When a Jewish court was required to hand down a death sentence they would go out to the country and bemoan that breakdown in society.  The idea that the crime did not happen in a vacuum.  It happened because there is something wrong in society in general.

Many people blame their actions on others or things.  The fact is that we make our own decisions.  God gave us free will.  It is always our choice, and we suffer the consequences when we make the wrong one.

The curses of this week's portion have to do with a breakdown of society.  One of the problems is that people say, "that is your truth".  Interestingly, the Hebrew word for truth, אמת, has no plural.  This infers that there is only one truth, not multiple truths.

When we read the portion we see that God will judge us not so much on how well we pray or perform our rituals, such as the sacrificial service, but on how we treat each other.  As the Mishna says the first question that you will be asked in the next world will be "Were you honest in your business dealings?"

This week's portion has the blessings and the curses.  That if we follow the Torah then great things will occur but if we do not then disaster will happen.  The interesting thing is that the curses will be caused by a breakdown in society.  God does not have to curse us, we can do that all by ourselves,

The Talmud, Tactate Shabbat 33b, relates that the reason Rebbe Akiva's students died of a plague was that they did not respect each other.  This underlines the idea that even if we disagree, we need to show each other respect.  To disagree without being disagreeable.

Today is the 33rd day of the Omer, known as Log B'Omer.  It is a mini festival when we remember that a plague that was destroying Rebbe Akiva's students suddenly stopped.  What was the reason for the plague and what can we learn from it?

While the Torah has a respect for private property and wants us to earn our way in the world, Shmita reminds us that, in the final analysis, God is in control of the world.  We are commanded to make the most of our situation but if God does not help us we just won't succeed.

In this week’s Portion the Torah ties liberty with property fights. Basically, when there is no ownership of property, there is no liberty. That is why one the quote on the Liberty Bell is found in this week’s Portion: Proclaim Liberty thro’ all the Land to all the Inhabitants thereof.-Levit. XXV. 10.

A Jew becomes a slave due to being convicted of theft.  The thief is required to repay the victim for the property stolen and pay damages for the pain and suffering that he caused.  This is different from most other forms of law that do not connect the victim and perpetrator.  The Torah reminds us that there is a connection.