LEVITICUS XXV:1-XXVI:2

THE SANCTIFICATION OF GOD AND PEOPLE

According to Harav Yosef Dov HaLevi Soloveitchik, the Torahwas delivered at Har Sinai with Kolot uverakim, “thunder and lightning”, so that Humanity would know that the Jewish people deserved Divine attention and, in this way, kavod, honor, was returned to the people who were gradually losing the appreciation of Humanity. While Avraham gained the respect of many, this sentiment diminished in the case of Isaac and even more so with Yaakov and his sons, who ended up under the yoke of Egyptian slavery. 

The Divine revelation at Sinai was intended to restore to the Hebrews the esteem of the nations. It was heard in the world at that time that God had chosen the Jewish people. A kind of Kiddush HaAm, “the sanctification of the nation.” In previous chapters we had read about Kiddush HaShem, the obligation to sanctify the Name of God, and the prohibition Velo techalelu et Shem Kodshi, “and do not go to profane My Sacred Name”, a fact that obliges you to offer your life in certain fundamental cases, such as incest, murder and idolatry. That is, the Jew must choose death and not transgress any of the three imperatives mentioned.

However, the Talmud questions that if a person disregards the imperative Yehareg ve’al ya’avor, “to choose death and not to violate the law,” in the case of idolatry for fear of being sentenced to death, can he be considered to have violated the prohibition of serving an idol? The answer should be obvious: in the case of idolatry, the person must choose death. The fact that the Talmud poses the question suggests, according to Soloveitchik, that the problem lies not so much in the idolatrous act as in the public, transcendent effect of the action.

In the course of history, when Jews were forced to publicly renounce their faith, even when it was not a question of violating one of the three previous statements, the obligation was not to succumb, even to offer one’s life, if necessary. According to Maimonides, Hananya, Mishael, and Azariahchose to throw themselves into the flames of a furnace rather than prostrate themselves before Nevuchadnetsar. By this act of bravery, which consisted of refusing to bow down to the wicked king, they were proclaiming the Kiddush HaShem, the Sanctification of God’s Name.

During the tragic period of the Holocaust, many cases of Kiddush HaShem occurred  that did not correspond to incest, idolatry, or murder. There is the case of a group of young people who chose suicide so as not to be turned into a kind of harem for the carnal pleasure of Nazi officers. Those same executioners who mocked their victims by questioning where their God was to defend them, had to face the courage and ardor of those who preferred death to indignity and immorality.

Although there are precise rules with reference to the Kiddush HaShem, this imperative also depends on the specific situation, for example, when a public renunciation of the faith is demanded, as happened during the autos-da-fe practiced in the various religious persecutions, especially during the period of the Inquisition. 

For centuries there was the Chilul HaAm, the contempt for the people and the irreverence for their nature. The maximum expression of this nihilism occurred during the Nazi period, when an attempt was made to dehumanize the Jew, tattooing him with a number to identify him, ignoring his right to a name that qualified him as a human person.

The establishment of Medinat Yisrael can be framed under the concept of Kiddush HaAm, the return of honor, the sanctification of the Name of the people of Israel. For this and many other reasons, the State of Israel is at the same time an ideal and a reality that belongs to the entire Jewish people, even to those who do not reside within its geographical boundaries.

MITZVAH: ORDINANCE OF THE TORAH IN THIS PARSHA

CONTAINS 7  POSITIVE MITSVOT AND 17 PROHIBITIONS

326. Leviticus 25:4 Do not work the land during the Sabbath year

327. Leviticus 25:4 Do no work with trees in the Sabbath year

328. Leviticus 25:5 Do not reap what grows spontaneously in the Sabbath year

329. Leviticus 25:5 Do not gather the fruit of the tree in the Sabbath year as it is harvested every year

330. Leviticus 25:8 Count 7 cycles of 7 years

331. Leviticus 25:9, 10 To ‘sound’ the Shofar on Yom Kippur in the Jubilee Year (on Rosh Hashanah the obligation is to ‘hear’ the sound of the Shofar)

