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This past Shabbos we read a double portion, the last two
sedra’s of Leviticus.
Behar – Means: On the mountain
Bechukosai – Means: Laws or Statutes
Some background:
The Sedra Behar starts on the mountain of Sinai i.e. the
place the Jewish Nation of Israel received the Torah and it laws and explanations,
here we entered into a Covenant, a marriage with Hashem.
The Haftorah we read just before Shavuot, Parasha Bamidbar here Hosea concludes with these words
I will betroth you to me for ever;
I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice, love and compassion;
I will betroth you to me in faithfulness,
And you will know G-d. (note in Hosea ch2 v 21 Hosea uses the term YkVk for G-d this represents Hashem's name as the Merciful father, in chapter 2 v 19-20 the original quotes of betrothal possibly speak about Elokim - the master creator, i.e. a less personal relationship that starts at the outset of the covenant, we work towards discovering the name YkVk within the marriage! - (I heard this concept from Rabbi Weinberg)
The message we receive before entering into our marriage with Hashem on Sinai, is a vow we take before the wedding, should we be true to it we will know Hashem as the Passuk from Bechukosai states ch 26 v 11,12 if we obey "I will set my Sanctuary among you and my spirit will not Loath or reject you, I will walk among you and will be a G-d for you and you will be My People. "
The Haftorah we read just before Shavuot, Parasha Bamidbar here Hosea concludes with these words
I will betroth you to me for ever;
I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice, love and compassion;
I will betroth you to me in faithfulness,
And you will know G-d. (note in Hosea ch2 v 21 Hosea uses the term YkVk for G-d this represents Hashem's name as the Merciful father, in chapter 2 v 19-20 the original quotes of betrothal possibly speak about Elokim - the master creator, i.e. a less personal relationship that starts at the outset of the covenant, we work towards discovering the name YkVk within the marriage! - (I heard this concept from Rabbi Weinberg)
The message we receive before entering into our marriage with Hashem on Sinai, is a vow we take before the wedding, should we be true to it we will know Hashem as the Passuk from Bechukosai states ch 26 v 11,12 if we obey "I will set my Sanctuary among you and my spirit will not Loath or reject you, I will walk among you and will be a G-d for you and you will be My People. "
We received both the Written and Oral laws at Sinai and
we need to learn these laws well in order to understand Hashem’s will in order to connect and come closer. People always say just be good that is what
counts, but what does good actually mean, we need to understand acceptable and
unacceptable behaviour from the perspective of the Cause of all Causes, and
this is an instruction in the Parasha Ch 26 v 3 The
Hebrew “IM BECHUKOSAI TELCHU” it means "If you go forward (following) in my laws..." Rashi of blessed memory teaches us "going forward" or following the laws means to
grow through Torah study, as we begin to learn we can
perform the will of G-d with more depth and in turn this allows us to come
closer to G-d.
What then removes us from G-d, possibly unwillingness to change or reflect on the gift of life, or perhaps ignorance so even with good intentions we may fail, or it also may happen that we do start to grow and then lose momentum we get too comfortable, or lazy to continue, we stop appreciating or recognizing the source of our blessings. At times we do feel connected and then arrogance starts to creep in or through our accumulated wealth and achievements begin to feel like self-made men (Rabbi Taback equates this with denying G-d in the relationship), and G-d forbid forget G-d's role and blessings in our efforts and our achievements, this attitude may well then lead to stagnation and eventually (G-d Forbid) distancing from Hakodesh Baruch Hu the Holy One, blessed is he. This is a key lesson and warning in the double portion we have just completed reading.
I think the reason that prior to receiving the Torah we first
had to come out of slavery, we experianced being enslaved to a human being with no freedom to grow, no independent spirit - like work horses or mules: this to teach us that true freedom
comes from using our minds and hearts souls and resources in service of our beloved caring and all knowing creator, to truly be free to serve with purpose and meaning as opposed
to the futile service to mere flesh and blood whom often only keep slaves or servants
for their own selfish interests and power, as opposed to the Holy one Blessed is he - who bestows so much goodness on his children, every single day. Slavery made us appreciate service so much more, also through suffering one has the potential to elevate the soul, suffering is also potentially a cleansing process, when it is directed correctly - why because it humbles us, humilty is key to receiving divine growth. The late Lebuvitcher Rebbi ztl. stated the word Nisiyoin (trials and tribulations) contains within its roots the meaning to elevate or uplift. This theme comes across in the double portion we read, first by higlighting the importance of liberty (rights of slaves to be freed) and also the importance of following the correct path of loyalty and service to G-d, if we veer off course to keep us on track "curses" come our way, with a final promise that in the pain he will bring us back and never truly desert us, Ch 26 v 42 "I will remember My covenant with Jacob and My Covenant with Issac and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the Land, (the order of the forefathers is reversed showing Hashem will look backwards from the present and our sin to the greatness of each of our Forefathers, who where each worthy of our redemption in their own right - Rashi) V 45 says "I will remember for them the covenant of their ancestors whom I brought out of the land of Egypt..."
