Readings for Saturday, May 24, 2025
Behar - Bechukotai – Since this is non-leap year we read these two
sidrot on the same Shabbat.
Behar (On
mount)
25:1-26:2) Vayikra
(Leviticus)
Behar is the ninth
sedrah in Vayikra. The sedrah takes it
name from the opening sentence, “The Lord spoke to Moshe on Mount (“Behar”)
Sinai.” According to Etz Hayim,
the sedrah divides into two parts. All
of chapter 25 deals with Principles of Land Tenure. This is followed by a two verse postscript
from chapter 26 containing three unconnected commands. This is one of those times when such
oversimplification hides the importance of the topic. Chapter 25 contains a series of laws related
to the Sabbatical Year, The Jubilee, Redemption and Servitude that were to
become operative once the Children of Israel entered the Promised Land. The material is a continuation of the Holiness
Code that began with Chapter 19. Having
dealt with ways to keep the Israelites holy and then the Kohanim holy, the
Torah now turns to making the land itself holy.
At one level the laws pertaining to the Sabbatical Year and the Jubilee
may be seen as the ultimate example of the concept of elevation that we have
been discussing. For what can be more
mundane than the land we walk on and what can be more inspiring than the rules
presented here in how to treat it? For
those of you using different texts, please note that I have relied on the Stone
Chumash for categorizing some of this material.
The
Sabbatical Year, The Jubilee, Redemption of Property, Preventing Poverty and
Servitude (25:1-55).
Sabbatical
Year (25:1-7). For six years the Israelites
are to work the land. During the seventh
year or Sabbatical Year the land is to lie fallow. Notice the similarity with the commandment
about Shabbat. There we are commanded to
work for six days before resting.
Judaism recognizes the value of work as well as the need to rest. We also read about the Sabbatical Year in Devarim (15:1-10) where the Sabbatical Year is described as the year in
which debts were to be canceled. The
Hebrew term for the remission of debts is “Shmittah” and this is the name by
which the Sabbatical Year is also known.
The Jubilee
Year (25:8ff). The Jubilee followed a
series of seven Sabbatical Years. In
other words it was the fiftieth year.
Note the similarity in the counting method used here and the one used to
count the Omer and arrive at Shavuot. In
Hebrew the Jubilee Year is called “Yovel” which according to Plaut may “have
originally meant ‘ram’…” This would have
been in reference to the shofar or ram’s horn that was supposed to be sounded
to announce the Jubilee. The shofar was
to be sounded with a “broken blast,” the same note pattern used on Rosh
Hashanah. It was also to be sounded on
the tenth day of the seventh month, Yom Kippur.
One could easily make the connection that in performing the rituals of
the Jubilee one was beginning anew (Rosh Hashanah) and atoning for past wrongs
(Yom Kippur). As Plaut points out, the
Jubilee Year contains three main facets.
The land is to rest in the same manner as in the Sabbatical Year. All land that has been sold is to be returned
to its original owners as defined by the apportioning that took place at the
time of Joshua. All Israelite slaves are
to be freed. The great Rabbinic
commentator Rashi finds a philosophic message in the sequencing of the verses
following the introduction of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. If you do not observe the Shmittah and the
Yovel and fail to repent you suffer as follows.
First you lose your money. Then
you have to sell your land. Then you
have to sell your house. Then you have
to borrow at interest. Since you cannot
repay the loan you become a bondsman to a Jew, then a slave to a non-Jew and
finally the property of an idol worshipper which leads you to a life of
idolatry.
Redemption of
Property (25:23-34)
Redemption of Land and Houses in Walled Cities (25:23-31). The important message here is that “The land
shall not be sold in perpetuity” because the land really belongs to God and we
are merely temporary residents.
Cities of the Levites (25:32-34).
As with everything else, there are special laws for the Levites at
the time of the Jubilee.
