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From: Internet Directory [mailto:jvoice@idt.net]
To: judean-voice@juno.com
Subject: Parashat Behar


The following shiur was given by Binyamin Zev Kahane at the Center of the
Jewish Idea this week:

Parashat Behar

Our parasha deals with the mitzvah of "shmita": "Six years you shall sow
your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in its
fruit; but in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the
land, a sabbath for the Lord: you shall neither sow your field, nor prune
your vineyard. That which grows of its own accord of your harvest you
shall not reap, nor gather the grapes...: for it shall be a year of rest
for the land."

And then, the Torah says the following: "And if you shall say, What shall
we eat in the seventh year? Behold, we shall not sow nor gather in our
increase". It's a problem. You tell me not to work the land in the seventh
year, and so the obvious question asked is: What are we going to eat? The
Torah gives a surprising answer: "then I will command my blessing upon you
in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years." We
have a promise here: you are asking what will we eat - the Almighty
promises that if you observe the seventh-year sabbath of the land, the
sixth-year harvest will suffice for the sixth, seventh, and eighth years.

How are we supposed to understand the question, "What shall we eat in the
seventh year?" It seems like a simple question, at first glance. The Ohr
HaChaim offers two possibilities. The first is that the question here is
being asked with cynicism. "How can you tell us not to work the land? -
What are we supposed to eat?! We can't fulfill this commandment.". It's as
if they are saying Pikuach Nefesh pushes off the mitzvah of shmita. They
are saying that if we fulfill this mitzvah, we will die, and the Torah
commands us to live...

The second possibility is that the question is being asked sincerely,
"like a son asking his father, what will we eat?" Here, the person accepts
upon himself the fulfillment of the mitzvah. But he is concerned about how
he will survive. After all, we don't depend on miracles. We live in a
natural world. What are we going to eat? This is a legitimate question.
What will be? The Ohr HaChaim says: If he asks in this way, then the
Almighty will bless the sixth year, as it is written in the Torah. But if
the question is asked with skepticism and non-acceptance of the
commandment, as in the first possibility we saw, then Hashem will not
bestow blessings upon us in the sixth year.

The Torah is saying that if you fulfill this mitzvah with emunah, the
sixth year will be extraordinary. We rarely see such a promise in the
Torah. Usually, we are commanded to do a mitzvah like attaining an etrog
for Succot, or matzot for Pesach, with the faith that Hashem will provide
for us, for He watches over us. But here the promise is an exact one -
that we will have three times more produce in the sixth year. We have
something comparable to this in Parashat Re'eh: Also in the seventh year,
we have the idea of the "remission year" in which we are obligated to
relinquish all our debts. The Torah warns us of the following danger:
"Guard very carefully against the irresponsible idea that the seventh year
is approaching, and it will be the remission year. You may therefore look
unkindly at your impoverished brother, and not give him anything...
Therefore, make every effort to give him, and do not feel bad about giving
it, since God your Lord will then bless you in all of your endeavors, no
matter what you do." This is similar to our parasha, but here Hashem
doesn't tell us exactly what we will receive if we perform the mitzvah
properly. It just says that Hashem will bless us.

So we see that the mitzvah of shmita is something special. Rashi brings
down on the verse, "and you shall dwell in the land securely", the
following: "for the sin of not observing shmita, the Jewish People are
exiled."  That is, if you don't have enough faith in God, and ask: What
shall we eat on the seventh year?, in a cynical manner, you will be
punished and exiled.

