This week’s parsha (weekly torah portion) is yet another double parsha, and it is a strange one. Nevertheless, it is one I like because it also gives us some hope and gives us some answers; it is a parsha for everybody. The beginning of the parsha is what I would show to anyone who thinks that the Torah is not pro-environment, for it talks about resting the land and it talks about human rights and welfare. For the people concerned about the conflict in Israel, it talks about how Jews can live safely and securely on the land. And for those of you with a theological bent, it shows us how haShem (god) is merciful and why he made the world in 7 days instead of one instant (I know, it is about time this was explained :).
First let us look at the environmental link. The parsha immediately starts off talking about land, and the first thing haShem wants us to know is every 7 years, is a shabbat year for the land. We are not allowed to work the land for a whole year. We can not sow it, harvest it, or prune it. And whatever grows on the land is free for whoever, or whatever wants it. Then, in the 50th year (the jubilee year), which is also a shabbat for the land (yes, the land gets 2 years in a row every 50 years), any land that was sold reverts back to its original owner. Let me rephrase that: The land goes back to the person that haShem is allowing to steward the land. I say it this way because in chapter 25, verse 23 (we are in the book of Leviticus, btw), haShem says “you cannot sell the land permanently because it is my land and you are only strangers and residents on it.” So, what you are really doing is leasing that land for up to 50 years at a time. Can you imagine how different the landscape in say New York would be if a “buyer” had to return the land after 50 years? Now too, we can understand why every 7 and 50 years anyone is allowed to take the produce; the land only belongs to haShem and that is his rule. Again, we are just stewards, not owners.
So what does the parsha have to say about human rights and welfare? Let’s look at it in the order the Torah talks about it. Starting on verse 35 of chapter 25, it talks about what to do when you “brother” is having trouble making ends meet. It says that you help him out, even if he is a resident or a stranger. You share your food and money, and you don’t charge him interest. And why do you do this? Because once you were slaves. The Torah continues with the case of a person who is not in need of just an interest-free loan, but has no choice except to sell himself into slavery. What then? Well, first off, the Torah specifies that he is not to be treated like a traditional slave. He is really a hired worker. You cannot oppress him and give him hard labor. And he goes free in the jubilee year. So really what you are doing is buying his services as a hired hand for so many years in exchange for paying for his debt and providing him with food and shelter. But there is something else going on here. A couple of years ago, Rabbi Olafsky taught that the idea here is that a person who has to sell himself into slavery has not learned how to take care of himself. So, the person who “buys” him is also taking on the role of teacher to help him learn how to live in a sustainable way, for the time he goes free is also the time he gets his property back and he will need to know how not to lose it again.
Now, let us look at the current conflict in Israel from the Israeli perspective. All Israel wants is security. This is all it has ever wanted. Well the beginning of the second of the two parshas tells us how to have security. HaShem tells us if we walk in his ways, the rains will come at the proper time, and the food will be plentiful, we will eat and be satisfied and live securely on the land. It then continues saying that haShem will give peace in the land, and we will be able to lie down without fear for the wild animals will stay away and the sword will not cross into the land. Now if we assume that the sword is symbolic of war, we have in black and white the solution to the conflict. I realize this is not what people who think violence is the only way to fight violence wants to hear, but my purpose in writing this is not to say what is popular, but to share what insights I see the Torah providing on how to live today. And given that nothing else has worked over the last 50+ years, why not give the Torah’s way a try? After all, belief in it is why we want to be on this land in the first place.
So what in particular should we be doing? Well in the first parsha, right after it talks about resting the land, it says not to hurt people and to be in respect/fear/awe of god. It says immediately after that, “If you follow my rules, you will reside securely on the land and the land will give its fruit and you will eat and be satisfied and live securely on the land.” So, it seems pretty clear to me that in particular, haShem wants us to understand we are stewards of the land and we need to rest it every 7 and 50 years, that we need to treat each other well, and that we need to have a healthy respect/fear/awe (in Hebrew there are two words for fear. The word used here, and always from what I have seen when referring to the fear of god, has the same root as the word awe) of god. If we do these things, then haShem has promised us that we will live securely on the land. And the beauty of this approach is that it depends on the one thing we have control over: ourselves!
Ok, enough of the practical, let’s get to something lighter: why did haShem not make the world instantly, why over several days? Let me ask a second question: In the second parsha, it goes thru several rounds of: “if you go against god’s ways, these are the punishments, each progressively worse.” Why have these stages? Why does haShem not just hit us hard one time and be done with it – heavy deterrent action? HaShem made the world in stages to show his mercy. He was giving the world a chance to show what it could do. And likewise here, haShem is giving us a chance to show what we can do. Again I am going to share what I learned from Rabbi Olafsky on this. HaShem gave us free will, and what that means is that we have the opportunity to go against haShem. Now haShem could take us down the first time we screw up, but she is merciful. When we mess up, she will let us know by slapping our hands. Now we have the chance of changing our ways and turning back to haShem (tshuvah in Hebrew, repentance in English). If we don’t, haShem will hit us a little harder to try and wake us up. I remember my father using this method to get me out of bed in the morning. He would shake the bed, then me, and eventually he would grab my foot and give me a yank. At the moment I wasn’t a happy camper, but if I had awoken with the gentle shake, all would have been good.
Now why are these threats here? Because we started talking about the land and the land is holy. If we want to live on the land, we have to follow the rules or we can’t stay. If we do follow the rules we will live there with abundance and with security. And haShem wants us on the land. So when we start to go against the rules, he is going to let us know. Gently at first. If we get it, all is forgiven and we start with a clean slate. But if we don’t get it, she will try again a little harder, and a little harder, until we are no longer on the land. However, at any time, if we “wake up” and return to his rules for us to be on the land, then all is forgiven and we start with a clean slate. (Btw, when I use the word “land” in this paragraph, I am referring to The Holy Land – Israel).
Have a good week everybody/Shavuah tov.
About the Author
Shmuel Shalom Cohen spent 10 years studying Torah in Jerusalem. Six years ago, he started Conscious Torah to help Jews connect to their tradition in ways they didn’t think possible. Shmuel also started, and is the executive directory of Jewish Events Willamette-valley, a non-profit whose mission is to build Jewish community, pride, and learning. In his free time, Shmuel likes walks in nature, playing music, writing poetry, and time with good friends.