Preventing
Poverty (25:35-38). The concepts of remitting
debts and returning land that are part of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years may
be seen as a way of preventing the creation of a permanent class of
impoverished Israelites controlled by a small number of wealthy families. The verses here are much more direct. They command us to help our brethren rise out
of poverty without waiting for these seminal years. Maimonides contended that the highest form of
charity was helping somebody to avoid poverty in the first place. Give a man a fish and you give him a
meal. Teach a man to fish and you give
him a livelihood.
Servitude
(25:39-55). This section begins with the
words “If your brother becomes impoverished…and is sold….” It covers the gambit of the levels of
servitude and how bondsmen and slaves are to be treated and redeemed. But in the end “…he shall go out in the
Jubilee Year, he and his children with him.” (25:54). And why do we obey these laws? Because we are God’s servants and He took us
out of the
Postscript
(26:1-2)
These two verses contain three commands - do not make or worship
idols, observe Shabbat, and show reverence for the Sanctuary. These are admonitions concerning private
behavior that will keep us Jewish; that will keep us separate; that will keep
us holy. We can observe these only if we
are free people in the truest sense of the term i.e., not only that we are not
slaves but that we have the economic wherewithal not to have to compromise our
Judaism. By observing the commandments
in Chapter 25, we will then be able to follow these three basic rules.
Themes
Commandments
326.
The prohibition against working the earth during the seventh year
(25:4).
327.
The prohibition against pruning one’s vineyard during the seventh
year (25:4).
328.
The prohibition against harvesting one’s land during the seventh
year (25:5).
329.
The prohibition against gathering grapes from one’s vines during the
seventh year (25:5).
330.
The commandment to count seven sabbatical cycles, after which a
Jubilee year is observed (25:8-10).
331.
The obligation to sound a shofar at the beginning of the Jubilee
year (25:9).
332.
The commandment to sanctify the Jubilee year (25:10-11).
333.
The prohibition against farming the land during the Jubilee Year
(25:10-11).
334.
The prohibition against harvesting wild growing produce during the Jubilee
year (25:10-11).
335.
The prohibition against systematically gathering fruit from one’s
trees during the Jubilee year (25:10-11).
336.
The obligation to affect justice between buyer and seller (25:14).
337.
The prohibition against wronging another in a business deal (25:14).
338.
The prohibition against wronging another with cruel words (25:17).
339.
The prohibition against selling land in
340.
The command to return such land to its original owner during the
Jubilee year (25:23-24).
341.
The specification of special laws regarding the sale of a house
within a walled city (25:29).
342.
The prohibition against selling land adjoining the cities designated
for the Levites so as to assure them their property rights (25:34).
343.
The prohibition against charging interest to a fellow Israelite
(25:37).
344.
The prohibition against imposing degrading work on an Israelite
slave (25:42).
345.
The prohibition against selling a Hebrew slave at auction (25:42).
346.
The prohibition against imposing crushing burdens on a Hebrew slave
(25:43).
347.
The right to hold non-Israelite slaves in perpetuity (25:46).
348.
The prohibition against tolerating a non-Israelite’s mistreatment of
an Israelite slave (25:53).
349.
The prohibition against bowing down before a stone image (26:1).
Biblical Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
Behar
Why does the sedrah begin by telling
us that the commandments concerning the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years were given
on Mount Sinai? After all, other laws
in Vayikra are not introduced in a manner tied to the Revelation at Sinai. The laws given here run contrary to human
nature and basic economics - get as much as you can while you can; he who makes
the gold makes the rules; never give a sucker an even break. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce these
laws with the authoritative reassurance that they were given by God at
Sinai. Otherwise, it would have been too
tempting to avoid them by dismissing them as some crazy do-gooder’s scheme to
rob from the rich and give to the undeserving poor.
The
Sabbatical and Jubilee Years
Were these ever observed or are they just some visionary concept of
a utopian society? Based on various
sources including the Book of the Maccabees, Hillel’s creation of the
Prosbul and the writings of Josephus, there is reason to believe that the
Sabbatical Year was observed in some fashion. In fact, failure to observe the Sabbatical
Year is given by some as one of the reasons for the Exile. There does not appear to be independent
evidence of the observance of the Jubilee Year.
