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Home -> Behar -> 5757

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5757, Behar

You shall not subjugate him through hard labor – you shall fear your G-d. (25:43)

The Torah admonishes us not to take undue advantage of the eved Ivri, Hebrew slave. He is reprehensible to demand that he perform difficult tasks that have no purpose other than destroying his self-respect. Rashi cites two such instances that do nothing more than destroy the slave’s body and spirit: ordering him to boil water when there is no need for it; ordering him to keep digging around a tree for a long period of time for no apparent purpose. The Rambam says that it is prohibited to require the slave to work just to keep him busy. While the…

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Home -> Behar -> 5757

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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Home -> Behar -> 5757

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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Home -> Behar -> 5757

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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Home -> Behar -> 5757

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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