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ShareWelcome and Question
- Why write new commentaries? - Let's discuss.
- Resources, including "Contemporary Commentaries" and links
Plan for this Class
- Meet the Commentators: Contemporary Commentaries
- Examples of Contemporary Commentaries
- Our Torah Portions: בהר / Behar (Sinai) and בחקתי / Bechukkotai
- Selections
- Sources and Commentaries
- Summary and Future Learning
Meet the Commentators: Contemporary Commentaries
- Two that are available at Sefaria: The Torah--A Women's Commentary and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks' Covenant & Conversation
- Rabbi Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, editor, The Torah: A Women's Commentary. CCAR, 2008. Available on Sefaria at The Torah; A Women's Commentary | Sefaria Library
- Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: Covenant & Conversation. Tanakh, Modern Commentary on Tanakh, Jonathan Sacks | Sefaria Library.
Examples of Contemporary Commentaries
(2) PARASHAT B’HAR (“at the mountain [of]”) contains laws that aim to protect economically disadvantaged members of the community from permanently losing their freedom and means of livelihood. In Israel, as in other parts of the ancient Near East, those households that fell into economically precarious situations risked losing their land; moreover, their members might become indentured servants or slaves. Israel, like its neighbors, developed legislation to prevent the rich from exploiting the poor. This parashah highlights economic and social concerns through a theological lens. In the process, it expresses what it means for the Israelites to be both a holy people and God’s freed servants. Ethics and social justice do not constitute a separate sphere from ritual in the book of Leviticus but are integral to it. See, for example, the laws at the end of parashat Vayikra (5:20–26). Parashat B’har illustrates how the demand for holiness needs to be implemented in socio-economic practices, making it possible for economically disadvantaged Israelites to “come back home” to family and land. - Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Jocelyn Hudson
(יג) נָחִ֥יתָ בְחַסְדְּךָ֖ עַם־ז֣וּ גָּאָ֑לְתָּ נֵהַ֥לְתָּ בְעׇזְּךָ֖ אֶל־נְוֵ֥ה קׇדְשֶֽׁךָ׃
(13)In Your love You lead the people You redeemed / ga'alta ;In Your strength You guide them to Your holy abode.
(כה) כִּֽי־יָמ֣וּךְ אָחִ֔יךָ וּמָכַ֖ר מֵאֲחֻזָּת֑וֹ וּבָ֤א גֹֽאֲלוֹ֙ הַקָּרֹ֣ב אֵלָ֔יו וְגָאַ֕ל אֵ֖ת מִמְכַּ֥ר אָחִֽיו׃
(25) If one of your kin is in straits and has to sell part of a holding, the nearest redeemer / go'alo shall come and redeem / ve-ga'al what that relative has sold.
(7) So the Torah weaves law, ethics, and narrative together using an extraordinary array of literary techniques. I want in this essay to show how it does so in the form of a single word, g-a-l, meaning “to redeem.”
(12) Turning to the word g-a-l itself, the basic idea of redemption is that the law provides for the possibility of reclaiming land, property, or even liberty itself if one has the means to do so. Leviticus 25 discusses three cases in which an individual finds himself forced, through poverty, to sell something valuable. It may be land, or a house, or selling himself as a slave. In each case, provision is made for a relative of the seller, or the seller himself should he suddenly find himself with the means to do so, to buy it back by providing the buyer with appropriate compensation. If neither of these is possible then redemption will automatically take place in the Jubilee year (with the exception of a house in a walled city).
(18) Only now, retrospectively, given the laws of Leviticus 25, do we understand the significance of the first words God commands Moses to say to Pharaoh: “This is what God says: Israel is My son, My firstborn” (Ex. 4:22). God is doing more than rescuing people from oppression or liberating slaves. He is engaged in an act of redemption, that is to say, exercising the right and responsibility of a close relative, in this case a father. The fusion here between law, ethics, and narrative, and between God’s interventions in history and our duties within society, is complete. (19) In the Exodus, God was engaged in more than miracles. He was teaching us how we too ought to behave when people close to us fall into destitution. (20) To be sure, the Torah does more than leave redemption to the willingness of family members to do their duty. The Jubilee provided equal redemption for all, even for those who did not have willing and wealthy relatives to come to their rescue before then. What I have tried to show here, though, is how law and theology are intrinsically linked in the Torah. One word, geula, redemption, figures in both, and in the same sense: restoring something, be it land, a house, or a person, to its proper place after it had been forfeited because of misfortune.