332. Leviticus 25:9, 10 Sanctify the Jubilee Year

333. Leviticus 25:11 Do not work the land in the Jubilee year

334. Leviticus 25:5 Do not reap what grows spontaneously in the Jubilee year

335. Leviticus 25:11 Do not gather the fruit of the trees in the Jubilee year as it is harvested every year

336. Leviticus 25:14 Doing justice between seller and buyer

337. Leviticus 25:14 Do not cheat in buying and selling

338. Leviticus 25:17 Do not verbally oppress a Jew

339. Leviticus 25:23 Do not sell land in the Land of Israel permanently

340. Leviticus 25:24 Return the lands in the Land of Israel to their original owners in the Jubilee year

341. Leviticus 25:29 Redeem inherited property in a city in the year (of its sale)

342. Leviticus 25:34 Do not disturb the empty land around the cities or fields of the Levites

343. Leviticus 25:37 Do not charge interest when lending to a Jew

344. Leviticus 25:39 Do not force a Hebrew slave to do degrading work like a Canaanite slave

345. Leviticus 25:42 Do not sell a Hebrew slave at auction

346. Leviticus 25:43 Do not force a Hebrew slave to do forced labor

347. Leviticus 25:43 To keep permanently a Canaanite slave

348. Leviticus 25:53 Do not allow a Hebrew slave to be forced to work extremely hard by his non-Jewish owner

349. Leviticus 26:1 Do not fall on a stone that is engraved or carved, even in the worship of God

BECHUKOTAI

LEVITICUS XXVI:3-XXVII:34

CONSEQUENCES OF COMPLIANCE AND CONTEMPT

The conclusion of one of the books of the Torah constitutes a singular event. Generally, the rabbi of the synagogue is invited to read that text and, before reciting the last verse, the congregation stands to listen to the concluding words of the book. A sign that it is a time for reflection on the content of the Torah, which begins with Bereshit, the Genesis of the universe, although it is not a book of history.

Apparently, all the accounts of the Torah have a sobering purpose, they point out what the person’s behavior should be. Moreover, the Divine revelation at Mount Sinai is the epicenter, the raison d’être of the sacred text. The life of the patriarchs and Egyptian slavery constitute the necessary preparations: the development of the seventy souls who descended into Egypt and then multiplied to reach a number greater than 3,000,000 including men, women, the elderly and children.

But two events occurred that changed the course of history and the destiny of the Hebrew people. Just a few days after the revelation at Mount Sinai, the people built the Egel Hazahav, the golden calf, an effigy that represents a cult directly opposed to the ethical principles that were heard at Sinai.

The second event occurred on the border of the Promised Land. After sending 12 emissaries to explore the land, the people concluded that they are not prepared for conquest. In both cases they demonstrate a serious lack of faith in Divine Providence. These events demonstrate that the people had not internalized the fundamental message, the Brit, the covenant between God and the Hebrew people. This covenant had to be manifested through the obedience that the people owe to God via the fulfillment of the different Mitsvot, so that simultaneously, God protects the people He chose to bring the message of monotheism to Humanity.

The warning contained in these chapters is clear. The fulfillment of the Mitsvah, the Word of God leads to a successful and fulfilling life, both on the personal and national level. Even the earth reflects human behavior. The abundance of rain is the result of obedience to God’s Word and drought is the consequence of disobedience.

According to Harav Samson Raphael Hirsch, the fulfillment of the Mitsvot presupposes the study of the Torah. “Lo am ha’aretschasid,” “the ignorant cannot be pious,” the Talmud states. In other words, study is indispensable to know what the Torahexpects of the individual, what the appropriate behavior is.Hirsch argues that when a person stops studying, he fails to comply with the Mitsvah, he progressively develops a series of conjectures, rationalizations for a different behavior, different from what the Torah expects.

Moreover, that person begins to look down on those who comply with the dictates of tradition, all in a process of justifying their own actions. “Mitsvah goreret Mitsvah and Averah goreret Averah“, “by fulfilling the Mitsvá we promote the possibility of another Mitsvah, while non-compliance promotes another disobedience”, according to the Talmud. That is why the biblical text warns that disobedience of God’s Word can have very serious consequences, far beyond what the first act indicated. As an alternate attitude, the fulfillment of the Mitsvah is encouraging, because each good deed promotes another similar action, all because of the study of the ordinances contained in the Torah.

MITSVA: TORAH ORDINANCE IN THIS PARSHA

CONTAINS 7 POSITIVE MITSVOT AND 5 PROHIBITIONS

1.​Leviticus 27:2 – Whoever promises to donate the estimated value of a man must give the value written in the Torah.

2.​Leviticus 27:10 Do not substitute consecrated animals as sacred offerings.

3.​Leviticus 27:10 If a consecrated animal is replaced by another animal, both are consecrated.

4.​Leviticus 27:11, 12 Whoever promises the value of an animal must give the value that the Kohen assigns.

5.​Leviticus 27:14 – Whoever promises the value of a house must give the value that the Kohen assigns plus an additional fifth.

6.​Leviticus 27:16 Whoever promises the value of a field must give the value that the Torah assigns.

7.​Leviticus 27:26 Do not substitute consecrated animals of one kind for another

8.​Leviticus 27:28 If one promises by way of Cherem to part of his property, it will be given to the Kohanim.

9.​Leviticus 27:28 Land under Cherem is not to be sold, it will be given to the Kohanim.

10.Leviticus 27:28 Land under Cherem is not to be redeemed.

11.Leviticus 27:32 The tithe of kosher animals is to be given annually.

12.Leviticus 27:33 The tithe of animals is not to be sold; it is to be consumed in Jerusalem.