To elaborate:
We were slaves under the Rule of Pharaoh a self-proclaimed
deity, today people falling into the same trap refer to themselves
as self-made men. (Rabbi Taback)
The counting of the Omer from Pesach to Shavuot (Pentecost) - The name is symbolic of our connection and acknowledgement that G-d is the first and ultimate provider:
In Parsha Emor we read Leviticus Ch 23 v 15
“You should count for yourselves, from the day after the
day of rest, from the day you bring the Omer wave offering (Barley offering) seven complete weeks
they shall be” v16 "until the day after the seventh week, you shall count 50
days.”
It is no coincidence that we we started counting the Omer from the second day of Passover (the holiday we celebrate our freedom from slavery), the day the Israelites brought the Omer offering. We count 7 complete weeks =7*7= 49 days and we then enter on the
50th day after the Omer offering was given into Shavuot the holy holiday of
Pentecost (our wedding day to Hashem) – the day we received of our Holy Torah with all its treasures and
secrets, a detailed blue print on how to live our lives as the holy nation we
undertook to be, and how this is an enabler to our connection with Hashem above!
Rabbi Taback mentioned that the newly harvested crops are not allowed to be eaten until the bringing of the Omer, the Omer offering was the separation of the first of the harvest, the part we set aside for Hashem, to be given to the Kohanim (G-d’s closest servants) in recognition that we could not of benefited from the yields had it not been for Hashem who provided us the skills to work the land, the plants, and rain from above – we thus set aside the first produce for the Kohanim as a gift to Hashem, and we are not allowed to partake of the new crop until this offering has been given.
Rabbi Taback mentioned that the newly harvested crops are not allowed to be eaten until the bringing of the Omer, the Omer offering was the separation of the first of the harvest, the part we set aside for Hashem, to be given to the Kohanim (G-d’s closest servants) in recognition that we could not of benefited from the yields had it not been for Hashem who provided us the skills to work the land, the plants, and rain from above – we thus set aside the first produce for the Kohanim as a gift to Hashem, and we are not allowed to partake of the new crop until this offering has been given.
On a mystical level the numbers used in the count parallel
the 7 days of creation (Hashem is the cause of all causes he preceded creation), each of the days of the week being the six days of creation culminating in the 7th day the Sabbath (G-d's day)….
In the same way the Sabbatical year count is a similar declaration.
The 6 years we needed to work the land of Israel from the time Joshua conquered it and we settled it, planting and harvesting and resting the Land every seventh year on G-d's instructions.
In the same way the Sabbatical year count is a similar declaration.
The 6 years we needed to work the land of Israel from the time Joshua conquered it and we settled it, planting and harvesting and resting the Land every seventh year on G-d's instructions.
Shabbat is Hebrew translated means to complete and
rest or abstain. When we rest on a simple level we
come to a place of appreciation and reflection and most importantly we appreciate the provider or enabler of these actions and an appreciation of our Freedom. To give honour to our enabler the Creator who gives us the faculties to live and function, our thoughts, speech and actions. We step out of our creating mode and into a reflecting mode. We need to do this to appreciate the Cause of all Causes the ultimate creator the source of Life itself, of whom there is no other.
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Behar and Bechukosai connecting the Torah laws to Sinai
Leviticus ch 25 v 1 states Hashem spoke to Moshe on Mount Sinai saying: v2 "Speak to
the Children of Israel say to them, when you come into the land which I give
you the land shall be at rest – a Sabbath for Hashem."
Leviticus ch 26 v 46 states These are the statutes, the
laws and the teachings that Hashem set between himself and between the Children
of Israel, on Mount Sinai,
through the hand of Moshe.
The start of Behar talks of Sinai and comes full circle and in the end of the Sedra of Bechukosai, the end of book of
Leviticus states
Leviticus ch 27 v 34 These are the commandments which
Hashem commanded Moshe for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.