Our Torah Portions: בהר / Behar (Sinai) and בחקתי / Bechukkotai
- 25:1-23 The sabbatical year and Jubilee
- 25:24-55 Keeping the land and the people together
- 26:1-2 Idols; Shabbat
- 26:3-13 Blessing upon fulfilling the commandmentts
- 26:14-45 Execration upon spurning God and the commandments - exile / תוכחה / Tochechah
- 26:46 Postscript: Mount Sinai
- 27:1-33 Funding the Sanctuary
- 27:34 Postscript: Mount Sinai
Selections
(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יהוה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּהַ֥ר סִינַ֖י לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ב) דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם כִּ֤י תָבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֖י נֹתֵ֣ן לָכֶ֑ם וְשָׁבְתָ֣ה הָאָ֔רֶץ שַׁבָּ֖ת לַיהוה׃ (ג) שֵׁ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ תִּזְרַ֣ע שָׂדֶ֔ךָ וְשֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים תִּזְמֹ֣ר כַּרְמֶ֑ךָ וְאָסַפְתָּ֖ אֶת־תְּבוּאָתָֽהּ׃ (ד) וּבַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗ת שַׁבַּ֤ת שַׁבָּתוֹן֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָאָ֔רֶץ שַׁבָּ֖ת לַיהוה שָֽׂדְךָ֙ לֹ֣א תִזְרָ֔ע וְכַרְמְךָ֖ לֹ֥א תִזְמֹֽר׃
(1) GOD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai: (2) Speak to the Israelite people and say to them:
When you enter the land that I assign to you, the land shall observe a sabbath of GOD. (3) Six years you may sow your field and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather in the yield. (4) But in the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath of complete rest, a sabbath of GOD: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.
(ח) וְסָפַרְתָּ֣ לְךָ֗ שֶׁ֚בַע שַׁבְּתֹ֣ת שָׁנִ֔ים שֶׁ֥בַע שָׁנִ֖ים שֶׁ֣בַע פְּעָמִ֑ים וְהָי֣וּ לְךָ֗ יְמֵי֙ שֶׁ֚בַע שַׁבְּתֹ֣ת הַשָּׁנִ֔ים תֵּ֥שַׁע וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים שָׁנָֽה׃ (ט) וְהַֽעֲבַרְתָּ֞ שׁוֹפַ֤ר תְּרוּעָה֙ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִעִ֔י בֶּעָשׂ֖וֹר לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ בְּיוֹם֙ הַכִּפֻּרִ֔ים תַּעֲבִ֥ירוּ שׁוֹפָ֖ר בְּכׇל־אַרְצְכֶֽם׃ (י) וְקִדַּשְׁתֶּ֗ם אֵ֣ת שְׁנַ֤ת הַחֲמִשִּׁים֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וּקְרָאתֶ֥ם דְּר֛וֹר בָּאָ֖רֶץ לְכׇל־יֹשְׁבֶ֑יהָ יוֹבֵ֥ל הִוא֙ תִּהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם וְשַׁבְתֶּ֗ם אִ֚ישׁ אֶל־אֲחֻזָּת֔וֹ וְאִ֥ישׁ אֶל־מִשְׁפַּחְתּ֖וֹ תָּשֻֽׁבוּ׃
(8) You shall count off seven weeks of years—seven times seven years—so that the period of seven weeks of years gives you a total of forty-nine years. (9) Then you shall sound the horn loud; in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month—the Day of Atonement—you shall have the horn sounded throughout your land (10) and you shall hallow the fiftieth year. You shall proclaim release throughout the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: each of you shall return to your holding and each of you shall return to your family.
