Vayikra 26:4-9 (Behukkotai) – A new utopia?

Within the blessings recorded in 26:3-13 it is interesting to examine some items that are not promised.

One, while 26:4,5 records that there will be enough rain and that the crops will be plentiful, the Torah does not state that the people would not have to work. On the contrary, the promise of sufficient rain means that the crops were going to grow in the normal manner, which requires the people to work. The Torah does not even state that the work will be easy, just that the crops will grow. Thus, the Torah was not promising a utopia and was not removing the "curse" told to Adam that work was going to be difficult, Bereshit 3:17.

Two, 26:5 records that the food would be sufficient that the people would be satiated, but there is no promise of great wealth. The Torah does not state that the people would have gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, and even spices (or oil). Again, we see that the Torah was not promising a utopia. The people would have to work to support themselves without easily finding treasures in the ground.

Three, 26:6-8 record that there will be peace in the land and that the people will easily be able to chase and kill their enemies. This last promise is quite surprising. It implies that that the people will have enemies and will have to continue fighting wars. The people are only promised that they will have peace within the country, but the borders can still be attacked. This is much less than the messianic idea in Yeshayahu (2:4) of universal peace.

Four, 26:9 records that the people would be fruitful and multiple. This would be the fulfillment of the covenant with the patriarchs, as stated in the verse, see Ibn Ezra. Yet, there is no mention of G-d removing sickness and stopping miscarriages, which was promised in Shemot 23:25,26. It could be that as the covenant that was being sealed in Vayikra 26 builds upon the covenant in Shemot 20-23, then the promise of good health of Shemot is also included in the blessings of chapter 26, see Ramban on 26:11. However, it could be that after the sin of the golden calf, the people lost the promises of no sicknesses and no miscarriages. With this latter possibility, again we see that the promises in Vayikra 26 did not envisage a new type of human existence. (The Ramban also claims that 26:6 indicates that there will be a new type of existence but the Rambam, Laws of Kings, 12:1 disagrees.)