There is a midrash which says: "God says: I placed them in the land of
Israel so that they can observe the mitzvah of shmita". Incredible! What
is the importance of this commandment? As we said, the mitzvah of shmita
is based on faith, and faith is the base of ALL the mitzvot. Shmita is a
very difficult commandment to observe. Today, we are unfortunately not
sufficiently connected to the land and to agriculture. That, we have left
for the Arabs. But the idea of this seventh-year sabbath is based on
faith. For a year we don't work. This is difficult. There is a verse that
says:  "Mighty men of strength fulfill his word." The midrash asks: Who
are these mighty men of strength? The answer: "Those who fulfill the
commandment of shmita. Why? They see their fields made "hefker", their
produce eaten by others, yet they conquer their evil inclination and don't
complain." This is a mighty man of strength. Your entire life is your
field or vineyard. You toil for it year after year. But now, it isn't
yours. It belongs to everyone. This requires great faith. On this mitzvah,
it's easy to say: "Well, I do all the mitzvot, but this one is my whole
life. It's my land. This is too hard." Today we are far removed from the
concept of owning and working the land. Most of us haven't merited to feel
the strong connection one should feel for the land. Today, no one is
connected. You go to your office, but no one is connected to his office -
he only thinks about how he will be able to get away when work is over.
You don't have a connection to the computer. But the concept of connection
to the land is something real in the soul of man. And now you have to
forfeit that connection, and watch others walk around in your fields.
That's not easy. You need faith to endure this. Not everyone who do
mitzvot have faith. It's easy to observe Shabbat without having great
faith. But shmita is a huge test of faith. His whole life is his land, and
he must forsake it. This is why the Torah and sages relates to it in such
a special way.

Of course you don't need this mitzvah outside Israel. If you are living
outside of Israel, you are already far away from the Almighty - considered
an idol worshiper. It is not the place for great tests of faith in God.
Not much is expected of Jews there. But Eretz Yisrael is something
special. It is required through suffering. This (observing shmita) is part
of the suffering.

On our parasha, Ramban says that "he who violates shmita, does not
acknowledge that God created the world". Again, this is because shmita is
a matter of faith. It is a test. If you don't pass the test, and don't
abandon your fields, because it is too hard, since you don't really
believe that God will take care of you as promised - such a person is
considered an atheist He doesn't acknowledge the creation. We must rest on
the seventh, because God also rested on the seventh. By our resting on the
seventh we are acknowledging the creation of the world by God. By resting,
we express our faith. If He created the world, then surely He can work it
out that we will have food to eat.

 One who asks such questions as, "What shall we eat?", or "How can we keep
any given Mitzvah" - if he asks this question in order to gain guidance,
then the question is valid; however, if the intention is to cast doubt
over the practicability of the mitzvah, he is treading on dangerous
ground. We see that beyond the fundamental - albeit complex - issue of
faith, the whole subject is intertwined with the Land of Israel: shmita
does not apply outside of Israel.  A similar idea applies to the verse in
Parashat Ekev: "If you say in your heart, These nations [who occupied the
Land of Israel] are greater than me; how will I be able to dispossess
them" (Deut. 7:17). G-d gives the command to drive out the inhabitants of
the Land; but those inhabitants are strong and mighty, and fighting them
can be frightening.  How can we drive them out?  - Therefore the Torah
commands, "You shall not fear them; remember well what the Lord your G-d
did to Pharoah and to all Egypt, the great events which your eyes saw, and
the signs and the wonders and the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with
which the Lord your G-d brought you out;  thus shall the Lord your G-d do
to all those nations whom you fear" (ibid. 18-19). G-d tells us, in
effect, that we have no right to question these mitzvot.  (Just to clarify
- there is clearly a difference between asking these questions in order to
understand, and asking out of fear.)

God is saying: It is no coincidence that before bringing you into the land
of Israel, which is a difficult task, I showed you my power in Egypt - so
that you would realize that just as I was able to take you out of Egypt,
so will I be able to bring you into the land to conquer the nations. After
what I did in Egypt, you can't tell Me, "how will I be able to dispossess
them?" Don't you remember what I did in Egypt, didn't your father or
grandfather tell you what happened - all the miracles and wonders that
happened over there? I've proved myself to you. My check has coverage.
I've already covered my check more than once. Now I give you another
check, and you ask me if the check is good?

So we see that mitzvot especially dealing with Eretz Yisrael - private
mitzvot such as shmita, and collective mitzvot like disinheriting the
goyim from the land - they require an extra dose of faith. Obviously, all
mitzvot require faith. But those mitzvot which are difficult or dangerous
constitute the true yardsticks of our faith; they gage the genuineness of
our faith.

The Kli HaYakar compares the mitzvah of shmita to the manna which the Jews
ate in the desert. The Almighty would bring down the manna from the
heavens, but forbid us to store extra for the following day. Why did God
do this? Why didn't He tell us to keep a week's worth of manna in reserve?
Because He wanted us to go to sleep at night without food for the next
day.  Someone lacking faith would be up all night worrying what will be
tomorrow. He who had faith slept fine. The manna was the great test of
faith.