(כג) וְהָאָ֗רֶץ לֹ֤א תִמָּכֵר֙ לִצְמִתֻ֔ת כִּי־לִ֖י הָאָ֑רֶץ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֧ים וְתוֹשָׁבִ֛ים אַתֶּ֖ם עִמָּדִֽי׃ (כד) וּבְכֹ֖ל אֶ֣רֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶ֑ם גְּאֻלָּ֖ה תִּתְּנ֥וּ לָאָֽרֶץ׃ {ס}
(23) But the land must not be sold beyond reclaim, for the land is Mine; you are but strangers resident with Me. (24) Throughout the land that you hold, you must provide for the redemption of the land.
(לה) וְכִֽי־יָמ֣וּךְ אָחִ֔יךָ וּמָ֥טָה יָד֖וֹ עִמָּ֑ךְ וְהֶֽחֱזַ֣קְתָּ בּ֔וֹ גֵּ֧ר וְתוֹשָׁ֛ב וָחַ֖י עִמָּֽךְ׃ (לו) אַל־תִּקַּ֤ח מֵֽאִתּוֹ֙ נֶ֣שֶׁךְ וְתַרְבִּ֔ית וְיָרֵ֖אתָ מֵֽאֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ וְחֵ֥י אָחִ֖יךָ עִמָּֽךְ׃
(35) If your kin, being in straits, come under your authority, and are held by you as though resident aliens, let them live by your side: (36) do not exact advance or accrued interest, but fear your God. Let your kin live by your side as such.
(ג) אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם׃ (ד) וְנָתַתִּ֥י גִשְׁמֵיכֶ֖ם בְּעִתָּ֑ם וְנָתְנָ֤ה הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ יְבוּלָ֔הּ וְעֵ֥ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה יִתֵּ֥ן פִּרְיֽוֹ׃ (ה) וְהִשִּׂ֨יג לָכֶ֥ם דַּ֙יִשׁ֙ אֶת־בָּצִ֔יר וּבָצִ֖יר יַשִּׂ֣יג אֶת־זָ֑רַע וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֤ם לַחְמְכֶם֙ לָשֹׂ֔בַע וִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם לָבֶ֖טַח בְּאַרְצְכֶֽם׃ (ו) וְנָתַתִּ֤י שָׁלוֹם֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּשְׁכַבְתֶּ֖ם וְאֵ֣ין מַחֲרִ֑יד וְהִשְׁבַּתִּ֞י חַיָּ֤ה רָעָה֙ מִן־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְחֶ֖רֶב לֹא־תַעֲבֹ֥ר בְּאַרְצְכֶֽם׃
(3) If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments, (4) I will grant your rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and the trees of the field their fruit. (5) Your threshing shall overtake the vintage, and your vintage shall overtake the sowing; you shall eat your fill of bread and dwell securely in your land. (6) I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down untroubled by anyone; I will give the land respite from vicious beasts, and no sword shall cross your land.
(יד) וְאִם־לֹ֥א תִשְׁמְע֖וּ לִ֑י וְלֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֔וּ אֵ֥ת כׇּל־הַמִּצְוֺ֖ת הָאֵֽלֶּה׃ (טו) וְאִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֣י תִּמְאָ֔סוּ וְאִ֥ם אֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֖י תִּגְעַ֣ל נַפְשְׁכֶ֑ם לְבִלְתִּ֤י עֲשׂוֹת֙ אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתַ֔י לְהַפְרְכֶ֖ם אֶת־בְּרִיתִֽי׃ (טז) אַף־אֲנִ֞י אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־זֹּ֣את לָכֶ֗ם וְהִפְקַדְתִּ֨י עֲלֵיכֶ֤ם בֶּֽהָלָה֙ אֶת־הַשַּׁחֶ֣פֶת וְאֶת־הַקַּדַּ֔חַת מְכַלּ֥וֹת עֵינַ֖יִם וּמְדִיבֹ֣ת נָ֑פֶשׁ וּזְרַעְתֶּ֤ם לָרִיק֙ זַרְעֲכֶ֔ם וַאֲכָלֻ֖הוּ אֹיְבֵיכֶֽם׃
(14) But if you do not obey Me and do not observe all these commandments, (15) if you reject My laws and spurn My rules, so that you do not observe all My commandments and you break My covenant, (16) I in turn will do this to you: I will wreak misery upon you—consumption and fever, which cause the eyes to pine and the body to languish; you shall sow your seed to no purpose, for your enemies shall eat it.
