We must read Parshas Bechukosai before Shevuos. But it has nothing to do with the seder of Kriyas HaTorah that we currently have in place. Even when there was a minhag to read the entire sefer Torah once every three years, they would interrupt their regularly schedule to read Parshas Bechukosai before Shevuos.

Why? The main reason is as follows.

Kabbolas HaTorah was not a minor event in world history. On the contrary, it was THE major event in world history. Chazal understood the very first word in the Torah—“Bereishis” to be a hidden allusion to the fact that the entire world was created only in anticipation for Klal Yisroel to accept the Torah which is called “Reishis”.

Hashem’s plan was to create an entire world of humanity, and within it would a small group of people who would carry Hashem’s message to the rest of the world. It is like an entire field full of growing wheat, with a tiny portion separated to become sanctified which justifies the entire crop. Or an orchard with many clusters and one small portion becomes kadosh to justify the entire orchard.

Hashem said He created the world depending on a condition. It only has a right to exist if Klal Yisroel accept the Torah. If they don’t, the world will revert to tohu va’vohu. Klal Yisroel’s accepting the Torah justifies the creation and continued existence of the world.

The gemara in Shabbos tells us that Shevuos does not just commemorate an event that happened in our distant history. Shevuos is a re-experience of kabbolas HaTorah every year. We do not undergo dangerous mediacl procedures when the world itself is in danger. One of these times is Erev Shevuos. Why? Because Erev Shevuos is a time when the universe is in a precarious state. The same condition that Hashem placed on the universe when He created it, is now in effect again on Erev Shevuos when Klal Yisroel are supposed to re-accept the Torah. It is a dangerous time.

Some people have interesting attitudes towards limmud HaTorah and mitzvos. Some people see it primarily as a source of enjoyment and as a source of inspiration and edification. It is a personally meaningful and satisfying way of life. But by putting an emphasis on these personal benefits, one opens up the possibility that when Torah stops becoming enjoyable and personally meaningful, it will be abandoned in the search for something else.

There are all sorts of challenges and inconveniences involved in keeping the Torah. Will a commitment based on the enjoyment and edification factor help someone overcome challenges to keeping it? Probably not.

For this reason we read Parshas Bechukosai before Shevuos. We need to clarify to ourselves that our commitment to Torah is not optional depending on our mood or our personal level of satisfaction. It’s serious business. There are brochos that come when we keep the Torah, and klolos that come when we neglect it. Our level of commitment to Torah has cosmic consequences with serious ramifications. Overwhelming bounty and prosperity or devastating destruction and tragedy are what are at stake. Torah is not just a good thing to keep. Torah has the deepest and most far-reaching consequences you could imagine. Keeping the Torah means having a perfect world. Peace, the Beis Hamikdosh, and the Schechinoh will be close to us.

The Ramban said that the natural world will return to its original harmonious state. Before the sin of Odom Horishon, there was perfect coordination in the natural world, providing for all of mankind’s needs to enable him to focus his energies to avodas Hashem. The sin of Odom Horishon introduced discord and disharmony into the natural world order. Now there is competition and predators, and the earth isn’t as fertile and fruitful as it was created to be. But Hashem also created a physical world that responds to our spiritual level. When we do mitzvos and stay away from aveiros, the natural world responds with bounty and tranquility. When we neglect the Torah, the natural world also responds with disharmony and chaos. There is tension between human beings and the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom.

The physical world is not an automatic machine run by physical laws that are indifferent to what we do. Our actions have an incredible impact on this world. If there is peace, it is only a result of our keeping the bris. If we neglect our obligations, all forms of destruction descend upon us.

The tochocho describes a state of mind called “keri” which brings calamity to us. Rashi explains that it refers to the attitude that the conditions we find ourselves in are a result of pure chance and random coincidences. Hashem is out of the picture entirely. The weather is controlled by these natural forces, the economy is controlled by those market forces, and the question of war or not depends on diplomacy of various governments and military might. It has nothing to do with our moral choices.

But Hashem says that peace and war depend on our keeping the Torah or not. If we are on a certain level of spirituality, then we will have the Beis Hamikdosh return. Why?

The Beis Hamikdosh is a physical structure, but it is much more than that. Some people fool themselves into thinking that it’s just a matter of nationalism and political will. But the gemara tells us that any generation in which the Beis Hamikdosh is not built it is as if it was destroyed. This is because the existence of the Beis Hamikdosh depends on a certain level of ruchniyus of Klal Yisroel. When Klal Yisroel reach that level, there will be a Beis Hamikdosh. But if we are not, then even if someone would build it, it would be destroyed right away.

When we climb various levels of spirituality, Hashem responds and we experience various levels of Schechinoh, ruach hakodesh and nevuoh. If we weren’t on the level of the first Beis Hamikdosh, we lose the Urim Vetumim and nevuoh. Hashem makes His presence felt to us the more we are mindful of Him and bring Him into our daily lives.

