Behar – Page 8 – Peninim on the Torah

“If you will say, what will we eat in the seventh year?… I will ordain My blessing for you in the sixth year.”(25:20-21)

If one were to go to a great tzaddik and receive a blessing for success and Divine assistance in all of his endeavors, it would be incredible! Who would not do anything to receive such a guarantee? As Horav Uri Kelerman, z.l., was wont to say, the opportunity is there for all of us – all of the time. Indeed, we recite the pasuk daily: “Baruch ha’gever asher yivtach b’Hashem, v’hayah Hashem mivtacho”, “Blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem and Hashem is his source of trust.” The pasuk clearly states that one who has bitachon is blessed. What…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5759, Behar

And in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath to be celebrated by the cessation of work for the land a sabbath unto G-d… and you shall sanctify the fiftieth year… a Yovel it is for you. (25:4,10)

Shabbos and Shemitah have a common denominator – they are both spiritual entities. Shabbos implies the unbreakable bond that thrives between Hashem and Klal Yisrael. This bond is manifest in a cessation from one’s secular affairs, as an opportunity and mandate to devote his time to Torah study and spiritual reflection. The Torah emphasizes that the seventh year is a period of time, an entire year, which one is to dedicate as a “Shabbos l’Hashem.” The individual is to infuse himself with spirituality during his refrain from agricultural labor. Yovel, which derives its name from the blowing of the shofar…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5759, Behar

For unto Me are the Bnei Yisrael servants, they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. (26:55)

At the conclusion of the laws dealing with personal freedom, the Torah states the reason that our freedom is not for sale: We were redeemed from Egypt by Hashem. We belong to Him – a fact that takes precedence over and precludes our belonging to anyone else. Every fiber of our being, every fraction of our strength and powers, belongs to the Almighty. The principle of a Jew’s unalienable freedom is nurtured by Jewish law, to the point that not even the normal contract of a daily worker is considered binding. It can be revoked by the po’el, worker, at…

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Moshe Marcovich In 5758, Behar

If you will say, “what will we eat in the seventh year…….” I will ordain My blessing. (25:20,21)

We note that Hashem promises His blessing only after Bnei Yisrael will ask the question, “What will we eat?” This is an unrealistic approach. Why would Hashem not ordain His blessing regardless of whether or not the people were anxious about their sustenance? Do those who observe his mitzvos without question deserve to go hungry? Horav Moshe Feinstein, zl, offers a practical answer. If Bnei Yisrael had not asked this question, Hashem would have granted an even greater miracle. Indeed, He would have ordained that the initial output of the sixth year would suffice for three years. Since…

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Moshe Marcovich In 5758, Behar

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

Rashi says, do not wait until he has fallen and must be picked up. It is difficult to raise up someone who is down — completely. Rather, one should support him, trying to catch him when he is faltering. Give him sustenance; lend him a helping hand, give him the courage to continue. Horav E. M. Shach, Shlita, comments that chesed, kindness, begins with understanding and forethought. We should look around and study the plight of those around us, and with an intelligent eye try to see what it is our friend needs and how we can be of assistance. …

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Moshe Marcovich In 5758, Behar

If your brother becomes impoverished……you shall strengthen him…..Do not take from him interest and increase…….and let your brother live with you. (25:35,36)

The prohibition against paying or receiving interest is beyond comprehension. Why should it be forbidden? If it is normal for one to make use of his tools, his animals and his home, why can he not make use of his money? Logically speaking, “renting out” money should be no different than renting out a house. Moreover, interest should be the logical payment to one who has lent his own money to someone who was unable to use his money. Also, if interest is forbidden, why is it permissible to receive interest from a non-Jew? If it is wrong, it is…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5757, Behar

I will command My blessing for you in the sixth year and it will yield a crop sufficient for the three-year period. (25:21)

This pasuk implies that the blessing will be apparent during the sixth year. Sforno comments that the blessing of prosperity prior to the Shmittah year will be to such an extent that it will ease even the mind of the skeptic. The Yalkut Shemoni cites the pasuk in Tehillim 103:20 which states, “Bless Hashem, O His Angels, the strong warriors who do His bidding, to obey the Voice of His Word.” Rabbi Yitzchak Nafcha says that the words “angels and strong warriors” refer to those who observe Shmittah. The individual sees his fields and vineyards lie fallow, and he accepts…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5757, Behar

If your brother becomes impoverished andhis means falter in your proximity, you shall strengthen him… so that he can live with you. (25:35)

The words “u,t” and “ung” are usually translated as “with you.” While most translators attribute these two distinct words the same meaning, there is a difference between the two. If we were to say that someone took along a certain object and placed it in his suitcase, we would say that he took it “u,t” – with him. The object, while it is with him, is not part of the individual; he just carries it along. If however, we wanted to say that an individual took something along in his mind, he remembered something, we would say “ung”. It becomes…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5757, Behar

And if your brother becomes poor, and his means fail with you, then you shall uphold him. (25:35)

One would think that he who helps sustain the poor is to be commended. In fact he is. The poor man who is the object of his beneficence should also be commended for availing the benefactor an opportunity to give. Yet, Chazal say, “Greater is what the baal habayis does for the ani, than is what the ani does for the baal habayis.” What does this mean? Horav Eliyahu Meir Bloch, zl, explains that when we examine closely the middah of chesed of Avraham Avinu, the pillar of kindness, we note a concept of chesed that is not congruent…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5757, Behar

Do not take from him interest and increase; and you shall fear your G-d. (25:36)

The Navi Yecheskel says (18:13) “(If he) Gives (loans) with usury and takes interest should he live? He shall not live!” Regarding this pasuk the Midrash comments, “The Almighty says, “He who has lived/sustained himself with usury in this world, will not live in the World to Come.” Simply, the individual who does not have the sensitivity and human decency to provide his fellow man with a loan without squeezing interest from him will not merit the Olam Habah reserved for every Jew. There is a famous incident that occurred with Rav Akiva Eiger, zl, which underscores this statement. In…

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“If you will say, what will we eat in the seventh year?… I will ordain My blessing for you in the sixth year.”(25:20-21)

And in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath to be celebrated by the cessation of work for the land a sabbath unto G-d… and you shall sanctify the fiftieth year… a Yovel it is for you. (25:4,10)

For unto Me are the Bnei Yisrael servants, they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. (26:55)

If you will say, “what will we eat in the seventh year…….” I will ordain My blessing. (25:20,21)

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

If your brother becomes impoverished……you shall strengthen him…..Do not take from him interest and increase…….and let your brother live with you. (25:35,36)

I will command My blessing for you in the sixth year and it will yield a crop sufficient for the three-year period. (25:21)

If your brother becomes impoverished andhis means falter in your proximity, you shall strengthen him… so that he can live with you. (25:35)

And if your brother becomes poor, and his means fail with you, then you shall uphold him. (25:35)

Do not take from him interest and increase; and you shall fear your G-d. (25:36)

YEARS

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