(כא) וְאִם־תֵּֽלְכ֤וּ עִמִּי֙ קֶ֔רִי וְלֹ֥א תֹאב֖וּ לִשְׁמֹ֣עַֽ לִ֑י וְיָסַפְתִּ֤י עֲלֵיכֶם֙ מַכָּ֔ה שֶׁ֖בַע כְּחַטֹּאתֵיכֶֽם׃
(21) And if you remain hostile toward Me and refuse to obey Me, I will go on smiting you sevenfold for your sins.
(מג) וְהָאָ֩רֶץ֩ תֵּעָזֵ֨ב מֵהֶ֜ם וְתִ֣רֶץ אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתֶ֗יהָ בׇּהְשַׁמָּהֿ֙ מֵהֶ֔ם וְהֵ֖ם יִרְצ֣וּ אֶת־עֲוֺנָ֑ם יַ֣עַן וּבְיַ֔עַן בְּמִשְׁפָּטַ֣י מָאָ֔סוּ וְאֶת־חֻקֹּתַ֖י גָּעֲלָ֥ה נַפְשָֽׁם׃ (מד) וְאַף־גַּם־זֹ֠את בִּֽהְיוֹתָ֞ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ אֹֽיְבֵיהֶ֗ם לֹֽא־מְאַסְתִּ֤ים וְלֹֽא־גְעַלְתִּים֙ לְכַלֹּתָ֔ם לְהָפֵ֥ר בְּרִיתִ֖י אִתָּ֑ם כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יהוה אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃
(43) For the land shall be forsaken of them, making up for its sabbath years by being desolate of them, while they atone for their iniquity; for the abundant reason that they rejected My rules and spurned My laws. (44) Yet, even then, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or spurn them so as to destroy them, annulling My covenant with them: for I the ETERNAL am their God.
(מג) וְהָאָ֩רֶץ֩ תֵּעָזֵ֨ב מֵהֶ֜ם וְתִ֣רֶץ אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתֶ֗יהָ בׇּהְשַׁמָּהֿ֙ מֵהֶ֔ם וְהֵ֖ם יִרְצ֣וּ אֶת־עֲוֺנָ֑ם יַ֣עַן וּבְיַ֔עַן בְּמִשְׁפָּטַ֣י מָאָ֔סוּ וְאֶת־חֻקֹּתַ֖י גָּעֲלָ֥ה נַפְשָֽׁם׃ (מד) וְאַף־גַּם־זֹ֠את בִּֽהְיוֹתָ֞ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ אֹֽיְבֵיהֶ֗ם לֹֽא־מְאַסְתִּ֤ים וְלֹֽא־גְעַלְתִּים֙ לְכַלֹּתָ֔ם לְהָפֵ֥ר בְּרִיתִ֖י אִתָּ֑ם כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יהוה אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃ (מה) וְזָכַרְתִּ֥י לָהֶ֖ם בְּרִ֣ית רִאשֹׁנִ֑ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר הוֹצֵֽאתִי־אֹתָם֩ מֵאֶ֨רֶץ מִצְרַ֜יִם לְעֵינֵ֣י הַגּוֹיִ֗ם לִהְי֥וֹת לָהֶ֛ם לֵאלֹהִ֖ים אֲנִ֥י יהוה׃ (מו) אֵ֠לֶּה הַֽחֻקִּ֣ים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים֮ וְהַתּוֹרֹת֒ אֲשֶׁר֙ נָתַ֣ן יהוה בֵּינ֕וֹ וּבֵ֖ין בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל בְּהַ֥ר סִינַ֖י בְּיַד־מֹשֶֽׁה׃ {פ}
(43) For the land shall be forsaken of them, making up for its sabbath years by being desolate of them, while they atone for their iniquity; for the abundant reason that they rejected My rules and spurned My laws. (44) Yet, even then, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or spurn them so as to destroy them, annulling My covenant with them: for I the ETERNAL am their God. (45) I will remember in their favor the covenant with the ancients, whom I freed from the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God: I, the ETERNAL. (46) These are the laws, rules, and instructions that GOD established, through Moses on Mount Sinai, with the Israelite people.