Notice
the constant emphasis on the nation of Israel being at Sinai, (wedding day) the time of the covenant and the commandments which if followed connect us to the Cause of all Causes - Hashem Blessed is he.
Now look at the importance of the message of us being
freed from human slavery in these two Sedra's, in redeeming us Hashem gave us the privilege and freedom, a freedom and honour to be
his servants, his firstborn, we mutually entered into this relationship in doing so we accepted our duties to fulfil the commandments, we will do and we will hear, and if we do so the Parsha promises there is no greater reward, Rain > Food > Children, > Peace, the Laws allow us to attain Peace, (One of G-d's names is peace -Shalom) and there is no greater gift than that, through the Laws we find a pathway and finally an entrance into the palace of the King of Kings where true peace resides, if we fail to
do our duty we unfortunately (G-d Forbid) get punished to bring us back in line and this is the main theme of Leviticus ch26. We see a connection of the Laws of service, appreciating the privilage of being freed and responsibilites we undertook when entering into a mutual marriage the the covenant of holiness and connection we undertook to maintain.
SLAVERY - IN THE PARASHAOT
Leviticus 25 v 38
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 to you
Leviticus 25 v 42
For they are my servants whom I brought out of the land
of Egypt, they should not be sold in the Market as Slaves.
Leviticus 25 v 55
For the children of Israel are my servants whom I have
brought out of the Land of Egypt, I am Hashem your G-d.
Leviticus 26 v 13
I am Hashem your G-d who brought you out of the Land of
Egypt from where you were slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and led you
forth standing upright.
So we see an emphasis on the fact that Hashem took us
out of slavery to redeem us and also to allow us to come close to him, how - through
the commandments given to us on Sinai!!!
ISRAEL - Connection Revealed
We also see the scriptual link of the Land of Israel to the Jewish
people, the land receives blessing, rain, produce... or the opposite (G-d forbid) through not fulfilling
our duties, -we get dispersed and the land will reject us we get expelled and Israel will lie desolate, amazingly no other nation will be able to
make the land flourish another Biblical proof to the divinity of the Torah:
Leviticus Ch 26 v 32 I will make the land so desolate
that your enemies who live on it will be astonished.
When we failed in our duties : Ch 26 v 33 states, I will scatter
you among the nations and unsheathe the sword after you. (Wow this actually happened, the Holocaust, and other Jewish exiles that occurred prior to that - there are many prophesies throughout Tanach that prove the divinity of the Torah) it shall then
have its rest…(the Land of Israel)
Let us define some of the Hebrew words we see in these
last chapters of Leviticus:
Shemitta – Sabbatical year it means to leave alone, just
like at creation when the first count to seven days occurred, and G-d completed his
work and rested from creating, so we are instructed to work the land of Israel for six years (from
the point where we had settled it), and let it rest every seventh year. No
planting, harvesting or pruning, just keeping the existing plants alive was
allowed. We are allowed to eat from these
existing plants that remained from the sixth year but they are hefker (ownerless), meaning
anyone can eat of it, not only the owners of the field or vineyards, our
neighbours and strangers living amongst us anyone, even domestic and wild
animals, and the owners are not allowed to profit from the 7th year
fruits at all, it is during this year the produce is for all. Ultimately to demonstrate all we have is from Hashem and reflect on this as he did on the Sabbath as testimony that he is our Creator.
Leviticus 25 v 21
I will ordain my blessing for you in the sixth year and
it will yield a crop sufficient for the three year period.
(the Meforshim reflect on the promise that the 6th year will yield
enough produce for the next three years could only be made by Hashem who controls
nature, it was promised to the nation as a whole, though individuals with sin or
who lacked faith might not achieve the blessing.) Many in Israel who keep Shemmita attest to this Blessing!
So we also learn from the Torah the holiness of the Land
of Israel. “G-ds eyes never leave it", (refer to Deuteronomy
Ch 11 V 12) Rabbi Taback stated Israel is a land the antithesis of Egypt. Israel is a land of faith it consists of Mountains and Hills,
there is no Nile to irrigate the crops like Egypt, we need G-d given rain
to survive. When my grandfather who was one of the returning pioneers went to the Land, in the 1920's it was mainly swamps confirming the prophecy of it remaining desolate under other nations. We see here Hashem wants us to have faith, there is no certainty, no contingency reserves - the manna fell each and every day, and a double portion on the Sabbath. But we were not given storehouses for reserve stock, we needed to pray every day. The Shemmita or Sabbatical year was to test this Faith, you will not need to work the land in the 7th year, and you will find my blessing in this very special Land I have given you.
