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Parsha Perspectives by Ozer Alport

(וקדשתם את שנת החמשים שנה וקראתם דרור בארץ לכל ישביה יובל הוא תהיה לכם (25:10

“You shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom throughout the land for all its inhabitants; it shall be the Jubilee year for you.”

Parshas Behar begins by teaching us about the mitzvah of Shemittah, which requires us to allow the ground to lay fallow every seven years. We are then introduced to the concept of Yovel – the Jubilee year – which occurs in the 50th year after every seven Shemittah cycles. In addition to allowing the earth to rest, Yovel also contains one of the most famous requirements in the Torah.

In the Jubilee year we are also required to free all Jewish servants. The verse in the Torah requiring us to “proclaim liberty throughout all the land for unto all of its inhabitants” was immortalized on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, which was rung in 1774 to announce the opening of the first Continental Congress, and according to legend, on July 8, 1776, to summon citizens to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Its historical significance notwithstanding, there seems to be one glaring error in this verse. Although it was indeed appropriate for our nation’s Founding Fathers to declare freedom for “all” of America’s inhabitants, why does the Torah tell us to do so? Since the Jubilee year represents independence only for the servants that would be freed, in what way is it considered liberating for “all” of the people?

The following story will help us answer these questions. Rabbi Issar Zalman Meltzer (1870-1953) was once walking home with his nephew on a cold winter day. As he reached his home and started to ascend the steps, he suddenly turned around. Rabbi Meltzer began pacing on the sidewalk, apparently deep in thought. His nephew pressed him for an explanation for his bizarre behavior, but he shrugged him off.

After ten minutes, Rabbi Meltzer again approached the house, but again did an about-face and resumed his pacing. As it was growing bitterly cold, his perplexed nephew begged for mercy or at least an explanation. Finally, Rabbi Meltzer relented and explained. “As I walked up the steps, I heard the young woman who comes every week to help out in the kitchen singing to herself while mopping the floor. I realized that if I barged in right in the middle of her work, she would be embarrassed and stop singing. I don’t have the right to deny her the pleasure she has of singing while she works, so I decided to wait outside until she finished.”

In light of this story about Rabbi Meltzer’s sensitivity to this cleaning woman, we can appreciate the answer to our question given by Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin (1881-1966). The Talmud teaches (Kiddushin 20a) that whoever purchases a Jewish servant in effect acquires a master for himself. The Torah demands that an employer be responsible for the well-being of his employees.

As Rabbi Meltzer teaches us, he is obligated not just to provide them with a paycheck, but also with a warm and supportive work environment which takes their feelings and welfare into account. By ordering the servants to go free in the Jubilee year, the Torah is in effect lifting a major burden off of their current owners, in essence creating a newfound freedom and liberty not just for the freed servants but also for their masters. Recognizing the sensitivity that the Torah demands of us as employers should help us reevaluate the manner in which we treat not just our employees and colleagues, but all of our friends and loved ones. return to top
Ozer Alpert can be reached at ozer@partnersintorah.org  

talking points - parshas behar
Rabbi Elazar Meisels

1. The Gift That Keeps On Giving

“Hashem spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come to the land which I give to you....’” 25:1,2

• Which I Give To You – Why does the Torah speak in present tense [I give to you], as opposed to future tense [which I will give to you]? The sanctity of the Land of Israel is so great that it cannot all be experienced immediately. Instead, one must prepare himself beforehand, and the greater the preparation, the more one senses of its intrinsic holiness. Thus, the land is constantly being “given” to him, because ones appreciation for it is renewed on a regular basis. – Korbon Ani

It is said that Rav Nachman of Breslav zt”l claimed that only once he actually ascended to the Land of Israel and tasted the multiple flavors of spiritual succulence that the Land had to offer, did he finally comprehend the phraseology of this verse since he felt that each day he was truly “given” the land anew.

