Behar-Bechukotai 5786

In the harsh rebukes of Leviticus, the Sages found an unexpected moral truth in the phrase, “They will stumble over each other.” They interpreted it to mean that Jews stumble because of one another, teaching the principle of Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh — all Jews are responsible for one another. This idea appears specifically in the curses because they describe exile and dispersion, when the Jewish people would no longer share land, language, or political sovereignty. Yet even scattered across the world, the covenant bound them together through mutual responsibility and a shared destiny.

Unlike ordinary national identity, Judaism created a covenantal bond that could survive exile. Leviticus ends not in despair, but with God’s promise never to reject or destroy the Jewish people, because the covenant remains eternal. From this emerged one of Judaism’s greatest moral contributions: responsibility belongs to everyone, not only leaders or governments. Leadership in Judaism means accepting responsibility within one’s sphere of influence — in the family, community, workplace, or society. Covenant turns every individual into a partner in shaping the moral future.

This principle has repeatedly shaped Jewish history. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks described how just eleven Jews in Pristina helped rebuild Kosovo’s school system after the war by mobilizing volunteers from across Israel and the Jewish world. Similarly, the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda was founded by Anne Heyman afte