This week's 10-Minute Torah (May 21, 2022): "Parashat Behar" 5782
- Rabbi Stephen Epstein
- May 12, 2022
- 2 min read
Parashat Behar 5782 / פָּרָשַׁת בְּהַר
21 May 2022 / 20 Iyyar 5782 (Diaspora)
Parashat Behar is the 32nd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.
Torah Portion: Leviticus 25:1-26:2 https://tikkun.io/#/r/3-25-1
Behar (“On The Mountain”) details the laws of the sabbatical year (Shemita), when working the land is prohibited and debts are forgiven. It also sets out laws of indentured servitude and of the Jubilee year (Yovel), when property reverts to its original ownership.
Triennial year 3
1: 25:29-34 · 6 p’sukim ·
2: 25:35-38 · 4 p’sukim ·
3: 25:39-43 · 5 p’sukim ·
4: 25:44-46 · 3 p’sukim ·
5: 25:47-50 · 4 p’sukim ·
6: 25:51-54 · 4 p’sukim ·
7: 25:55-26:2 · 3 p’sukim ·
maf: 25:55-26:2 · 3 p’sukim ·
Haftarah: Jeremiah 32:6-27 · 22 p’sukim
Commentary and Divrei Torah
Probably one of the most important concepts in Judaism is respect. After the presentation of the Ten Commandments, we are told how to treat a slave. Slaves are the most vulnerable people in society and in Judaism they are treated as people and not overworked or abused.
Similarly, we extend this level of respect to a person’s livelihood and land. For whatever reason, some people do not succeed in business like others. Some have situations come up which prevents them from barely providing a sustainable living from their farming or husbandry ventures.
These people may be forced to sell their land or go into debt to support themselves. Some even have to sell themselves to others’ servitude to survive. This, however, does not become a permanent situation.
As we see every year on Yom Kippur, everyone deserves opportunities to do better. As such, in the fiftieth year when the ram’s horn is sounded at the end of Yom Kippur, the Jubilee (yoval means ram’s horn) returns land to it’s ancestral, rightful, owners. Not only does this make sure that families keep their inheritance from Hashem, but it also prevents a class of extremely wealthy people who buy up this land from becoming too powerful.
Should the worst possible scenario happen, that an Israelite has to sell themselves to an alien, their relatives and/or friends need to exhaust any means possible to secure their freedom. This has become the template of Jewish history. We as Jews always have to look out for each other and in dire times, do what we can to save our fellow Jews. It is one of the most important commandments in the Torah.
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