The Haftorah of our parasha is interesting. Yirmiyahu is imprisoned by the
king for prophecising about the destruction. The Almighty tells him that
tomorrow, his uncle Hanamel will come to sell him a field in Anatot, and
he must purchase it. Yirmiyahu then delivers a lengthy speech: "Ah Lord
God! Behold you have made the heaven and the earth by your great power and
stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee..." When he
finishes praising God, he asks a huge question: "Behold the siege works
are come to the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of
the Kasdim that fight against it...and you have said to me, O Lord God,
buy the field for money.."

Yirmiyahu is asking a very practical question. You want me to buy this
field, but all is lost. Yirmiyahu himself was prophesizing about this doom
- and now he has to buy a field? The Almighty answers him: "Behold I am
the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?" And
here the Haftorah concludes. We have here a very strong idea. Hashem said,
"Is anything too hard for me". Yirmiyahu HIMSELF said these words in his
above speech!  He gave a whole speech on how the Lord is Omnipotent.
Doesn't Yirmiyahu believe in God's Omnipotence? Here is man who is in jail
because he is not afraid to speak in Hashem's Name. Yet, he has his doubts
here. After speaking of God's Omnipotence, he starts to look at the
reality and the pragmatics of the situation. For a moment, he doesn't
apply his faith to the reality.

He sees the destruction of the land in front of his eyes, the siege of the
enemy, and it doesn't make sense to him what Hashem is asking. God says to
him: "Is anything too hard for me?" You said it yourself. You just have to
believe it. You don't need long speeches.

We see here the difficulty in connecting what we say ("I believe, I
believe") to the reality at hand.  On the shmita year, our faith is
tested. We have to apply it to the reality. What will we eat? It's a
correct question. The Torah itself asks it. But do we ask it out of a
rejection of the mitzvah, or do we ask it in order to get the answer and
solidify our faith. Shmita connects your faith to the reality.

It is obvious that today we have lost all control of the reality. And it
all begins and ends with lack of faith. Our forfeiting of the land all
begins with lack of faith. When God performed for us miracles, as in the
6-Day War, and afterwards we said: "But the Arabs have planes, and the
Americans have tanks" - the moment they said that, the battle was over.
The moment the struggle turned into one over "security issues", and our
need to "exist", we lost. Everything has become a matter of security. Why
should we not give away Abu Dis? Because it will become a security danger
if they rule there! By such logic, we can give them Har Habayit and
everything else, as long as it isn't a security risk...  It all starts
with lack of faith.


DARKA SHEL TORAH
Weekly Parsha by Binyamin Zev Kahane
Translated by Lenny Goldberg

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From:  Har Etzion Virtual Beit Midrash
To: yhe-haftora@vbm-torah.org
Subject:  HAFTORA -32: Parashat Behar


                   YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
      ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)

                   THE WEEKLY HAFTORA
                  By Rav Yehuda Shaviv

     Haftora for Parashat Behar (Yirmiyahu 32:6-27)

a. Redemption of Land - a side issue

     The subject of the haftora - redemption of land by a
family relative - illustrates a mitzva that occupies  one
sole  verse  (!) of the parasha: "If your brother  should
become poor and sell some of his property, then his close
relative shall come and redeem that which his brother has
sold"  (Vayikra 25:25). (Although the idea of  redemption
by  a relative is mentioned once again, it does not refer
to  redemption  of  land but rather to  redemption  of  a
person  who  has sold himself into slavery to  a  gentile
because of his financial straits.)

     We  may  well ask why the Sages saw fit to choose   a
prophecy  that is reminiscent of just one  verse  of  the
parasha,  rather than choosing an excerpt reflecting  the
general  subject of the parasha as a whole - the laws  of
shmitta  and  yovel (the sabbatical year and the  jubilee
year).

b. Redemption of Land is related to everything
     It  seems that the observance of this halakha -  the
redemption of land by a close relative - contains a  very
important message and tidings of national redemption.  It
is no coincidence that Yirmiyahu was commanded to fulfill
it,  nor is it any coincidence that this act was recorded
for all generations.