However, in modern times, we have seen the adoption of one its
principles - the idea of the common holding of land. The Jewish National Fund or “Keren Kayemet”
was created by the early Zionists to buy land in what was
Shmittah
Shmittah is the Hebrew word for what we call the Sabbatical
Year. Shmittah actually means
release. In observing the Sabbatical
Year, we release the land from working for us.
Shmittah reminds us that the land actually belongs to God. Shmittah reminds us that we really do not
have total control of our physical universe.
The laws of Shmittah only apply in Eretz Yisrael because when the Torah
uses the term “My Land” it means the land of Israel.
Business
Ethics
Once again, we are reminded that the Jewish standard for business
ethics is a lot higher than those practiced in Western societies. “When you make a sale to your fellow or make a
purchase from the hand of your fellow, do not aggrieve one another”(25:14)
means that it is wrong to take advantage of people when doing business with
them. For example, if a person knows
about a defect in a piece of merchandise he or she is selling, the seller must
make full disclosure to buyer. By the
same token, a buyer may not return a piece of damaged merchandize that was
damaged after the sale.
Tzedakah
This sedrah offers us at least two ways to fulfill the commandment
to perform tzedakah. First, we should do
what we can to help people from falling into the pit of poverty. Second, we should help them escape the pit of
poverty by helping them learn a trade or a skill, which will enable them to
earn a living. Feed a person a fish and
you have given him a meal. Teach a man
to fish and he can provide his own meal.
Manna
How do we know that the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years were commanded
to the Israelites in the wilderness? We
know this because they were the ones who had experienced the double portion of
manna on the sixth day that would provide food for Shabbat. If God could provide a double portion in the
Wilderness, He could surely bring about the miracle of a double portion in the
sixth year to feed us during the Sabbatical year.
And you shall
proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof
We know what’s on the Liberty Bell.
Now we know where it comes from (25:10). One thing is for sure; the spin they put on
this in Civics Class and what Vayikra says are not necessarily the same.
Iyar
We have turned
the page on the calendar and are now into the month of Iyar. Iyar is sandwiched between Nissan (Pesach)
and Sivan (Shavuot). While Iyar does not
have a major festival, it includes three minor observances worth noting: Israel
Independence Day - Iyar 5, Pesach Sheni - Iyar 14 and Lag B’Omer - Iyar 18.
Bechukotai
(In my statutes)
26:3-27:34 Vayikra
(Leviticus)
Bechukotai is the tenth
and final sedrah in Vayikra (Leviticus). The sedrah takes its names from the opening
words, “If in my statutes (“Bechukotai”) you will walk and my commandments you
will keep…” The sedrah divides into three basic parts - The Blessings, The
Curses, and Gifts to the Temple. The
pairings of Blessings and Curses is a recurring motif in Biblical writings. For
example, Devarim (Deuteronomy), the concluding book of the Torah,
contains Blessings and Curses (Devarim 28), which the Israelites are to
remember as they cross the
Blessings
(26:3-13). The list of blessings appears
to be much shorter than the list of curses.
This is because God’s blessings are so manifold that it is impossible to
list them all. Rather these are general
categories hinting at all of His wonders.
If we will but follow all of God’s laws, all of our economic and
spiritual needs will be met. Considering the world in which we live the most
poignant line is “I will provide peace in the land, and you will lie down with
none to frighten you….”
The Curses
(26:14-46). In Hebrew,
this section is called “Tochachah” or Admonition. It is a series of seven punishments that will
befall the Israelites if we fail to follow God’s laws. They are grouped as follows: First Series
(26:16-17), Second Series (26:18-20), Third Series (26:21-22), Fourth Series
(26:23-26), Fifth Series (26:27-31), Sixth Series (26:32-33), and Seventh
Series (26:36-40). The punishments are
grouped in such a way as to encourage our return to God’s ways. Only if we fail to do so will the next set of
curses take place. At first God will
ignore our confessions because they will be insincere (26:40) but in the end He
will remember the Covenant with the Patriarchs and return us to our rightful
place. It is appropriate that during non-leap
years, this sedrah is read along with Behar since failure to observe the
Sabbatical Year (the observance of which is commanded in Behar) is given as at
least one of the reasons for our punishment.
