Bechukosai: the chance for redemption

The parsha of tochacha is immediatly followed by the parsha of archin that deals with the halachos of a person who pledges his value to the mikdash. Why are these two topics juxtoposed? When a person reads the tochacha he/she is liable to become despondant and give up hope, thinking that the punishments are so severe and the demands so difficult. R' Moshe Shternbruch (Ta'am v'Da'as) writes that we learn from the parsha of archin that if a person makes a pledge and does not have enough money to pay the price set by the Torah, instead of paying the full amount the person can pay whatever he/she is able to contribute, heseg yad. The Torah wishes to stress that achieving the impossible is not what the Torah demands; a person simply must achieve the best that he or she can.

The Ishbitzer further explains that the parsha of archin introduces the concept of pidyon, redemption. Not only can a person redeem his own pledge, but even a relative or neighbor can offer redemption on another's behalf. It is this possibility of redemption, whether through one's own efforts or through the help of another, that the Torah wishes to highlight after the tochacha to underscore that no person is every lost or beyond hope.

Parshas Bechukosai: comfort amidst tochacha

The "tochacha" in Parshas Bechukosai contains a long description of the severe punishments the Jewish people will receive for disobeying Hashem's commandments. This parsha ends by telling us that the Jewish people ultimately will repent and return to Hashem -- "v'hisvadu es avonam v'es avon avosam" (26:40). G-d responds: "Af ani eileich emam b'keri v'hei'veisi osam b'eretz oyveihem" -- I too shall act walk unreliably with them and bring them into the land of their enemies... What an alarming response! The Jewish people have finally repented from wrongdoing, yet G-d promises to visit still more punishment. How are we to make sense of this?

R' Sar Shalom of Belz explains that this pasuk is indeed a comfort. Transgression may require punishment and even suffering as part of the process of repentance, but during that rehabilitative process G-d promises that we are not abandoned and alone. "Eileich emam...”- I will walk with you, V'hei'veisi osam...", I will bring you… G-d walks beside us even as we suffer; when we must be banished to foreign lands, He personally brings us there and assures our survival and eventual return.

Even when we must deal with sorrow and crisis, G-d is with us every step of the way.