Chazal provide a very striking insight into the pivotal aspect of the brochos and klo’los of the tochocho. The main element in our avodas Hashem which has the power to bring us all the way up and when its missing, bring us all the way down, Chazal identified as ameilus BaTorah. This means hard work, plain and simple. It means throwing yourself into a sugya until you live it and breathe it - until it is a part of you. Torah has an unbelievable capacity to impact the human neshomo and transform the human personality. This is why the main experience of olom habboh and the closeness to Hashem depends on the level of one’s connection to Torah that was attained while he was in this world - limmud HaTorah in a deep, serious, all-encompassing way. The Rambam quotes the gemara in Brochos which says there is an important remez in the process one undergoes in going from tumoh to teharah. He goes to a mikveh and immersing himself completely with full contact and without any separations.

So too, the Rambam says, when a person wants to attain taharas hanefesh – purity of soul, he must first of all achieve middos tovos and acting in a way that brings kedushoh and taharoh into your life. It impacts you and changes you from a physical being to a spiritual being. But after you have laid the groundwork of middos tovos, you then have to immerse yourself in the waters of pure knowlege. The Rambam is paraphrasing a gemara about Bolok’s nevuoh describing a fresh spring which transforms a person from tumoh to taharoh. The gemara says that it alludes to the Torah’s capacity to change a human being. But the Rambam adds much more. It has to be a total immersion in Torah with nothing separating you, in order for it to change your personality.

When the Torah starts with Bechukosai tei’leichu—ameilus baTorah is the key to bringing Hashem into this world and receive all the brochos of this world. The idea of a tsaddik being the yesod of parnossoh means that when a person behaves in a manner of spiritual elevation, he brings Hashem’s presence more in contact with the physical world and nature responds accordingly.

When we accept the Torah on Shevuos, we need to read the tochocho beforehand. We have to be mindful that the Torah we accept has enormous power both on the individual level and on the global scale. But only a total involvement and commitment can bring about this kind of large-scale change.

People would prefer to live in a world were Hashem is not involved. He interferes with what we want to do and how we want to achieve it. We would rather think that we are in control of what happens to us and that the world follows natural law. But the truth is that rain and drought are not determined by weather and climate but Hashem’s decisions minute by minute. People who desire to live a life guided by impersonal laws and forces, or political or economic trends are deluding themselves. People like to study history and make all kinds of analyses and predictions about why things have happened and will happen. People want to believe that if the Jewish people had their own homeland with their own army, there wouldn’t have been a holocaust. This is an aveiroh of walking with Hashem with keri—natural causation without hashgocho protis.

We are obligated to see everything that happens to us on both an individual and national level is as a result of Hashem’s hands-on guidance. The Moreh Nevuchim explains that nothing happens by chance. It is in response to how we fulfill the rotzon Hashem.

One might think that if you want to reach the highest madreigos, you need to have ameilus baTorah. But without it, we’ll be okay. Rashi explains otherwise. If we fail to see Hashem as an active player in this world and my biggest zechus is to be connected to Him and His Torah, then things just naturally fall apart. It starts by a neglect of limmud Torah and ultimately it leads to hatred of talmidei chachomim and resenting those who learn Torah.

Limmud Torah is the world’s lifeline it brings Hashem into this world and brocho into this world. This has to be understood and internalized very deeply. Without it, something is deeply lacking in one’s kabbolas HaTorah.

Mitzvos aren’t something you do when it’s practical and drop it when its impractical. The life of Torah and mitzvos are an ol a burden. There are no excuses. When a person is mekabel ol – accepts the burden, it is unbelievably uplifting and fulfilling. But when it is just for the experience without a bedrock commitment, then the whole thing falls apart.

The idea of coming to yeshivah now-a-days is very fashionable in the frum community today. But learning is not just something you do for the experience. It is something that we take with the utmost seriousness. It is the reason for the universe existing. It’s what we are here for. It is why Hashem gave us Eretz Yisroel—because it is the place that we connect to Hashem in the most intense way.

Kabbolas HaTorah and being in yeshivah means taking Hashem and His Torah with the upmost seriousness. Thinking through what life is about and what makes life meaningful, thinking what it means to be a Jew, means seeing yourself in the global picture. This entire expansive universe from the farthest star down to planet Earth was created by Hashem for the Torah and for Klal Yisroel to keep the Torah. That there should be a small group of people dedicated to become a spiritual people and focused on ruchniyus. Not to become drunk Friday.

We have the opportunity to make a connection to the Master of the Universe through His Torah and through toiling and delving deeper and deeper into Torah. This is why we accepted the Torah at Har Sinai and why we re-accept the Torah every Shevuos. That is what it is all about. That is why we read Parshas Bechukosai before Shevuos. When we stand Shevuos morning and hear the Asseres Hadibros, we understand and we are aware that we accept all the consequences—brochos and klo’los. The Torah is the purpose of creation and if we fulfill that purpose, the briyah will respond with peace and prosperity. And when we neglect it, we destroy the world.