אם בחוקתי תלכו ... ואם לא תשמעו לי
While Bechukosai is one of the two parshios of the Torah identified with the Tochechah, Rebuke (Ki Savo), it actually begins with the idyllic blessings conferred upon he who follows Hashem’s decrees. The Torah focuses on the Jew who listens, who follows, who acts positively. Sometimes, however, one will veer off the prescribed trajectory. He will, unfortunately, require discipline to help him return and tow the line as everyone else does. The interpretation of teileichu, follow, gives the commentators much food for thought. Rashi interprets the phrase, She’tiheyu ameilim baTorah, to mean by engaging in intense Torah study, with the…