Israel a special Land: From the four corners of the world many pray for this holy piece of Land and its people, all these prayers decend on Tzion (Jerusalem) where our Temple once stood, where Jacob had the dream and vision of the ladder rising to the gateway of heaven. To stop working this holy land was to ask the Israelites to show tremendous faith in Hashem. The underlying message is Hashem hitting home the importance to understand a person’s livelihood comes from above, to plant, and to harvest and reap takes work but in the end it is still dependent on the Grace of the Almighty, who brings our rain, a gift from above to feed us, our livestock and the plants, to allow the land to lie fallow and put your faith in G-d to provide was a recognition of this fact that all ultimately is in the hands of G-d – To paraphrase again there is no such a thing as a self-made man, many work very hard and are bright but they never succeed, others work very little and succeed, bottom line your Mazal ("luck") comes from on High. That is why the first of the yield of our profits 10% is given to Hashem via the priests in appreciation and recognition that profit would not have happened without the grace of G-d. The tithings belong to G-d Almighty, We also see in the Sedra when we make a vow or take an Oath, we pay the value, our words should not be light in our eyes, we need to deliver on our promises or we disconnect from Hashem!
We need to appreciate our G-d given freedom and use it in service to G-d for our own good, our blessings depend on it, we made a promise (our word) we would keep the Law, and if we do the blessings will follow - that is G-d's promise.
The wealthy need to say Brochas every day to remind themselves where that Brocha comes from, and to use it wisely and in creative productive ways, not to follow materialistic persuits but rather to use it to come closer to our father in Heaven, to forget to do this is a recipe for dulling spiritual growth and very dangerous as we may disconnect from the source - the worst type of fate for anyone, this was the fate of Pharoh, when he said, who is Hashem that I should take heed of him? As Jews who witnessed the wonders of the Exodus this is a serious sin.
Israel a special Land: From the four corners of the world many pray for this holy piece of Land and its people, all these prayers decend on Tzion (Jerusalem) where our Temple once stood, where Jacob had the dream and vision of the ladder rising to the gateway of heaven. To stop working this holy land was to ask the Israelites to show tremendous faith in Hashem. The underlying message is Hashem hitting home the importance to understand a person’s livelihood comes from above, to plant, and to harvest and reap takes work but in the end it is still dependent on the Grace of the Almighty, who brings our rain, a gift from above to feed us, our livestock and the plants, to allow the land to lie fallow and put your faith in G-d to provide was a recognition of this fact that all ultimately is in the hands of G-d – To paraphrase again there is no such a thing as a self-made man, many work very hard and are bright but they never succeed, others work very little and succeed, bottom line your Mazal ("luck") comes from on High. That is why the first of the yield of our profits 10% is given to Hashem via the priests in appreciation and recognition that profit would not have happened without the grace of G-d. The tithings belong to G-d Almighty, We also see in the Sedra when we make a vow or take an Oath, we pay the value, our words should not be light in our eyes, we need to deliver on our promises or we disconnect from Hashem!
We need to appreciate our G-d given freedom and use it in service to G-d for our own good, our blessings depend on it, we made a promise (our word) we would keep the Law, and if we do the blessings will follow - that is G-d's promise.
The wealthy need to say Brochas every day to remind themselves where that Brocha comes from, and to use it wisely and in creative productive ways, not to follow materialistic persuits but rather to use it to come closer to our father in Heaven, to forget to do this is a recipe for dulling spiritual growth and very dangerous as we may disconnect from the source - the worst type of fate for anyone, this was the fate of Pharoh, when he said, who is Hashem that I should take heed of him? As Jews who witnessed the wonders of the Exodus this is a serious sin.
Yovel or Jubilee year – Yovel is another name for Shofar it was blown to signify that after 7 complete Shemitta (Sabbatical) years 7*7=49years we come into the 50th year or the Jubilee year, The Shofar of liberty is blown, as we do on Rosh Ha Shana and Yom Kippur and as was done at Mount Sinai announcing the arrival of the True King, (and the need to be subservient to him and no other) and all rights of redemption come into play, laws about releasing slaves (we cannot be free to appreciate and serve our creator when we are an oppressed people.) I read a drasha from Rabbi Frand that it is not easy to give up cheap or free labour, so the Shofar let everyone know we are all in the same boat – time to let the Jewish slaves free
In the ancient days before slavery was abolished Hashem commanded that after six years in the seventh year all Israelite slaves must be allowed to go free, and needed to be rewarded at that point for their years of service, some slaves chose to stay as they loved their masters and family situation –these slaves had to have their ears pierced on a doorpost, the ear that heard but never took the opportunities offered by Hashem to them at Sinai, to connect to come close to him, to bring the world closer to recognising the greatness of G-d Almighty! In the Jubilee year these slaves must be freed to serve the true master of all masters the King of Kings the Holy one blessed be he!