Sources and Commentaries
Why do our portions emphasize Mount Sinai so much?
(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יהוה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּהַ֥ר סִינַ֖י לֵאמֹֽר׃
(1) GOD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai:
(מו) אֵ֠לֶּה הַֽחֻקִּ֣ים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים֮ וְהַתּוֹרֹת֒ אֲשֶׁר֙ נָתַ֣ן יהוה בֵּינ֕וֹ וּבֵ֖ין בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל בְּהַ֥ר סִינַ֖י בְּיַד־מֹשֶֽׁה׃ {פ}
(46) These are the laws, rules, and instructions that GOD established, through Moses on Mount Sinai, with the Israelite people.
(לד) אֵ֣לֶּה הַמִּצְוֺ֗ת אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֧ה יהוה אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל בְּהַ֖ר סִינָֽי׃
(34) These are the commandments that GOD gave Moses for the Israelite people on Mount Sinai.
(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר יהוה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֛ה בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר סִינַ֖י בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד בְּאֶחָד֩ לַחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֜י בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשֵּׁנִ֗ית לְצֵאתָ֛ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לֵאמֹֽר׃
(1) On the first day of the second month, in the second year after the exodus from the land of Egypt, GOD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, saying:
(א)בהר סיני. מָה עִנְיַן שְׁמִטָּה אֵצֶל הַר סִינַי? וַהֲלֹא כָל הַמִּצְוֹת נֶאֶמְרוּ מִסִּינַי? אֶלָּא מַה שְּׁמִטָּה נֶאֶמְרוּ כְלָלוֹתֶיהָ וּפְרָטוֹתֶיהָ וְדִקְדּוּקֶיהָ מִסִּינַי אַף כֻּלָּן נֶאֶמְרוּ כְלָלוֹתֵיהֶן וְדִקְדּוּקֵיהֶן מִסִּינַי, כָּךְ שְׁנוּיָה בְּתֹ"כֹּ; וְנִרְאֶה לִי שֶׁכָּךְ פֵּרוּשָׁהּ: לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא מָצִינוּ שְׁמִטַּת קַרְקָעוֹת שֶׁנִּשְׁנֵית בְּעַרְבוֹת מוֹאָב בְּמִשְׁנֵה תוֹרָה, לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁכְּלָלוֹתֶיהָ וּפְרָטוֹתֶיהָ כֻּלָּן נֶאֶמְרוּ מִסִּינַי, וּבָא הַכָּתוּב וְלִמֵּד כָּאן עַל כָּל דִּבּוּר שֶׁנִּדְבַּר לְמֹשֶׁה, שֶׁמִּסִּינַי הָיוּ כֻלָּם, כְּלָלוֹתֵיהֶן וְדִקְדּוּקֵיהֶן, וְחָזְרוּ וְנִשְׁנוּ בְּעַרְבוֹת מוֹאָב:
(1) בהר סיני [AND THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES] ON THE MOUNT SINAI — What has the matter of the Sabbatical year to do with Mount Sinai that Scripture felt compelled to expressly state where it was commanded? Were not all commandments given on Sinai? But this statement is intended to suggest the following comparison: How is it in the case of the law of Shemittah? Its general rules, [its specific prescriptions] and minute details were ordained on Mount Sinai! So, also, were all commandments with their general rules and their minute details ordained on Mount Sinai; they were repeated at the Plains of Moav (i.e., in Deuternonomy). Thus is taught in Torath Cohanim (Sifra, Behar, Section 1 1).
