Excerpts taken from an article at www.jewishsexuality.com
The Torah portion this week, Bechukotai, is known as the portion of rebuke. The portion begins with G-d's promise that if the Jews observe the commandments of the Torah, prosperity, blessing, and peace will befall them. However, if they turn away from the Torah, G-d warns them that terrible curses and sufferings will be their fate - they will be pursued and ravaged by their enemies and forcibly expelled from the land into exile where they will be relentlessly persecuted and killed:
Rabbi Yaacov AbuchatzeraThe saintly Tzaddik and holy Kabbalist, Rabbi Yaacov Abuchatzera, z'tzal, grandfather of the holy Baba Sali, z'tzal, explains this Torah portion as referring to transgression of the Brit:
(From the book, "Abir Yaacov," section, Pitochei Chotam; Bechukotai)
"For the matter of transgressing the Brit, and all of the sufferings that stem from this, is referred in this rebuke (in Bechukotai). So that when the verse says: "But if you will not hearken to me, and will not do all of these commandments, and if you shall despise My statutes, or if your soul abhor My judgments, so that you will not do all of the commandments, but that you break My Brit...," it does not mean to say that they do not do any of the precepts, or that they do not occupy themselves with Torah; but rather, they do occupy themselves with Torah, and they do perform the commandments, but the main thing is missing, for the Brit, which is the principle matter, is blemished and has not be rectified. Since the Brit is blemished and has not been rectified, everything is considered as naught, for it goes to the "Other Side", may G-d have mercy.
"This is why the verse concludes: 'but that you break My Brit.' That is to say: 'Everything that I said about your despising My statutes, and your abhorring My judgments, and your rejecting My commandments, is not to be taken literally. Rather you broke My Brit and you blemished it, and you did not rectify it. For this reason, even if you hearken to My voice in performing all of the other commandments of the Torah, behold I proclaim to you that you have not hearkened to Me. Even if you will do all of the mitzvot, I will consider that you have not done them. Even if you will observe My statutes with love, I proclaim that you have despised My statutes. And even if you will perform My judgments with great joy, I proclaim that you have abhorred them. All of this is because 'you break My Brit. For you violated My Brit and have not rectified it. For this reason, everything you do is considered canceled and as naught. And all of the Torah and mitzvot that you do, it all goes to the Sitra Achra. And because you betrayed My Brit, I will bring upon all the sufferings in the world....'
As the holy Zohar writes, a person who does not have fear of sin in matters of the Brit, has no fear of G-d in anything he does. This is because his body which performs the commandments is blemished. Thus, everything which he does is blemished.
"Therefore, whoever desires to do t'shuva (repentence) and serve G-d, let him first rectify blemishes to the Brit, and after that the things he does to please G-d will succeed."