Gifts to the
Temple (27:1-34). This chapter
almost seems to be an afterthought. Why
weren’t these gifts listed earlier with the other compilations of offerings in Vayikra? According to some commentators, these are
voluntary offerings. And while doing
more than is required is commendable, it is does not replace doing that which
is required. At any rate, using the
categorization in the Stone Chumash, the Voluntary Offerings are as follows.
Valuations (27:1-8) This is an attempt to put a monetary value on
the gift based on the characteristics of the one making the vow.
Sanctification and Redemption of Animals (27:9-13) This is
compilation rules of voluntary offerings when animals are used.
Redemption of Houses and Fields (27:14-25) This is a compilation of
rules of voluntary offerings based on the value of real estate. Here we find another connection to Behar
since the valuations are based in part on the nearness to the Jubilee Year.
Tithing (27:30-33) The rules of gifts end with instructions about
tithes related to crops and to animals.
Conclusion
(27:34). The sedrah, and therefore the
Book of Vayikra, end with “These are the commandments that the Lord commanded
Moshe to the children of
Themes
Commandments
350.
The obligation to donate to the sanctuary the value of a human being
if one has so vowed (27:1).
351.
The prohibition against exchanging an animal that has been
consecrated as an offering (27:10).
352.
The command that if such an exchange is made, both animals must be
offered (27:10).
353.
The obligation of one who vows the value an animal to the sanctuary
to pay its value as determined by a priest (27:11-12, 14).
354.
The obligation of one who vows the value of a house to pay its value
as determined by a priest (27:11-12, 14).
355.
The commandment that if one vows the value of a field to sanctuary
he must pay this amount in accordance with the expected harvests until the
Jubilee year (27:16ff).
356.
The prohibition against exchanging one type of sacrifice for another
(27:26).
357-358-359. The requirement
that if one makes an unspecified vow of one’s property, or of one’s land,
declaring it be “herem”, the sanctified object goes to the priest and may not
be redeemed (27:21).
360.
The obligation to tithe one’s newborn sheep and cattle (27:32-33).
361.
The prohibition against substituting an inferior animal for a
superior one (27:32-33).
Biblical Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
A Chain
Reaction of Sin
One commentary on the sedrah finds, finds a seven-fold decent from
God based on Vayikra 26:14, which is certainly applicable to our
times. The notes in Etz Hayim
translate it as follows:
1. People will stop studying Torah;
2. Without the foundation of study, they will come to see the
commandments as matters of personal choice rather than moral obligation;
3. They will resent people who do study and practice and who make
them feel guilty for not doing so;
4. They will try to stop others from fulfilling the commandments, so
they will feel less guilty themselves;
5. They will deny that the commandments come from God;
6. They will deny the existence of a covenant between God and Israel;
7. They will deny the existence of God.
Reward and
Punishment
We must be careful not to read the text with a simplistic view. Much has been written on why bad things
happen to good people and why good things happen to people whom we judge to be
bad. Why should one “walk in my statues
and keep my commandments?” If you have
been reading Pirke Avot you will recognize this quote from Chapter 4. “Ben Azzai says: Hasten to perform the
easiest mitzvah, and run from all sin.
For one mitzvah will lead to another mitzvah and one sin to another
sin. Because the reward of a mitzvah is
a mitzvah and the wages of sin is sin.”
The
Admonitions or Tochachah
The Admonitions are so important that this sedrah is also known as
Parsha Tochachah. The Tochachah
(26:14-26:46) are customarily chanted in a very soft voice “in order to avoid
causing sadness” on Shabbat, which is supposed to be a day of joy. As Rashi points out, the Tochachah mirror
human behavior. Most great misdeeds
begin with one small transgression.
Chazak, Chazak, V’nitchahzayk - Be strong, be strong and let us be
strengthened
It is customary to recite these words after completing each book of
the Torah. There are several
explanations for this custom. The term
Chazak V’nitchahzayk appears several times in the Bible.