     Up  until the time just prior to the destruction  of
the Temple, the function of the prophet was to attempt to
bring  the  nation to teshuva (repentance)  in  order  to
prevent  the  destruction that he foresaw. But  when  his
efforts  met with no success and the calamitous  fate  of
the  nation  was  sealed, his function changed,  and  the
prophet  who  had  previously  foretold  punishment    and
destruction   now  became  a  messenger  of    redemption,
implanting faith in the return. As if to say, "Houses and
fields  and  vineyards will yet be bought in  this  land"
(Yirmiyahu 32:15).

     A   seemingly  private,  family-oriented   mitzva  of
redeeming land thus assumes educational significance  for
all of Israel.

     An  Israelite becomes poor and he is forced to  sell
some  of  his property. This is certainly a "destruction"
in  his  eyes,  and he regards himself as being  "exiled"
from  his  land. The parasha comes to tell us  that  this
exile is only temporary, since various possibilities  for
redemption lie before him: his relatives are commanded to
redeem  his property, or he himself may be able to redeem
it  in  the future when his fortunes improve, and  either
way  when the jubilee year arrives he will return to  his
land.

     The  sale  of land on the individual level  is   just
like  exile on the national level. And just as  the  sale
does  not  represent  the  end  of  the  world   for   the
individual,  so it should not be perceived  thus  by  the
nation.  Just as there are various methods of  redemption
open  to  the individual, so various possibilities  exist
for  the  future  of  the nation. And if  the  individual
himself  is  unable  to  redeem  his  property  and    his
relatives   are  similarly  limited  (and  who    is   the
"relative"  who  redeems Israel? As  we  learn  from   the
Midrash  Tanchuma on our parasha, piska 3, "Who is  their
redeemer? I am the Lord their Redeemer...") then when the
right  time  comes  (similar  to  the  jubilee  for    the
individual), they will eventually be redeemed.

     Once  we  are speaking of exile and destruction,   we
are  already  touching  on the subject  of  shemitta  and
yovel,  since  "For  the  sin of (disregarding)  shemitta
(years) Israel was exiled," as we learn from next  week's
parasha,  Bechukotai. (See Vayikra 26:34-35.) Failure  to
observe  the  laws  of shemitta of the  land  causes  the
nation to be uprooted from the land.

     The   midrash   perceives  the    various   scenarios
discussed  in  the parasha as the links  in  a  chain  of
degeneration:

     "...If  he  fails to observe shemitta and yovel,   he
     will  eventually be forced to sell his  possessions,
     as it is written, "And if you shall sell an item..."
     (25:14). If he repents then it is well, but  if  not
     then  he will eventually have to sell his field,  as
     it  is written, "If your brother should become   poor
     and  sell  some  of  his property"   (25:25).  If  he
     repents  then  it is well, but if not then  he   will
     come to sell his house, as it is written, "And if  a
     person  sells the house in which he dwells" (25:29).
     If  he repents, then it is well but if not, then  he
     will  be  forced to beg for alms, as it is   written,
     "And  if your brother becomes poor" (25:35).   If  he
     repents then it is well, but if not, then he will be
     sold  to you, as it is written, "And if your brother
     who  is  with you becomes poor, and he  is   sold  to
     you..." (25:39). If he repents then it is well,  but
     if  not then he will come to be sold to gentiles, as
     it  is written, "If a stranger or a sojourner who is
     with you grows wealthy" (25:47). [This applies]  not
     only  to him, but to him and all of Israel,  for   we
     find  that  in  the days of Yirmiyahu,   because  the
     seventh year was disregarded, they were sold to  the
     gentiles..." (Tanchuma, Behar, 1).

     There is something paradoxical about the jubilee. On
one  hand,  the shemitta of land contains an  element  of
cancellation  of private ownership, for all  are  equally
entitled  to the produce of the land. On the other  hand,
in  the  jubilee year, land that was sold  to  others  is
returned   to   its  original  owners.  But    on   deeper
introspection we find that nothing achieves equality like
the  jubilee  year.  For then, everyone  returns  to  his
property,  and  everyone is made equal in  terms  of  his
opportunity.  The same can be said of  the  nation  as  a
whole: on one hand, their punishment of exile comes about
as a result of the sin of shemitta. On the other hand, it
is  shemitta  itself  that  is meant  to  strengthen   the
connection with the land, the striking of roots in it and
the ownership of it.

c. "We shall do and we shall hear"
     There  is  another point that connects  the   haftora
      with the parasha.

