The Torah In Haiku: B'har / B'chukotai

Just like the Omer
Count seven sets of seven
Then, something special

For Omer, it’s weeks
After counting forty nine
Time for Shavuot

This week’s commandment
Count seven sabbaticals
Then it’s Jubilee

Leviticus 25:8, 10: You shall count seven sabbatical years, that is, seven times seven years. The period of the seven sabbatical cycles shall thus be 49 years … You shall sanctify the fiftieth year, declaring emancipation [of slaves] all over the world. This is your jubilee year, when each man shall return to his hereditary property and to his family.

With this portion we complete the Book of Leviticus. Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek.

Ed Nickow is a teacher and member of the Board of Trustees at Temple Chai, Long Grove, IL. This post is from his blog The Torah in Haiku.

About the Author

Ed Nickow

Ed Nickow is a teacher and member of the Board of Trustees at Temple Chai in Long Grove, IL. He blogs at The Torah in Haiku.

View All Posts From Author

Search

Film

Photo from the Hulu series "We Were the Lucky Ones," starring Joey King and Logan Lerman

“We Were the Lucky Ones:” Bringing The Holocaust Out of History Books and Into Our Homes

April 25, 2024

Since 1945, there have been over 440 Holocaust-related films and miniseries, and that's not counting documentaries. Hulu offers the latest, a new limited series, "We Were the Lucky Ones."

Passover

Photo of a group of people standing in a circle

Harnessing the Power of our Mothers Around the Seder Table

April 17, 2024

We have so much to learn from our mothers, past and present. Soon, we'll return to the story of Passover and to the narratives of three remarkable mothers whose determination, fearlessness, and love changed the course of biblical history.

Parenting

Melding Tradition and Innovation: Our Interfaith Toddler Naming Ceremony

April 10, 2024

When I found out I was pregnant, my mind was immediately filled with questions and plans. When my son Logan was born at 34 weeks, many of those plans quickly changed.