2. Lease Agreement

“Do not take from him interest…I am Hashem, your G-d, who took you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be a G-d unto you.” 25:35-38

• Who Took You Out Of The Land of Egypt – I took you out of Egypt on condition that you would agree to abide by My commandments, even the difficult ones, such as refraining from charging a Jew interest. – Rashi
• To Give You The Land Of Canaan – Although Eretz Yisrael(the Land of Israel) is a land replete with luscious fruit and abundant crop for you to enjoy, that was not the primary reason I gave it to you. Instead, My intent was for you to serve Me by observing My commandments in the land. – Or HaChaim

Although some would like to portray the Exodus from Egypt, and subsequent resettlement in Eretz Yisrael, as an act of compassion by G-d who couldn’t bear to see us suffer, this verse makes it clear that it was about much more than that. Instead of going through all the trouble of relocating us, G-d could just as easily have relieved our conditions in Egypt and allowed us to remain there in comfort. Removing us from Egypt and resettling us in Eretz Yisaoel was part of a larger agreement that G-d forged with us, wherein He would present us with a land of our own, and we would utilize that land to reinforce our relationship with Him. Failure to do so represents a breach in the terms of our agreement with him and is grounds for being exiled from the land.

3. Leave The Rest To Me

“You shall observe My Sabbaths and you shall revere My Sanctuary, I am Hashem” 26:2

• You Shall Revere My Sanctuary – Although the Holy Temple has been destroyed due to our sins, we are nonetheless obligated to revere it just as if it were still standing. One must not enter areas that are off-limits to him, nor may one sit in the courtyard area, and one should not act flippantly while standing opposite the Eastern Gate. This is derived from the juxtaposition of the obligation to revere the Sanctuary with the obligation to observe the Sabbath. Just as the Sabbath must be observed for all generations, the Holy Temple must be revered even though it is in a state of destruction. – Rambam, Beis HaBechirah, 7:7
• My Sabbaths – Why does the verse refer to Sabbaths [plural], and not merely speak of observing the Sabbath [in the singular]? Perhaps this alludes to the Talmudic dictum, “If only the Jews had observed two consecutive Sabbaths, they would have been redeemed immediately.” [Shabbos 118b] This also explains the juxtaposition to the mitzvah to act with reverence toward the Temple, for had they been redeemed, they would once again merit a Holy Temple to serve Him and revere. – Maadanei Melech

Perhaps the juxtaposition of the obligation to revere the Sanctuary to the obligation to observe the Sabbath can be explained in another manner as well. There are some who erroneously believe that the role of a Sanctuary in Judaism is of such primary importance, that it overrides all other commandments, even severe prohibitions, such as the prohibition to violate the Sabbath. To dispel this notion, the Torah precedes the obligation to “revere the sanctuary,” with the obligation to “observe My Sabbaths,” in an effort to limit the obligation to revere the sanctuary to only those situations where it doesn’t conflict with the obligation to observe the Sabbath. Thus, the Torah dismisses the notion that attending synagogue, however important it may be, can supersede the obligation to observe the Sabbath. return to top
Rabbi Elazar Meisels can be reached at rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org 

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Angelic Farewell - Rabbi Leiby Burnham

Dear Rabbi,
Every Friday night we sing the song Shalom Aleichem. I learned that the reason we sing it is to welcome the two angels that follow us home from the synagogue to bless our home, when they find it beautifully prepared for Shabbat. The song has four paragraphs, the first in which we wish peace unto the angels, the second where we say that their coming should be in peace, the third in which we ask that they should bless us in peace, and finally that they should leave in peace. Quite frankly, it feels a bit strange to be showing a pair of angels to the door. Why are we telling them to leave in peace? Why shouldn’t they stay for our Shabbat meal?
Steve H.

Dear Steve,
This is one question that bothered me as well for many years. In jest, I used to tell my guests that being that my wife is such a good cook, I don’t want the angels to have to watch us eating all the Shabbat delicacies, while they can’t partake in them as well. I was surprised to learn that one of the real answers is actually quite close to my little yarn. I learned of this traditional Sephardic explanation from a Sephardic rabbi in Montreal. (Parenthetically, the Sephardic Jews add one more stanza that tells the angels that their return the following week should also be in peace!) It not only explains why we wish them farewell, but also gives added meaning to our Shabbat meal.