...
1. On Mount Sinai. The mention here of Mount Sinai has become proverbial in Hebrew for a puzzling juxtaposition of two disparate terms—in Rashi's classic formulation: "What is the connection between Mount Sinai and the Year of Release?" The most plausible explanation, put forth by several recent scholars, is that there is an invocation of a Mesopotamian practice, in which a king assuming his throne would issue a general proclamation for the release of slaves. Thus God announcing His kingship at Sinai definitively releases the Israelites from the status of slaves to which they had been reduced in Egypt. They become instead God's slaves (a parodoxical definition of their new freedom), as the end of this chapter pointedly reminds us.
(י) וְקִדַּשְׁתֶּ֗ם אֵ֣ת שְׁנַ֤ת הַחֲמִשִּׁים֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וּקְרָאתֶ֥ם דְּר֛וֹר בָּאָ֖רֶץ לְכׇל־יֹשְׁבֶ֑יהָ יוֹבֵ֥ל הִוא֙ תִּהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם וְשַׁבְתֶּ֗ם אִ֚ישׁ אֶל־אֲחֻזָּת֔וֹ וְאִ֥ישׁ אֶל־מִשְׁפַּחְתּ֖וֹ תָּשֻֽׁבוּ׃
(10) and you shall hallow the fiftieth year. You shall proclaim release throughout the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: each of you shall return to your holding and each of you shall return to your family.
The bell was ordered in 1751 by the Pennsylvania Assembly for use in the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia.
The inscription on the bell reads: "Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof Lev. XXV. v X. / By Order of the ASSEMBLY of the Province of PENSYLVANIA for the State House in PhiladA /. Pass and Stow /. Philada. / MDCCLIII."
--Liberty Bell on Wikipedia
(2)proclaim release throughout the land for all its inhabitants. This verse sums up the goal of the laws in the parashah: to ensure the fundamental freedom from economic oppression. Heb. dror (“release”) has often been translated as “freedom” or “liberty.” In 1751, the Pennsylvania Assembly ordered a bronze bell to be cast with an English translation of this clause inscribed on it, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of that American colony’s constitution; the inscription on that bell, now known as the Liberty Bell, is: “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”
(יד) וְכִֽי־תִמְכְּר֤וּ מִמְכָּר֙ לַעֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ א֥וֹ קָנֹ֖ה מִיַּ֣ד עֲמִיתֶ֑ךָ אַל־תּוֹנ֖וּ אִ֥ישׁ אֶת־אָחִֽיו׃
(14) When you sell property to your neighbor, or buy any from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another.
(יז) וְלֹ֤א תוֹנוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־עֲמִית֔וֹ וְיָרֵ֖אתָ מֵֽאֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יהוה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
(17) Do not wrong one another, but fear your God; for I the ETERNAL am your God.
(ב)אל תונו. זוֹ אוֹנָאַת מָמוֹן (בבא מציעא נ"ח):
(2) אל תונו YE SHALL NOT WRONG [ONE ANOTHER] — This refers to wronging in money matters (Sifra, Behar, Section 3 4).
