Elana Jacksonis a friend of Torah MiTzion and currently Head Nurse at Shikla (Shakla) Association, Jerusalem.
The famous question on the beginning of Parshat Behar is of course why are the commandments of Shmita (the sabbatical year) and Yoval (the Jubilee year) connected by the verse to Har Sinai when they are only written at the end of the book of Vayikra! I think the answer to this question stems from the importance of these mitzvoth in our covenant with G-d which was first accepted at the giving of the Torah.
By the Yovel year the Torah states that “you shall proclaim release (dror) throughout the land for all its inhabitants (vayikra 25:10).” The Ramban explains that in this year all are free to live where they want, as slaves are freed to their families and land is returned to its original owners. This concept of having the opportunity for a fresh start once every fifty years is so important that Jeremiah (34:17-20) criticizes his generation for ignoring this commandment. Their punishment will be to be “released” from their land into exile, quid pro quo.
The Malbim furthers this idea- once man has broken his covenant with G-d then he is no longer a servant of God and thus is subject to fate, which leads to being conquered by a more powerful enemy. The verses in Jeremiah show that these commandments are an essential part of the Jewish people’s covenant with God.
Rabbi Yishmael also makes the connection between these commandments and the covenant. In the Mechilta of Rabbi Yishmael, it is debated what is part of the “sefer habrit”, the book of the covenant which is read to the people at Har Sinai, after which the people responded “all that the Torah has spoken we will do and we will listen (Shmot 24:7).” According to Rabbi Yishmael, the double Parshiyot of Behar and Bechukotai, which contain the commandments of the sabbatical year, the Jubilee year and the blessings and curses, needed to be accepted by the people as a precursor for hearing the rest of the commandments.
This is why the renewal of the covenant every 7 years in a great assembly (Hakhel) is done after the shmita year. After a year of remembering that the land is holy, that God is the true owner of the land, and having the time to learn Torah, then the people will surely accept the covenant with joy (Malbim Dvarim 31:10).
The shmita year reminds the Jewish people that they are slaves of G-d, and therefore everything they own should be used to serve Him, whether land or people. This message is the essence of the commandments and the covenant that started with the Jewish people at Har Sinai. It is not easy, but even without owning land we should all try to see our possessions as a gift from God and use them to help others.
Here in Israel, especially since the war has started, there has been so much giving, helping, and sharing with the families of the fallen, with the families of soldiers on duty, and with farmers struggling to work the land with limited manpower . Monetary contributions and volunteers have likewise come from all over the world! May the merit of these good deeds bring a release of all hostages and an end to the war!
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