In the Book of Joshua the admonition is tied directly to the study
of the Torah (Joshua 1:7.) In the Book
of Samuel, Joab, David’s leading general, uses it as rallying cry when sending
the men into battle. According to Rabbi
Kolatch, some Jews see the completion of a book of the Torah as a victory in
the fight to bring God’s word into the world.
When Behar and Bechukotai are read on the same
Shabbat, the haftarah for Bechukotai is the one that is chanted.
Haftarah
16:19-17:34 Jeremiah
The Man: Along
with Isaiah and Ezekiel, Jeremiah is one of the three Major Prophets. He began preaching about seventy years after
the death of Isaiah. He was a major
figure at the time of the destruction of the
The Message: In this
reading, Jeremiah lives up to his reputation as the Prophet of the
Destruction. Jeremiah condemns the
people for their iniquities. But he
promises redemption for the faithful remnant. He cites the idolatrous practices
of the Judeans and their lack of faith in God.
The faithless will be punished.
“I will put you to work for your enemies in a land that you known not….”
(17:4). But he who trusts in the Lord
will find his security in the Lord. The
faithful will be like the tree planted by the water, with deep roots and
healthy foliage unaffected by the burning heat of the sun (17:8).
Theme-Link: The sedrah contains a series of blessings and
curses. The haftarah contains a similar
message. God offers us blessings. But we
choose to turn away from Him and suffer instead. Interestingly, the sedrah begins with the
Blessings and then moves to the Admonitions. The haftarah follows the opposite pattern,
starting with the theme of sin and then moving to the motif of salvation.
Customs and Ceremonies: The haftarah ends with Jeremiah’s prayer,
“Heal me Lord and I will be healed, save me and I will be saved for You are my
praise” (17:4). The Rabbis later
incorporated these lines in the daily service.
In plural form, these words make up the opening lines of the eighth
benediction of the Amidah - the benediction that calls for Health and
Healing. “Heal us Lord and we will be
healed, save us and we will be saved for You are our praise.” Why the change from singular to plural? When we pray, we do not ask blessings for
ourselves but for others. Even when we
are praying silently and alone we are praying on behalf of the whole House of
Israel.
Pirke Avot - (Sayings of the Fathers) is a
collection of sayings, teachings, and ethical maxims. A popular and eminently quotable work, it is
one of the sixty-three tractates of the Mishnah. The Mishnah, consisting of centuries of oral
teachings passed down from one generation to the next, was finally codified by
Rabbi Yehudah Ha-Nasi in 200 C.E. Pirke
Avot is unique among the tractates of the Mishnah in that it doesn't
contain any halachah (law), only aggadah (stories or legends). Its popularity is reflected in the fact that
it is included in most prayer books (including, in part, in Gates of Prayer).
Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut one of the great teachers of the Reform
Movement suggests that Pirke Avot "teaches us the essentials of
what life might be at its best." It
deals with some of life's most basic and important questions: What is our purpose and destiny? What is sin, and how do we conquer it? What is wisdom? What is my relationship to God? Pirke Avot is divided into chapters,
and each chapter is further divided into individual statements, each called a
Mishnah. It is customary to study a
chapter of Pirke Avot starting with the first Shabbat after the end of
Pesach (Passover). Since Pirke Avot
consists of six chapters, the work may be completed by the start of
Shavuot. However, other groups of Jews
follow a cycle where they study and re-study each of the chapters until the
last Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah.
Regardless of the format you choose, each week the Torah page will
include one verse from the chapter of the week with a few comments from a
variety of sources.)
Pirke Avot -
Chapter 5
Chapter Five is different
from the first four chapters of Pirke Avot. First, for the most part,
the authors of the verses are anonymous. Secondly, most of the verses are based
on numerology. The teachings are based
on the numbers ten, seven, four and three. One explanation is that Pirke
Avot is part of the Oral Law and numerical groupings are a useful aid in
transmitting information in a non-written modality.
