Bechukotai תרל”ה

במד’ חשבתי דרכי כו’.
The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 35:1) David Hamelch said “I have considered my ways, and have returned back to your decrees” (Tehillim 119:59). David was saying, tht every day he had certain plans to go to certain places, yet his feet constantly took him to the Houses of Torah studying and Prayer.
פי’ ע”י שחושב אדם קודם כל מעשה להיות לשמים ומביא הדעת לתוך המעשה שעושה הכל בדעת וכן בכל יום ויום כשמקבל עליו עמ”ש בבוקר זה הרצון מיישר כל מעשיו לטוב.
The explanation is that throug a person thinking that everything he is doing is for the sake of Heaven, this brings about the da’as (deeper connection to HaShem) into his avtions, and everyhting beomes infused with da’as.
Similarly, when oe accepts the yoke of Heaven every morning, this desire straightens all his actions to be good.
וז”ש בחקותי תלכו להיות עול מלכותו ית’ על האדם שלא יוכל לעשות מעשה קטנה וגדולה קודם ההסתכלות אם הוא כרצונו ית’.
This is the idea of the pasuk (Vayikra 26:3) “If you follow my statutes (Chukim)”, i.e. that one accepts the yoke of Heaven (with such clarity) that he will not be able to do any action without first analysing whether it is the will of HaShem. (חוק is something that we don’t understand the reason of)
וקודם העבודה נראה הכל כמו חוקה וע”י קבלת העול זוכה להבין ולהרגיש טעם המצות.
now before this service of acceptance, everything appears to be a “statute” (without any understanding), however it is thorugh the acceptance of the Yoke of Heaven, that one merits to understand and feel the reason for the mitvos.
וזה עצמו השכר כמ”ש שכר מצוה מצוה שמתקרב אל פנימיות המצוה.
This itself is the reward of the mitzvah. As it states (Avos 4:2) the reward for a mitzvah is a mitzvah. That one is able to get closer to the pnimius – inner life force energy of the mitzvah.
(By accepting the yoke of Heaven one merits to get to the inner element of the mitzvah)
וכן מה שלא נזכר בתורה שכר עוה”ב כי הוא פשוט ומובן מעצמו. אבל זה ברכה יתירה להיות נמשך כל ברכת עוה”ז ע”פ התורה וחקותי’.
Similarly the reason why the Torah does not mention the reward of the world to come, is because it is something that is obvious and self understood. Yet here when the Torah described the reward in this world (“And I will give the rains in their time etc.”) it is an additional blessing that everything in this world will be in line with the Torah and its statutes.
וז”ש גשמיכם בעתם כמ”ש בזוה”ק ע”פ לכל זמן ועת כו’. והיינו שיהי’ גם הגשמיות נמשך אחר השורש.
This is the idea of “and I will give the rains in their time” as the Zohar (1:194a) explains that it is the idea of (Kohelet 3:1) “Everything has its time and moment”, which means that even the physicality is connected to its source.
והוא כמו שאחז”ל יפה שעה א’ בתומע”ט בעוה”ז כו’ א”כ זה הבטחה יתירה מעוה”ב:
This is the idea that our sages explained (Avos 4:17) “One hour of Torah and mitzvos in this world is better than the entire world to come”, (By doing something correctly in this world and directing and connecting it to its source, is indeed the greatest blessing of all. This is something that can only be accomplished in this world, whereas in the world to come it is receiving the reward, in this world we are actually creating those elements of the reward.).

