Raising the King’s Sons
讜讬拽专讗 专讘讛 (讜讬诇谞讗) 驻专砖讛 诇讜
讜诇诪讛 讛讜讗 诪讝讻讬专 讝讻讜转 讗讘讜转 讜诪讝讻讬专 讝讻讜转 讛讗专抓 注诪讛诐 讗诪专 专”诇 诪砖诇 诇诪诇讱 砖讛讬讛 诇讜 砖诇砖讛 讘谞讬诐 讜砖驻讞讛 讗讞转 诪砖诇讜 诪讙讚诇转谉 讻诇 讝诪谉 砖讛讬讛 讛诪诇讱 砖讜讗诇 砖诇讜诐 讘谞讬讜 讛讬讛 讗讜诪专 砖讗诇讜 诇讬 讘砖诇讜诐 讛诪讙讚诇转 讻讱 讻诇 讝诪谉 砖讛拽讘”讛 诪讝讻讬专 讗讘讜转 诪讝讻讬专 讛讗专抓 注诪讛诐 讛讛”讚 讜讝讻专转讬 讗转 讘专讬转讬 讬注拽讘 讜讙讜’ 讜讛讗专抓 讗讝讻讜专
Leviticus Rabbah Chapter 36
And why did God make mention of the merits of our ancestors and the merit of the land alongside them? Reish Lakish shared a parable, (he said) [i]t is like a king that had three sons, and one of his handmaidens raised them. Every time that the king asked after the welfare of his sons he would say also ask about the welfare of she who is raising them. So too, each time God remembers our ancestors, he recalls the land alongside them. That is why it is written “And I will remember my covenant with Jacob . . . and I will recall the earth.” (Leviticus 26:42)
In Parashat Behukkotai, God spells out a list of blessings that will come if the Israelites will follow God’s rules. This is followed by a harrowing list of curses that will ensue if the Israelites fail in this task. Finally, at the end of chapter 26, God foretells that even after the curses, when the Israelites repent, He will remember the covenants He made with our ancestors, and will remember the land. We might assume that the land is mentioned here because it is a part of the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
However, our midrash comes along and suggests something different, and perhaps more apt for our lives. Reish Lakish, via his parable, suggests that God has entrusted the nurturing of humanity to the land. When the land is described as God’s handmaiden who was responsible for raising our ancestors, our relationship with the Earth takes on an entirely different significance. The Earth is our mother鈥攖his gives a Jewish significance to the notion of a “mother nature,” but more importantly tells us that we have a responsibility to care for the Earth as we would for our own mothers. Perhaps it is even more fitting, since this week began with Mother’s Day. Just as we hope our mothers would be willing to speak up for us as in Reish Lakish’s midrash on Behukkotai, we, too, be mindful to care for our environment and, in turn, look out for Mom.