(5:15). “There are four characteristic types of those
who donate tzedakah: One who wants that he should but that others should not
give, he is begrudging of others; [One who wants] that others should give but
that he should not give, he is begrudging of himself; [One who wants] that he
should give and that others should give he is a pious person; [One who wants]
that he should not give and that others should not give, he is a wicked
person.” The Hebrew word translated
above as “pious person” is “chasid.” It
can also be translated as benevolent or gracious. In the case of his manner of giving, the
chasid’s manner of giving evidences what the sages call “the right ethical
spirit.” The Hebrew word translated
above as “wicked person” is “rasha” and may also be translated as
“ungodly.” You will recognize “rasha”
as the Hebrew term used for the Wicked Son in the Haggadah. Wickedness can take many forms. In the case of this reading from Pirke Avot,
the lack of “sympathy for the needy in their distress” is what is wicked or
ungodly. As both the Torah and various
readings from the Prophets have taught us, God expects us to protect those in
need and He will judge us based on how we treat the less fortunate.
(5:17). “Any
controversy which for the sake of Heaven will result in something permanent,
but when it is not for the sake of Heaven, it will have no permanence. Which controversy was one that was for the
sake of Heaven? The controversy between
Hillel and Shammai. Which controversy
was not for the sake of Heaven? The
controversy of Korach and his company.” The
author of many of the sayings in chapters is unknown. From last week’s sedrah, you do know the
meaning of the reference to Korach and his company. Hillel and Shammai were the leaders of two
rabbinic schools during the first century.
While Hillel was more innovative and Shammai was more constructive, the
two respected each other because “their aim was nothing else than the correct
exposition of the Torah.” Therefore the Talmud claimed that a Bath-Kol or
heavenly voice spoke approvingly of them since, “They both speak the words of
the living God.”
“Ben Bag Bag
says: ‘Delve in it [the Torah] and delve in it [again] for everything is in it;
look deeply into it, grow old and worn with it and from it do not budge for you
can have no portion better than it.’”
The Hebrew word “hafach” is translated here as “delve.” The word literally means, “to turn over,” “to
invert” or “to change.” Some say this
means we should study the Torah from all angles. A word of caution; the same three letters of
this Hebrew word can also be translated as “to change, to overturn or to
pervert.” As we “turn over” the Torah,
we must study it in a way that does not “overturn” the Torah. “Ben Hei Hei says: ‘In proportion to the
exertion is the reward’” (5:26). Jews
living in small communities often complain about difficult it is “to be
Jewish.” According to the commentators
on the wisdom of Ben Hei Hei, “The reward for observing God’s commandment is
increased in proportion to the effort and discomfort one experiences in its
performance.” For those who think of God
as the big scorekeeper in the sky, this means small town Jews get extra points
for doing that which is easy in a big city.
The Message in a Name: There
are those who contend that Ben Bag Bag and Ben Hei Hei were the same
person. Furthermore, they contend that
these are two names refer to the Proselyte who came to Hillel and demanded to
be taught the Torah on one foot. Ben Bag
Bag’s full name is Yochanan Ben Bag Bag or Yochanan, the son of Bag Bag. Bag Bag is an abbreviation for the Hebrew
term “the son of a male and a female proselyte.” The Hebrew letter Bet (B) is the first letter
of the word Ben which means “son” and the Hebrew letter Gimel (G) is the first
letter of the Hebrew word Ger which literally means “stranger.” Ben Hei Hei may mean Son of [the Hebrew
letter] Hay. Hei refers to the first two
proselytes, Abraham and Sarah. If you
remember reading Bereshit, God added the letter Hay to each of their
names. So Abram became Abraham and Sarai
became Sarah. Hence the Son of two hays,
would be a way of referring to somebody who was a son of two proselytes. Why all this duplicity? Because at the time that Ben Bag Bag lived,
the Romans might have killed somebody who had converted to Judaism. So the name was “changed” to protect the
innocent, as Sargent Joe Friday would say.
But the real message in the name is that the Torah is open to all. It does not matter how a Jew became a Member
of the Tribe (
Copyright May 2025 Mitchell A Levin
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