ובמד’ ג’ דברים במתנה התורה והגשמים כו’.
The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 35:8) states: “Three things are given as a gift, The Torah, the rains and the constellations”
פי’ התורה א”י להשיג ע”פ זכות האדם רק במתנה
The idea of the Torah (being a gift), is because one cannot comprehend the Torah through one’s own merits (it is far greater than us), it is only when it is given as a gift, (that it can be understood by us)
וגשמים פי’ זה כי שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא רק רשעים משלמים להם בעוה”ז אבל הצדיק ע”פ דין בעל חסרון הוא בעוה”ז רק התורה מבטיחה כי הקב”ה יתן במתנה לכל החוסים בו כי הוא כל יכול ולכן הבטחת עוה”ז לצדיקים היא מתנה גמורה.
The idea of the rains, is referring to the reward of this world. For there is no reward for mitzvos in this world. It is only the wicked that HaShem pays off in this world, however the righteous are indeed lawfully lacking in this world (for they are not fully rewarded in this world, and when they are it is measured out very carefully). It is however the promise of the Torah, that HaShem will reward all those that trust in Him, for He is able to do whatever He wants, and therefore the reward for righteous in this world is actually a gift.
(The true reward should be only in the world to come, when we do however receive it in this world, then it is a gift).
ובנ”י זכו לזה ע”י קבלת התוכחה. כי גם עונשים אינם בעוה”ז ע”פ דין.
The reason why Bnei Yisrael meritted this gift is because of their acceptance of the “rebuke”. For even the idea of being punished in this world is also not lawfully correct (for why should someone be punished in this physical world because of a spiritual transgression?!)
רק שבנ”י מקבלים באהבה עונשין כדי שלא יתרחקו ח”ו מדביקותם בהקב”ה ע”י החטאים.
It is only because Bnei Yisrael accept the punishments with love, for they (realise that the purpose of the punishments) are there to prevent us from, Heaven forbid, becoming distanced from our connection to HaShem because of our sins.
ובקבלה זו זכו למתנת עוה”ז ג”כ בעשותם הטוב. והוא עצה מהש”י לבנ”י כמ”ש נפלאותיך ומחשבותיך אלינו:
It is with this acceptance that they also merit the gifts of this world when they do good. (By accepting the punishment we don’t lawfully deserve, we are able to receive a reward that we don’t lawfully deserve).
This is all the good idea of HaShem to Bnei Yisrael as it states, “Your wonders and thoughts are for us”.

והשיג לכם דיש כו’ בציר ובציר כו’ זרע.
וְהִשִּׂ֨יג לָכֶ֥ם דַּ֙יִשׁ֙ אֶת־בָּצִ֔יר וּבָצִ֖יר יַשִּׂ֣יג אֶת־זָ֑רַע וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֤ם לַחְמְכֶם֙ לָשֹׂ֔בַע וִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם לָבֶ֖טַח בְּאַרְצְכֶֽם׃
Your threshing shall overtake the vintage, and your vintage shall overtake the sowing; you shall eat your fill of bread and dwell securely in your land. (Vayikra 26:5)
דכתי’ אור זרוע לצדיק והוא הארת התורה שאדם מקבל בלבו ועושה פירות.
This is the idea that is mentioned (in Tehillim 97:11) “The light shines for the righteous”, that the light of the Torah shines into a tzadik’s heart, and with this light he makes “fruit” (it has positive ramifications on everything)
ואח”כ צריך לברר מעשיו להיות בלי פסולת. וכפי הבירור זוכה אח”כ לקבל הארה אחרת וכן לעולם. וזהו רמז הכתוב והשיג לכם דיש שהוא הבירור כנ”ל:
And afterwards he needs to clarify his actions that they will all be pure without any dross.
Inasmuch as one is able to clarify and purify them, one is able to subsequently receive a light from this afterwards, and so on, (gaining more and more light). This is the idea that the pasuk hints to, “and your threshing shall overtake the vintage”, for the threshing is the idea of clarification and removing the chaff, (which leads to better and more fruit etc) as above.

ורדפו כו’ חמשה מאה כו’. ברש”י אין דומה מרובין העושים התורה.
And 5 of you will chase 100 and 100 will chase 10,000 (Vayikra 26:8). Rashi explains that the reason why the calculation is not proportionate (100 should only be able to chase 2000), is because one cannot compare the power of many people fulfilling the Torah, to just a few.
והוא הרדיפה עצמו שהוא רדיפת האמת ללחום מלחמת ה’ בעמלק. וכל המחלוקת צריך להיות לשם שמים ולהכניס עצמו בכלל ישראל.
This is referring to the actual “chase”, which is the fighting the battle of HaShem versus Amalek. Therefore any argument must always be done as a part of Klal Yisrael (just as in the above pasuk, the battle that is done by many is successful, so too the fight of HaShem, must be united in Klal Yisrael).
וב’ הדברים נסמכו במשנה כל כנסי’ לש”ש ומחלוקת לש”ש כו’.
These two things (of fighting the battle of HaShem, yet doing it as a part of Klal Yisrael) are referred to in the two mishnayot (Avot 4:11) “Any gathering that is not for the sake of Heaven will not prevail”, and (Avot 5:17) Any argument that is not for the sake of Heaven will not prevail”.
כי המחלוקת צריך להיות בכח הכנסי’ באהבת ישראל והקב”ה. וכ”כ ורדפו מכם חמשה כו’:
For any argument needs to be with the power of gathering in, with the love of Yisrael and HaShem. This is the idea of the abovementioned pasuk that a few will chase many.