Parashat BeHar-BeChukotai, Leviticus 25:1-27:34

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May the shmitah year deepen and strengthen our connection to the earth, to the land of Israel and to the world.

Study with Baruch Sienna

This week we conclude the book of Vayikra by reading the combined short parashiyot of Behar and Bechukotai. This week contains the  famous verse "Proclaim liberty (dror) throughout the land..." (Lev. 25:10) inscribed on the 'Liberty Bell.'  (It was, in fact, the abolitionists who gave it the name "Liberty Bell," who understood the context of the verse to be that all slaves would be freed every 50 years. It was previously called simply the "State House bell.") The original verse however is not talking about the civil rights or national autonomy that was perhaps in the minds of the American signers of the American Declaration of Independence.

In the portion Behar, the sabbatical and jubilee years are described, and in Bechukotai, the final chapters of Leviticus, the consequences of following God's laws (or not) are read. The longer curses (called tochecha) are traditionally read very quickly and in an undertone, with the Torah reader only raising their voice for the 'good parts' like verse 26:42, "Then will I remember My covenant with Jacob...". Since no one wants the 'honour' of being called to the Torah for this aliyah, it is often given to the rabbi.

If this week's portion was a Sesame Street episode, it would begin, "This week is being brought to you by the number "7" and the concept "Shabbat." In verse 26:18 God promises to discipline the Israelites 'sevenfold' for their sins and the Rabbis then find the seven steps (one leading to the next- from not studying Torah and doing the Mitzvot all the way to denying God and God's covenant) hinted in the Torah text (Lev. 26:14-5). Rashi furher enumerates seven punishments (on Lev. 26:31) found in the preceding verses to parallel these seven sins.

Seven is a key number in Judaism, and this week we are in the middle of three cycles of seven: the regular seven day weekly cycle, the seven weeks of counting between Pesach and Shavuot, and this week's portion that talks about the largest cycle: the seven year cycle ending with the Sabbatical year, and the sevenfold cycle of 49 years that concludes with the jubilee year. 

There are actually two sabbatical years described in the Torah. In our portion, the focus is on the agricultural (environmental) application. The land is to lie fallow, a Shabbat for the land. In Deuteronomy, the seventh year is called 'shmitah', and all outstanding debts are cancelled. The Torah connects how we treat the land to our relationship with the poor. Just as the weekly Shabbat restores our spirit, the sabbatical and jubilee years were to help society as a whole redefine itself in non-economic terms. Although there is historical evidence that some of the agricultural restrictions were observed, the Rabbis understood that the financial hardships of the sabbatical and jubilee years were not practical, and various legal loopholes (such as the prosbul of Hillel and fictitiously selling the land to non-Jews) virtually abrogated the restrictions of the shmitah year. The jubilee year, (where land was to revert to its original owners, and Hebrew slaves receive their liberty) perhaps reflects a utopian vision that was likely an expression of a social ideal, and was not ever practiced.

This week, we are also in the middle of the period of counting-- called 'sefirat ha'omer' between Passover and Shavuot. The structure of the seven weeks of counting of the Omer, 7x7=49 days plus Shavuot-- the fiftieth day. (hence the English name of Pentecost for Shavuot, literally 'weeks' in Hebrew) parallels the seven times seven years plus the 50th Yovel (Jubilee) year. Shavuot is a renewal of the covenant between God and the Jewish people, like the Jubilee year was a renewal of contracts. The significance of the restrictions during the period of counting the 'omer' is not clear; today, the most common explanation is that it is a period of semi-mourning. However, the original restrictions seem to be more related to sabbatical time, with no agricultural work allowed. This would explain the verses of 'peah' and 'leket' (agricultural commandments leaving produce for the poor and symbolic of shmitah) in the list of holidays in last week's portion of Emor.

The word 'sefirah' (counting) also has another meaning (and connection to seven). In the Kabbalistic sphere, God's emanations were described with ten attributes, and the first three, Chochmah, Binah and Daat (different kinds of wisdom) are solely in the divine realm. The remaining seven emanations, also called sefirot, serve as a map of attributes that we can manifest in our lives. Naturally, there is a tradition that links these seven kabbalistic 'sefirot' with each week of counting the omer. Janet Berenson-Perkins, on a new British Jewish environmental website, The Big Green Jewish Website, has prepared a Lag Ba'omer (33rd day of the Omer) family activity, that imaginatively links each of the Sefirot with a way to connect to the environment. Although Lag Ba'Omer has passed, and the activity is designed for a formal Jewish education setting, it served as the inspiration for this list of seven.

In honour of this week, here are seven ways to save the planet

1. Make a list of your water usage and decide how you could reduce your use.

2. Turn off unnecessary lights and appliances and replace them with energy saving ones.

3. Go for a walk in nature; read Psalm 104.

4. Plant some seeds, design a garden, or plant a tree.

5. Reduce the amount of garbage you produce by composting, recycling and purchasing less.

6. Avoid using your car. Cycle, walk, or use public transit.

7. Eat healthy, locally grown food.

 

(If you're ambitious, here are 50 ways to save the planet!)

For many Jews today, the sabbatical year has little application or relevance to their daily lives. The restrictions only apply to the produce grown in the land of Israel, and even most religious Jews follow Rav Kook's heter (halachic dispensation) that allows for continuing to work the land (like selling our chametz before Pesach). In Israel, in a shmitah year (next year: 5768) fruits and vegetables are marked 'kosher' by being grown either hydroponically, on land not owned by Jews, in containers, etc.

Although these sabbatical laws only apply to the land of Israel, our portion begins, "God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai..." prompting the famous question of Rashi, "What do the shmitah laws have to do with Sinai?" which has the force of "What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?" Evan Eisenberg in Ecology of Eden suggests an answer: the mountain is a symbol of Eden. It is a place of wilderness, and according to the Genesis account, we cannot live there. But we need the four rivers that flow out of Eden for our continued existence and that provide for the nourishment of our human civilization. We dam that flow at our peril.

Instead of a sabbatical year, can we make a commitment to detach ourselves from the rush of technology once a week? Can we go for a walk (even in a city park) during our lunch? Can we set aside some areas of our cities for preservation of pristine green spaces? At its heart, this week's portion has  a socio-economic and an environmental message: we have an obligation to social justice and to narrowing (eliminating?) the gap between rich and poor (individuals? nations?) and the earth does not belong us, but to God. Just like Shabbat is an opportunity for spiritual enrichment, may the shmitah year deepen and strengthen our connection to the earth, to the land of Israel and to the world.

Shabbat Shalom

BDS