(3) What follows is one of the most famous legends in all of rabbinic literature. It appears in BT Bava M’tzia 59b and concerns Rabbi Eliezer and his wife, Imma Shalom (which means “Mother of Peace”). Imma Shalom came from a distinguished family of Davidic heritage. Her brother was Rabban Gamliel, who, at that time, presided over the academy in which her husband, Rabbi Eliezer, was one of the greatest sages. Her husband had a strong disagreement of opinion with the rest of the academy. When they would not accept his opinion he brought all sorts of supernatural proofs that his was the correct view. Even a voice out of heaven was summoned, which duly testified that he was, in fact, right. At this, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Eliezer’s study partner, stood up and said, “The Torah is no longer in heaven” (Deuteronomy 30:12). In other words, we decide law and practice here on earth and do not take heavenly voices into account. Finally, Rabban Gamliel expelled Rabbi Eliezer from the academy, and he was excommunicated. Imma Shalom, knowing what harm her husband could do out of the pain of his humiliation, kept watch on Rabbi Eliezer day and night, so that he would not have the opportunity to pray for Rabban Gamliel’s death. One day her attention was diverted, and she saw afterward that Rabbi Eliezer was prostrated on the ground, supplicating God for succor from his hurt feelings. Seeing this, she said, “Rise. You have killed my brother!” At that moment a shofar blast was heard, signaling that Rabban Gamliel had died. Rabbi Eliezer then asked his wife, “How did you know my prayer worked, and I had killed him?” She replied, quoting learning as easily and with as much authority as her husband, “I learned it from my grandfather’s house: All the gates of heaven are locked except for the gates of hurt feelings.” - Judith Z. Abrams
(לה) וְכִֽי־יָמ֣וּךְ אָחִ֔יךָ וּמָ֥טָה יָד֖וֹ עִמָּ֑ךְ וְהֶֽחֱזַ֣קְתָּ בּ֔וֹ גֵּ֧ר וְתוֹשָׁ֛ב וָחַ֖י עִמָּֽךְ׃
(35) If your kin, being in straits, come under your authority, and are held by you [DR: or you shall support him] as though resident aliens, let them live by your side:
3. לשם מה הביא רש"י כאן את משל החמור – מה רצה להבהיר על ידי כך?
3. For what reason does Rashi cite the parable about the donkey; what did he want to clarify with it?
(א)והחזקת בו. אַל תַּנִּיחֵהוּ שֶׁיֵּרֵד וְיִפֹּל וְיִהְיֶה קָשֶׁה לַהֲקִימוֹ, אֶלָּא חַזְּקֵהוּ מִשְּׁעַת מוֹטַת הַיָּד; לְמָה זֶה דוֹמֶה? לְמַשּׂאוֹי שֶׁעַל הַחֲמוֹר, עוֹדֵהוּ עַל הַחֲמוֹר אֶחָד תּוֹפֵס בּוֹ וּמַעֲמִידוֹ, נָפַל לָאָרֶץ, חֲמִשָּׁה אֵין מַעֲמִידִין אוֹתוֹ:
(1) והחזקת בו THOU SHALT RELIEVE HIM — Do not leave him by himself so that he comes down in the world until he finally falls altogether when it will be difficult to give him a lift, but uphold him from the very moment of the failure of his means. To what may this (the differences between whether you assist him at once or whether you wait with your help till he has come down in the world) be compared? To an excessive load on the back of an ass. So long as it is still on the ass’s back, one person is enough to take hold of it (the load) and to keep it (the ass) up, as soon as it has fallen to the ground not even five persons are able to set it on its legs (Sifra, Behar, Section 5 1).
(לד) אָז֩ תִּרְצֶ֨ה הָאָ֜רֶץ אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתֶ֗יהָ כֹּ֚ל יְמֵ֣י הׇשַּׁמָּ֔הֿ וְאַתֶּ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ אֹיְבֵיכֶ֑ם אָ֚ז תִּשְׁבַּ֣ת הָאָ֔רֶץ וְהִרְצָ֖ת אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתֶֽיהָ׃ (לה) כׇּל־יְמֵ֥י הׇשַּׁמָּ֖הֿ תִּשְׁבֹּ֑ת אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹֽא־שָׁבְתָ֛ה בְּשַׁבְּתֹתֵיכֶ֖ם בְּשִׁבְתְּכֶ֥ם עָלֶֽיהָ׃
(34) Then shall the land make up for its sabbath years throughout the time that it is desolate and you are in the land of your enemies; then shall the land rest and make up for its sabbath years. (35) Throughout the time that it is desolate, it shall observe the rest that it did not observe in your sabbath years while you were dwelling upon it.
