This week we read the double parsha of Behar-Beckukotai. Behar is filled with the number 7. Every seventh year is a year of sabbatical for the land, then every 50th year (the 7th of the 7 years) is the Jubilee, not only does the land get a sabbatical, but our lease is up. All lands purchased go back to the original owners. Even Yom Kippor, mentioned in the parsha is in the 7th month. Clearly 7 is a special number for us.
In the tractate of Chagigah on page 12b we learn, “Reish Lakish said: There are seven firmaments, and they are as follows: Vilon, Rakia, Sheḥakim, Zevul, Ma’on, Makhon, and Aravot.”
These are all described in detail, but I was struck by the image of Makhon. “Makhon, dwelling place, is where there are storehouses of snow and storehouses of hail, and the upper chamber of harmful dews, and the upper chamber of drops, and the room of tempests and storms, and the cave of mist. And the doors of all these are made of fire. How do we know that there are storehouses for evil things? For it is stated: “The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens” (Deuteronomy 28:12), which indicates the existence of a storehouse that contains the opposite of good. https://www.sefaria.org/Chagigah.12b.10”
I love the image of storehouses of good and bad. Jars filled with rain, balls of snow, thunder and lightning kept in warehouses somewhere. What is in the “good” warehouse and what is in the “bad”? Rain is a blessing, but too much is a curse.
We live our lives in this duality, with our own storehouses of thoughts, ideas, and emotions. Hopefully we have enough information to make the choice of how and when to open those doors, but it is hard to know at the moment what we should do. Will the doors lead us to the path of the next parsha, Beckukotai, of curses? Or will the items in the storehouses be used for the gentle rain of redemption? We can only strive to do our best.