This week we read two Torah portions: Behar and Bechukosai. Behar means “on a mountain” and represents pride in serving G-d. Bechukosai means “in My laws” and refers to the Torah laws that we don’t understand the reason for, and we observe them simply because G-d decreed. We need to have both these aspects of self-significance and self-nullification in our Service of G-d. As we prepare for the upcoming Shavuos holiday, when we celebrate the Giving of the Torah, we do both: we nullify and transcend ourselves, leading to peace and unity with others, and we also remember our own significance, making sure to use our own minds to understand the Torah that we learn and make Torah part of ourselves.
(See talk of the Lubavitcher Rebbe King Moshiach Shlita, Behar-Bechukosai 5751 (1991))