We will start with two very fundamental ideas, and through that we will see our answer emerge. The first idea is that contrary to popular belief, humans are actually much greater than angels. The reason for this is that angels have no challenges, no struggle between right and wrong, good and evil. In their world, the spiritual world, everything is crystal clear, and doing the right thing is just as much a given as a human not putting his hand in fire. For this reason they can never achieve greatness through the medium we humans use, rising above obstacles.

The second idea is that Judaism is very sensitive toward people’s feelings and even has explicit laws that seem extreme, but are there to teach us to be constantly sensitive. One famous example is the law that one should not walk around in a cemetery with their tzitzit hanging out. This is because the deceased can no longer keep the mitzvot and earn reward, and if we are parading in front of them with our tzitzit dangling at our sides, it can cause pain to the souls of those that have died by seeing something they can’t have. Another example is the law that we should cover the challahs while we make kiddush at a Shabbat meal so that the challahs shouldn’t feel bad that we’re blessing them second. The goal of these laws, which tell us to even be sensitive to inanimate objects, is to teach us sensitivity to anyone or anything that might be offended by what we do, or jealous of what we have.

The angels would surely be jealous of our Shabbat meal. A Shabbat meal is a very spiritually enriched time. It is the time when we shut off the outside world - spurn our cellphones, pagers, internet, cars, and televisions - and focus on what is important. We focus on our relationship with our Creator, we focus on our children, we delight in a meal filled with songs of praise to Ha-shem and words of Torah. In short we experience a slice of heaven on earth. But it is a tough choice we must make to earn this experience, and therefore when we do make that choice, and not just tune out the mundane, but focus on the spiritual, we get an enormous spiritual uplift, one that any angel would wish to feel.

It is out of this sensitivity to the angels that when we are about to begin our meal, we kindly and peacefully allow them to leave us. This can remind us just how special a Shabbat meal is. It can bring us to levels that even the pure, pristine, and perfect angels can’t reach. And we get to have three of them every Shabbat. Please enjoy responsibly!

Have a Great Shabbat (meal!)
Rabbi Leiby Burnham
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Rabbi Leiby Burnham can be reached at rabbiburnham@partnersintorah.org

A person is required to balance the approach toward his livelihood — part prayer and bitachon (trust) in Hashem, and part physical efforts to bring in an income. Indeed, this balance must be struck in relation to all of a person's endeavors. We learn this from our forefather Yaakov Avinu (Jacob), who prepared himself for the meeting with his murderous brother Esau by praying as well as by preparing for warfare.

R' Yerucham Levovitz maintains that the more difficult part of this approach, by far, is the involvement in the natural world, for one must be ever vigilant not to fall into the trap of thinking that it his own efforts that bring about the results. When one's involvement consists only of praying for sustenance, there is no risk of his thinking that he was responsible. However, when working and receiving his sustenance from his work, one can forget that he is merely fulfilling the will of Hashem by working, and that the results are entirely dependent on Hashem.

This concept is illustrated beautifully by the following Midrash: "There were four kings whose requests of Hashem differed from one another. King David declared, 'I shall pursue my enemies and seize them.' Hashem responded, 'I shall grant it.' Asa declared, 'I do not have the strength to actually seize them; I will pursue them, and You, Hashem, will do the rest.' Hashem responded, 'I shall grant it.' Yehoshafat declared, 'I have no strength to pursue my enemies. I will sing (pray) to Hashem, and You, Hashem, will do the rest.' Hashem responded, 'I shall grant it.' Finally, Chizkiyahu declared, 'I do not even have the strength to sing to Hashem; I will sleep on my bed, and You, Hashem, will do the rest.' Hashem answered, 'I shall grant it.'"