Laws again emphasizing ultimately everything belongs to
G-d, no matter how much we actually acquire in our lives, we are fortunate to have rights and liberties which enable us to grow and achieve despite this we should never lose
sight that ultimately it is with G-d’s blessing and desire to have entrusted us with that freedom and
wealth, and at times accepting the lack of it. We thus find laws
of freeing slaves, returning land to those with ancestral rights to it, redeeming our kinsman, not oppressing a slave, looking after the poor, allowing them to eat off all "our" lands and laws to not charge our kinsman interest,
but to rather fear Hashem. The theme again all in recognition that we are never truly
masters of our own destiny or assets but we are all ultimately subservient to the King of Kings, who is the life force of this physical world, the true owner, and on the contrary if we do not recognise this fact, that very blessing
we find will G-d forbid become a curse.
We should please G-d endear ourselves to G-d with our full heart, soul and wealth these when used in service of the Creator, allow us to become a partner in creation that is the ultimate expression of giving and bestowing on others as the Cause of Causes himself continues to bestow every moment of our existence through the many blessings we continue to enjoy like rain given to us - the ultimate source of life, leading to produce for all living creatures, and please G-d the gift of health and most importantly peace, the message is we should never lose sight of this fact to take time out enjoy the Sabbath, take time to reflect and count our blessings every single day. The lesson also - there is a point to suffering, though I for one do not always understand why good honest and righteous people suffer when the wicked seem to flourish. Maybe as the prophets say through the suffering of the righteous that the ultimate redemption will come, and this is a promise. Perhaps those good people that suffer the most allow for the redemption of the many, if so may their reward be forthcoming in the world to come!
We should please G-d endear ourselves to G-d with our full heart, soul and wealth these when used in service of the Creator, allow us to become a partner in creation that is the ultimate expression of giving and bestowing on others as the Cause of Causes himself continues to bestow every moment of our existence through the many blessings we continue to enjoy like rain given to us - the ultimate source of life, leading to produce for all living creatures, and please G-d the gift of health and most importantly peace, the message is we should never lose sight of this fact to take time out enjoy the Sabbath, take time to reflect and count our blessings every single day. The lesson also - there is a point to suffering, though I for one do not always understand why good honest and righteous people suffer when the wicked seem to flourish. Maybe as the prophets say through the suffering of the righteous that the ultimate redemption will come, and this is a promise. Perhaps those good people that suffer the most allow for the redemption of the many, if so may their reward be forthcoming in the world to come!
I the year 1312 BCE 3million of our ancestors surrounded
Mt Sinai and witnessed Hashem revealing himself, the only time it has ever
happened to an entire living nation. Why the desert, Rabbi Aurbach taught us Hashem
did not give us the law in a city but in the wilderness a place of desolation
and emptiness. It was not given on the biggest of mountains but rather
on the humble Mt Sinai – it was given in an uninhabited desert, it belonged to no city or place, but rather it was a public event for all the Israelites for all time, an entire nation witnessed it being given and received, and it was given with a promise of the
ability to connect and come close to Hashem if only we Listen.
In keeping the Laws there is ample reward, marital bliss...
If we fail to listen Hashem will humble us, enventually The holy Land of Israel also a gift to the nation will reject us, and we
will be dispersed into the Diaspora to the four corners of the earth. And we all know this actually happened, but
Hashem when we get punished and exiled promised through these hardships and all
the curses that have come upon us he will never leave us completely and will remember the faithful who came before and, we can follow in their footsteps and please G-d he will
once again redeem us with the ingathering of exiles back to Israel, this will occur as foretold by Isaiah ch 43 v 5and 6, the
process has begun may it be hastened speedily in our time. The message is keep the commandments, keep the
faith, recognise our G-d, no matter what your situation is in life, and be Blessed no matter what happens with peace, and ultimately see the
verse in Leviticus Ch 26 v 11 and12 fulfilled, "I will set my Sanctuary among
you and my spirit will not loath or reject you, I will walk among you and will
be a G-d for you and you will be My People." and you will know G-d, say Omain
G-d Bless
Michael
G-d Bless
Michael
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