To Appreciate Freedom
Save
Copy
Add to Collection
Export to Google Docs
Share929 Deuteronomy Collection
This sheet on Deuteronomy 16 was written by Aviva Golbert for 929 and can also be found here
Deuteronomy 16 contains one of the Torah’s references to the Shalosh Regalim: the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. In the Pesach section, we are enjoined to eat matzot for seven days and to eschew leavened bread, so that we may “remember the day of [our] departure from the land of Egypt as long as [we] live.” This makes sense. The national memory of running out the door, not having enough time to let our bread rise, having to eat ‘poor man’s bread,’ will serve us well as a constant, life-long reminder that we are forever indebted to God for having saved us from the hellhole that was Egypt.
A reminder found in the Shavuot section is more curious. “Bear in mind that you were slaves in Egypt, and take care to obey these laws.” What in the world does Egyptian slavery have to do with Chag HaAsif, the festival that celebrates the first big yield in the annual Land of Israel harvest cycle?
It has everything to do with it. God and Moses are fearful – and rightfully so – that once they’ve entered the Promised Land, the Israelites will become farmers, raise their crops, reap their produce, and begin to believe that their own efforts have allowed for a bountiful harvest. I mean, why not believe that? Farmers work extremely hard every day of their lives.
When God and Moses tell the Israelites to observe Shavuot, offer free-will produce offerings commensurate with how much they’ve been blessed in their fields, and share the joy with everyone in their household, including their servants, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow in their midst alongside their own family, they must also remember that they used to be slaves. They used to be slaves in Egypt, where they weren’t free to make choices about their planting. Where they couldn’t own any land. They used to be slaves in Egypt, and God took them out and brought them to their own land, where He is the only Master. They used to be slaves in Egypt, and now they are free men, who owe their lives and their livelihood to God. They must remember, so they can acknowledge God in all that they have. And so they can share the bounty of the land, which is truly God’s and not their own.
When you’ve been a slave, you know what it is to be a stranger, fatherless, and a widow all at the same time. When you’ve been a slave, you can never forget the kindness of another. When you’ve been a slave, and can remember being a slave, you can appreciate everything you have and share it with everyone in your midst.
So God and Moses tell the Israelites: You MUST remember. Only then will you be truly free to obey these laws.
A reminder found in the Shavuot section is more curious. “Bear in mind that you were slaves in Egypt, and take care to obey these laws.” What in the world does Egyptian slavery have to do with Chag HaAsif, the festival that celebrates the first big yield in the annual Land of Israel harvest cycle?
It has everything to do with it. God and Moses are fearful – and rightfully so – that once they’ve entered the Promised Land, the Israelites will become farmers, raise their crops, reap their produce, and begin to believe that their own efforts have allowed for a bountiful harvest. I mean, why not believe that? Farmers work extremely hard every day of their lives.
When God and Moses tell the Israelites to observe Shavuot, offer free-will produce offerings commensurate with how much they’ve been blessed in their fields, and share the joy with everyone in their household, including their servants, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow in their midst alongside their own family, they must also remember that they used to be slaves. They used to be slaves in Egypt, where they weren’t free to make choices about their planting. Where they couldn’t own any land. They used to be slaves in Egypt, and God took them out and brought them to their own land, where He is the only Master. They used to be slaves in Egypt, and now they are free men, who owe their lives and their livelihood to God. They must remember, so they can acknowledge God in all that they have. And so they can share the bounty of the land, which is truly God’s and not their own.
When you’ve been a slave, you know what it is to be a stranger, fatherless, and a widow all at the same time. When you’ve been a slave, you can never forget the kindness of another. When you’ve been a slave, and can remember being a slave, you can appreciate everything you have and share it with everyone in your midst.
So God and Moses tell the Israelites: You MUST remember. Only then will you be truly free to obey these laws.
Aviva Golbert is the Director of the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators.
929 is the number of chapters in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, the formative text of the Jewish heritage. It is also the name of a cutting-edge project dedicated to creating a global Jewish conversation anchored in the Hebrew Bible. 929 English invites Jews everywhere to read and study Tanakh, one chapter a day, Sunday through Thursday together with a website with creative readings and pluralistic interpretations, including audio and video, by a wide range of writers, artists, rabbis, educators, scholars, students and more. As an outgrowth of the web-based platform, 929 English also offers classes, pop-up lectures, events and across North America. We invite you to learn along with us and be part of our dynamic community.
To join 929's listserv for new and dynamic content each week click here
To join 929's listserv for new and dynamic content each week click here