     The  prophet is most surprised at the command  given
to  him  by God, and he expresses this explicitly at  the
conclusion   of  a  lengthy  prayer  that    reveals   the
background  to his surprise (16-25). But his surprise  is
expressed  only after scrupulous and precise  performance
of the command, and we learn a great lesson from this.

     There  are those who will not perform a mitzva until
they  understand it and its reasons. Their motto is,  "We
shall  hear  and then we shall do." There are others  who
obey without thinking twice, and even afterwards they  do
not  think to question. They fulfill a command with their
eyes  closed.  Their  motto is, "We shall  do;  we   shall
simply do."

     The  lesson  that  we learn from the  story   of  the
haftora  is  that neither of these represents the  ideal.
Rather, we should "do and then listen." The "listen," the
quest   for  meaning  and  understanding,  is  not    only
tolerated but in fact is desirable and positive. Were  it
not for the prophet's prayer and the emotional expression
of his bewilderment, a large part of the message would be
lost,  and there would be no place for the prophecy  that
follows (26-42).

d. The place for the question of "What shall we eat"
     The  possibility of bewilderment is  raised  in   our
parasha, too: "And if you shall say, 'What shall  we  eat
in the seventh year? For behold, we have neither sown nor
harvested our produce" (25:20). God's answer is, "I shall
command  My blessing for you in the sixth year."  Is  the
question worthy of being asked, or is the Torah including
this only for those who are lacking in faith?

     According  to what we have said above,  we  may   say
that  the  question is not only possible but in  fact  is
desirable.  For the Torah does not teach us  to  rely  on
miracles, and if a whole nation desists from working  the
land  for  an  entire year, the natural outcome  is  that
there will be nothing to eat.

     But  close attention should be paid to the  position
of  the question, which appears to have been inserted far
away from its proper place. It should logically have been
juxtaposed with the laws of shemitta and the prohibitions
against the working of the land that they entail. But the
question  is postponed until after not only the  laws  of
working  the land during the jubilee year but even  after
the  laws of honest practice in sale of land. It  finally
appearsin  the vicinity of the promises that  the  nation
will  dwell  securely and peacefully  in  the  land.  The
question seems to have been intentionally "displaced"  in
order  to show that the fulfillment of the mitzva is  not
dependent  on  our understanding it; we are obligated  to
fulfill  its  every detail even in the midst of  profound
questioning.  But  there  is  certainly  place  for   such
questioning, and a Jew should indeed seek answers. And he
receives  an  answer  -  God's blessing.  Man's  question
arises as a response to the Creator's command, and thus a
dialogue  is  created between them.  Man  questions,  God
responds, and Torah is increased in the world.  A  person
is  not only a slave to God (and the parasha speaks about
slavery,  too), but also in some respects is a  "partner"
with Him.

     The  scenario  of action preceding understanding   is
reminiscent of Sinai, and this provides an answer to  the
famous  question  of our Sages at the  beginning  of  the
parasha: "In what way is the subject of shemitta  related
to Har Sinai?"

e. Is anything too wondrous for Me?
     The  conclusion of the haftora is surprising - God's
words seem to have been interrupted in the middle,  or  -
more precisely - at the beginning, such that the crux  of
His  answer is not read before the congregation. It seems
that  the haftora was intentionally cut off here so  that
the  call that resounds in our ears after the reading is,
"Is anything too wondrous for Me?"

     For  the  parasha certainly contains a message   that
may sadden us. How far we are from the vision of an ideal
social  and  economic system that it  describes.  Indeed,
observance  of the jubilee year ceased as  early  as  the
Second Temple era, for its fulfillment requires that  the
entire nation is living in the land. Therefore there is a
need to instill hope in a return to the glorious days  of
old,  and  although  it may seem far-fetched  and  almost
impossible, "Is anything too wondrous for Me?"

***********************************************************
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH
ALON SHEVUT, GUSH ETZION 90433
Copyright (c) 1999 Yeshivat Har Etzion. All rights reserved.

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