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Home -> Behar -> 5778

לא תעבד בו עבדת עבד

Moshe Marcovich
In 5778, Behar

You shall not work with him slave labor. (25:39)

The eved Ivri, Jewish bondsman/slave, is not a slave in the generally accepted sense of the word. He is an indentured servant, who, for a specific period of time, neither is free to do as he wants, nor to resign his employment. Nonetheless, their masters must treat them with such delicacy and consideration that Chazal (Kiddushin 20a) say, “One who purchases a (Jewish) slave for himself buys himself a master.” The master is forbidden to assign him to perform degrading work that would be relegated only to a slave. He is to be assigned skilled, dignified labor like hired help….

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Home -> Behar -> 5777

ולא תונו איש את עמיתו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5777, Behar

Each of you shall not aggrieve his fellow. (25:17)

Horav Shlomo Levinstein, Shlita, asks: What is the difference between a tzaddik, righteous person, and a chasid, pious person? Simply, a tzaddik follows halachah to the letter of the law. He is meticulous in his observance, never cutting corners, always doing exactly what is expected of him. A chasid goes the extra mile. He carries out mitzvos lifnim meshuras ha’din, beyond the letter of the law. Not only does he not look for shortcuts, but he also takes the longer, more strenuous route. The Kotzker Rebbe, zl, offers a powerful distinction between these two approaches toward serving Hashem. A tzaddik…

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Home -> Behar -> 5777

וכי ימוך אחיך... והחזקת בו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5777, Behar

If your brother becomes impoverished… you shall strengthen him. (25:35)

The Pele Yoetz writes: “Chesed, performing acts of kindness, is a pillar of the world. It is one of those mitzvos whose fruits are eaten in this world, but whose principal remains for him (generating reward) in Olam Habba, the World to Come.” The Chafetz Chaim writes that the performance of chesed can engender such incredible merit that it has the power to overwhelm the Middas HaDin, Attribute of Strict Justice. Rebbetzin Miriam Shmuelevitz, wife of the venerable Rosh Yeshivah of Mir Yerushalayim, was very involved in a successful chesed organization that reached out to Jews all over Yerushalayim. I…

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Home -> Behar -> 5776

וידבר ד' אל משה בהר סיני

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Behar

Hashem spoke to Moshe on Har Sinai. (25:1)

Mah inyan Shemittah eitzel Har Sinai –“What is the connection between Shemittah and Har Sinai?” has become the catch phrase when questioning why two disparate subjects are juxtaposed upon one another for no apparent reason. The Torah introduces the laws of Shemittah in detail immediately following the mention of the Revelation at Har Sinai. Chazal derive from here that not only the broad outlines, but also the details, the minutiae of Torah law and mitzvah, were transmitted at Sinai – as were those of Shemittah, whose laws are detailed extensively. All mitzvos, even those which were recorded years after the…

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Home -> Behar -> 5776

ונתנה הארץ פריה ואכלתם לשבע... וכי תאמרו מה נאכל בשנה השביעית... וצויתי את ברכתי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Behar

The land will give its fruit and you will eat your fill… if you will say: “What will we eat in the seventh year?” I will ordain my blessing. (25:19, 20, 21)

Sforno distinguishes between the baal bitachon, one who trusts in Hashem, who does not question, “What will we eat in the seventh year?” and he who questions. The one who does not question will, indeed, have less produce; however, its nutritional value will far exceed that of a regular year. He will have less, but he will require less. Less will be more. His seventh year will be covered by the produce of the sixth year, but in a manner unperceived by the unknowing spectator who will observe a regular yield that year. The believer whose bitachon is not as…

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Home -> Behar -> 5776

וצויתי את ברכתי לכם בשנה הששית

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Behar

I will ordain My blessing for you in the sixth year. (25:21)

The crops produced during the sixth year will suffice for portions of the three calendar years affected by Shemittah: from Nissan of the sixth year until Nissan of the eighth year. In commentary on this pasuk, Horav Michel Feinstein, zl, explained that Hashem was ensuring the blessing as part and parcel of the mitzvah. The mitzvah itself provided the blessing. This is similar to the statement made by Chazal in Pirkei Avos, Maasros s’yag l’osher, “Tithes are a protective fence for wealth” (Avos 3:17). The discipline of taking a percentage of one’s produce and giving it to charity motivates the…

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Home -> Behar -> 5776

וכי ימוך אחיך ומטה ידו עמך והזחקת בו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Behar

If your brother becomes impoverished and his means falter in your proximity, you shall strengthen him. (25:35)

The Midrash quotes an often-used pasuk relating to the mitzvah of tzedakah, charity: Ashrei maskil el dal, b’yom raah yimalteihu Hashem, “Praiseworthy is he who contemplates the needy, on the day of disaster Hashem will deliver him” Tehillim 41:2. David HaMelech enjoins us to give tzedakah with understanding: delving into who stands before us and why; making an attempt to put ourselves in his shoes. The above pasuk addresses the needs of one who has not yet hit rock bottom. He is faltering and needs assistance to prevent him from falling into the abyss of abject poverty. We are admonished…

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Home -> Behar -> 5776

וכי ימוך אחיך...וחי אחיך עמך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Behar

If your brother becomes impoverished … and let your brother live with you. (25:35, 36)

It is our responsibility to see to it that our brother does not descend to the level of poverty such that he will have great difficulty sustaining himself. We must attempt to help him before he becomes poor, so that, with help from his brother, he can maintain his independence and raise himself up to his prior status. Lending him money or investing in his business is among the highest and noblest forms of charity, since the beneficiary is not made to feel like a charity case. The Torah admonishes us not to lend money for interest. This is not…

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Home -> Behar -> 5776

כי עבדי הם אשר הוצאתי אתם מארץ מצרים לא ימכרו ממכרת עבד

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Behar

For they are my servants, whom I have taken out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold in the manner of a slave. (25:42)

The Talmud Yevamos 46a teaches, “You may purchase from them, but they may not purchase from you.” In other words, a Jew may not sell himself as a slave to a gentile. The Brisker Rav, zl, comments that this is the underlying directive of the above pasuk. The Jewish people are excluded from the laws of slavery. They do not apply to us, because we may no longer become slaves. We were taken out of Egypt, from servitude to freedom. We have parted ways with slavery – we serve Hashem as our only Master. There is an emotional aspect to…

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Home -> Behar -> 5775

ולא תונו איש את עמיתו ויראת מאלקיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5775, Behar

Each of you shall not aggrieve his fellow, and you shall fear your G-d. (25:17)

Hurting another Jew is an egregious sin. What makes it most serious is the fact that one does not always observe the damage that he has wrought. Embarrassing someone, reminding him of an inappropriate episode in his life, can cause grave emotional trauma, which is concealed beneath the surface of the man’s demeanor. It hurts no less; since it is covert, the pain may be even greater. Talking about something that bothers a person is in itself a form of therapy. Onaah, aggrieving, applies to cheating in commerce, while onaas devarim refers to aggrieving with words, such as reminding people…

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