likewise, as Romans 5:18-19 states,
“Just as it was through one offense that all people came under condemnation, so also it is through one righteous act that all people come to be considered righteous. For just as through the disobedience of the one man, many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the other man, many will be made righteous.”
The Shekinah of the Third Temple
Now, let’s look at Leviticus 26:11 from Bechukotai, which says, “Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you.” Of course no building can contain the Creator because He is infinite and He is without “shape or form,” according to Deuteronomy 4. However, the temple in Jerusalem was the place where God “put His name,” and He placed His dwelling presence, his shekinah, there in the most holy place. The Hasidic commentary “Yalkut Moshiach” states that the words “My soul will not reject you” means, “I will not withdraw My dwelling presence from you again.” Rabbi Moshe Alshich, from the 16th century, explains that this is referring not to the first and second temples that were destroyed, but to the third temple, which will never be destroyed. Rabbi Moshe wrote:
“And this is what He says here, "I will put my dwelling place, which is the work of my hands, among you and in your presence forever. My soul will not reject you to drive you from my land as it will be after they establish the first Temple and the second Temple" ... And in the words, "I will make my dwelling place among you," He refers to the light of the LORD which will be repaired and restored to the earth, as the prophets state in various places, "Come, house of Jacob and let us walk in the light of the LORD" (Isaiah 2:5).10
Ezekiel the prophet was given the plans for this third temple in Ezekiel 40-46. Some deny that a third temple will be built, but Isaiah 51:11 says that not one word from God’s mouth shall return void. The prophets anticipated a literal, physical temple in Jerusalem that all nations would one day come to worship to the God of Israel. They will even bring burnt offerings and sacrifices, as Isaiah 56:7 prophesies,
“I will bring them to my holy mountain
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all peoples.”
In that temple, the Shekinah will return and never leave again, and the effects of the original sin of Adam will no longer hold sway in this world ever again. May it be soon and in our time. Mashiach bo!
This lesson is from the series “Yeshua in the Torah.” To get the whole series, please subscribe to our Online Family Yeshiva at https://join.beneiavraham.com
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