Monday, May 16, 2011

Behar 5771

This week's parsha begins with the mitzvah of shemittah (the Sabbatical year), which commands that every seventh year in Israel, the land must be left uncultivated. "When you come to the Land that I am giving you, the Land should rest a Sabbath to G-d. You may sow your field for six years, and for six years you may prune your vineyard and gather its produce, but in the seventh year, the Land should have a complete rest, a Sabbath to G-d."

The parsha gets its name, Behar, which means "on the mountain," from its opening. "G-d spoke to Moshe at Mount Sinai." This is puzzling. We know that G-d gave all of the commandments at Mount Sinai. Why does the verse emphasize that the mitzvah of shemittah is given at Mount Sinai?

The laws of shemittah are an excellent way to prove that no human being could have written the Torah, or invented the laws of Judaism. Only G-d could have done this, from Mount Sinai. Shemittah sounds illogical and impractical. The seventh year, we cannot till the ground, plant for the following year or harvest what has already grown. Essentially, this means that what we harvest the sixth year must last for three years (the sixth, the seventh, and the eighth, since we do not work the land in the seventh.)

It seems that G-d anticipates our concern, our natural tendency to worry. "When you will say, 'what will we eat in the seventh year, if we will not sow, and we will not gather our produce from the crops which grow on their own?' I will direct My blessing to you in the sixth year and it will yield produce [sufficient] for three years." G-d tells us, "Do not worry. Trust Me. If you are patient and trust Me, I will sustain you."

It is a great test to maintain trust in G-d. We must trust that all obstacles will disappear in due time – if we believe in G-d and that He is in control. We must consciously decide to release ourselves from the pressures of our natural tendency to worry. The great Chassidic master, the Baal Shem Tov, says that fear creates walls around us that bar the light from shining through. We must consciously banish the fear and open ourselves to trust.

As parents, it is natural to worry about our children, no matter how old they are. Knowing this, Jewish law urges us to take precautions: for example, the Talmud (Kiddushin 29a) obligates us to teach our children to swim; Torah in Parashat Ki Tetze requires us to fence our rooftops. Modern law insists upon seatbelts and recommends helmets. But after all is said and done, and we have provided all we can for our children's welfare, we should not waste time and energy worrying about what may happen to our children. We only plant the seeds and nurture the plants; the rest is up to G-d.

No comments:

Post a Comment