(יט) וַֽיִּשְׂרְפוּ֙ אֶת־בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים וַֽיְנַתְּצ֔וּ אֵ֖ת חוֹמַ֣ת יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וְכׇל־אַרְמְנוֹתֶ֙יהָ֙ שָׂרְפ֣וּ בָאֵ֔שׁ וְכׇל־כְּלֵ֥י מַחֲמַדֶּ֖יהָ לְהַשְׁחִֽית׃ (כ) וַיֶּ֛גֶל הַשְּׁאֵרִ֥ית מִן־הַחֶ֖רֶב אֶל־בָּבֶ֑ל וַיִּֽהְיוּ־ל֤וֹ וּלְבָנָיו֙ לַעֲבָדִ֔ים עַד־מְלֹ֖ךְ מַלְכ֥וּת פָּרָֽס׃ (כא) לְמַלֹּ֤אות דְּבַר־יהוה בְּפִ֣י יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ עַד־רָצְתָ֥ה הָאָ֖רֶץ אֶת־שַׁבְּתוֹתֶ֑יהָ כׇּל־יְמֵ֤י הׇשַּׁמָּה֙ שָׁבָ֔תָה לְמַלֹּ֖אות שִׁבְעִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה׃ {ס}
(19) They burned the House of God and tore down the wall of Jerusalem, burned down all its mansions, and consigned all its precious objects to destruction. (20) Those who survived the sword he exiled to Babylon, and they became his and his sons’ servants till the rise of the Persian kingdom, (21) in fulfillment of the word of GOD spoken by Jeremiah, until the land paid back its sabbaths; as long as it lay desolate it kept sabbath, till seventy years were completed.
Summary and Future Learning
(לא) וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם֙ מִצְוֺתַ֔י וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם אֲנִ֖י יהוה׃ (לב) וְלֹ֤א תְחַלְּלוּ֙ אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם קׇדְשִׁ֔י וְנִ֨קְדַּשְׁתִּ֔י בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֲנִ֥י יהוה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶֽם׃ (לג) הַמּוֹצִ֤יא אֶתְכֶם֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לִהְי֥וֹת לָכֶ֖ם לֵאלֹהִ֑ים אֲנִ֖י יהוה׃ {פ}
(31) You shall faithfully observe My commandments: I am GOD. (32) You shall not profane My holy name, that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Israelite people—I, GOD, who sanctify you, (33) I who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God, I, the ETERNAL.
"...nowhere outside of Leviticus is there a clearer articulation of the reason for the Jewish people's existence. God has entered into a relationship with the people of Israel so that. they might perpetually sanctify His name. Their role in the world, and in history, is to attest to His existence, to publicize His oneness, and to advertise His greatness. This they are commanded to do by worshipping Him and keeping His laws. When they fail to do so, His name is profaned, that is, His fame is diminished and His reputation tarnished; when they live up to this charge and duty, He and His name are sanctified. This statement, explicit in 22.31-33 and implicit throughout the book, has remained fundamental to Jewish belief and consciousness throughout all generations."
"Conclusion. It is hardly possible in this limited space to do justice to all of the themes expressed in Leviticus or to trace their later applications in post-Temple Judaism. The intent was merely to show how a system of worship and purification that was essential to religious life in antiquity was restructured and redefined so as to enable Jews everywhere to worship the God of Israel meaningfully and to realize a degree of sanctity in their lives.
"Along with purity and sanctity, Leviticus also held forth the vision of redemption and freedom. Speaking in the context of economic freedom, Leviticus 25 proclaims the Jubilee year as a time when deror, "release," will be granted to all those Israelites who are bound by debt and indenture and when ge'ullah, "redemption," will be realized for land that had been lost to its owners.
"These themes, which are given legal expression in Leviticus, are conceived as national redemption in the words of an exilic prophet, who foresaw God restoring the captives of Israel to the Land of Israel. ..."