What is the meaning of this Midrash? Clearly, the various kings were not referring to physical strength (surely pursuing the enemy and praying are not feats that demand might!). It is equally implausible to suggest that the later kings had more bitachon (Trust in G-d) than the earlier ones, for Dovid HaMelech (King David) is repeatedly cited as the most righteous of the kings. The true meaning of the Midrash becomes clear in light of the above lesson.

The last of the kings mentioned, Chizkiyahu, had the lowest relative level of inherent bitachon in Hashem. He feared that if he participated at all in the war, even if only by praying for victory, he would not be able to rise above the feeling, on some level, that he played a part in bringing it about. He therefore declared that he would not do anything, but would rely wholly on Hashem; when victory would be achieved, he would therefore be able to attribute it to its true source. Each preceding king was greater in his level of bitachon. They were each able to participate a little bit more in the war, and still wholeheartedly attribute the victory to Hashem. However, none were as great as David, who, in his consummate bitachon, could complete the entire victory himself and still have a full appreciation that he was no more than a vehicle of Hashem's actions. return to top

Hey, I never knew that! By Ozer Alport

Amazing Insights About the Weekly Parsha   

Q: The Torah commands ושבתה הארץ שבת לד' – that the land during the Shemittah year shall rest, a rest (Sabbath) for Hashem (25:2). A number of commentators are bothered by the seemingly redundant twofold use of the word שבת – rest – in reference to the Shemittah year. Why is this word repeated?

A: A most novel explanation is offered by the Mateh Moshe (473), who suggests that in a regular year (not Shemittah), the farmer must refrain from working the field on Shabbat. yet the crops which he planted during the week continue to grow on Shabbat. The ground is thus denied the ability to rest on Shabbat along with the rest of Creation. During the course of a year, there are 52 such Shabbatot (plural of Shabbat) on which the land is unable to rest. Over a period of 7 years, the total number of such days which accrue for which the ground must be compensated comes to 364. As a result, the Torah decreed that once every 7 years, the land shall lie completely fallow in order to “pay it back” for all of the Shabbatot during which it was unable to rest, and it is for this reason that the Torah stresses that in the Shemittah year, the ground should rest a שבת to Hashem!

Q:The law is that a Jew sold as a servant to a non-Jew is obligated to work for him until the next Yovel (Jubilee) year (25:50). Nevertheless, it is the duty of his relatives to redeem him as quickly as possible so that he not assimilate and learn from the foreign ways of his new master. Rashi explains that he is to be redeemed by dividing the amount paid for him by the number of years which remained at that time until the Yovel year, yielding the value to his master of each year of his work. This should be multiplied by the number of years he has already worked, which indicates the “value” of the work he has performed thus far. This amount should be subtracted from the original purchase price, and the remaining amount is the “balance” which his brethren must pay his master in order to secure his freedom. What inspiring lesson can we take for ourselves from these seemingly mundane calculations?

A: The Chofetz Chaim suggests that a Jew living today who is told to yearn for the coming of Moshiach could easily despair and wonder how he will merit to see the coming of Moshiach, something which was denied to so many righteous individuals in previous generations. We learn however from the aforementioned laws that the closer a servant gets to the predetermined time of his release (the Yovel year), the less money will be needed to purchase his premature freedom because of all of the work he has performed with the passage of time. Similarly, upon creating the universe, Hashem decreed a preordained time for the final Redemption. He also stipulated that with sufficient merits, it would be possible to bring Moshiach before his time. In order to cause his arrival centuries in advance of the prearranged time, tremendous merits were necessary, something that even our most pious ancestors weren’t able to accomplish. As the time for the ultimate redemption draws ever nearer, however, and we continue to suffer from persecution and anti-Semitism, the remaining “balance” dwindles ever smaller, a balance which we are indeed capable of “paying off” if we serve Hashem to our maximum potential! return to top

Ozer Alport can be reached at ozer@partnersintorah.org return to top

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