You Are What You Are

בס"ד

The final chapters of parshas Bechukosay are called parshas Erchin. There the Torah describes the relative value that an item has if it is pledged to the Beis HaMikdash. This even includes people. That means that if I say – "I will donate my daughter to the Beis HaMikdash" – there is a specific amount of money I have to give.

We might think this is a bad thing. We may be insulted or think that the Torah is belittling us to give us a dollar amount as our self worth.

The truth is exactly the opposite.

When a person thinks about themselves – they always think it terms of what they've done. "Oh, I am great because I did this and that", or "I'm not such hot stuff since I once did that…" What the Torah is teaching us in the parsha of Erchin is that Yidden have an intrinsic value. No matter how good or bad you have been recently and without any consideration as to your recent accomplishments (or, chas veshalom, failures).

This should be a shining light for a Jew. To know that we are worth an incredible amount – just for who we are. And to whom are we worth this much? To Hashem!

Perhaps this is why we read parshas Bechukosay right before receiving the Torah. We must first internalize the concept of an intrinsic value – only then can we begin to appreciate the tremendous gift that we are being given as befitting our value.

Hatzlacha !