What is holding us back from being the best that we can be?
This parashah Behar is the second to last in the book of Leviticus, Vayikra. So many things have been done to this book by the religious with their banquet of theological ideas. I prefer to develop it as an application for our daily lives. It is extremely important to remember that the Torah is not a chronological, historical, philosophical or theological book. Although it contains all these elements, our Bore Olam, the Creator, gave it to us as a book of principles to live by. For that reason, I emphasize time and again, that each of us is made in His image with the special gift of free will. We are a product of His creation. This short parashah of only one chapter will speak primarily about the land. Our sages tell us that the Torah gives us three things – the Torah, the Land and the Olam Habah, the world to come.
The golden nuggets of Behar are revealed in the two regulations regarding the land of Israel – the Shmittah – שְמִטָּה (the year of complete rest for the land) which can also mean “release or let go” and the Yovel – יוֹבֵל(the year of jubilee) with the idea of “being redeemed”. The land of Israel belongs to the Creator and He gave it to the people of Israel who were and still are only tenants. Their responsibility was to take care of His land. Despite the many people who have been fighting for ownership of that small piece of land, as we hear about every day in the news, the fact is that the land belongs to the Creator. Israel has occupied this land longer than any of the so-called Palestinians. The first Palestinians were Jews but Arafat who, by the way, was an Egyptian took hold of that name in the 60s and called himself a Palestinian. The Arabs there are a mix of Jordanian, Egyptian, Lebanese and Syrian. The land belongs to Israel, and it was given to them by the Creator to supervise it.
Every seventh year the people of Israel had to allow the land to rest; this is called the Shmittah שְמִטָּה. It caused a big problem for the farmers whose income came from the land. The first year they were to prepare themselves in advance for the next two years when they still would be able to take food from the land. They also had to allow everyone including animals to eat freely from what grew. They would sow during the second year and at the end of the third year, they could once again harvest the land. But their fear was how would they survive for three years even after the Bore Olam told them that He would provide enough for them in the sixth year to last for the three coming years.
There is an important principle that the Torah was teaching the Israelites… in whom do we trust – in themselves or the Creator? It’s easy to talk the talk but so few walk the walk. This process demonstrates that we need to be willing to move from faith (emunah) and to act upon that faith to turn it into trust (bitachon). A very important element that the Creator is showing us and Israel is that God is the King, the holder of everything and that He is the One who takes care of His creation. The land is treated like a living being. Certain cultures understand this even calling the land their mother. Everything that He created is imbued with life, even the rocks.
The Shmittah has to do with “release”, letting go ownership of the land and trusting in the Provider. The land was not their property. Have you ever watched a two-year-old child play with his toys? Another child comes along and chooses one of the toys that he wasn’t playing with. Suddenly he drops what he was doing and grabs the toy from the other child saying – it’s mine! How many of us are like that when it comes to what we own?
One of these areas of ownership relates to who we are. We are our most valuable piece of property. Have you thought of how, little by little we are becoming more selfish, more individualistic? This generation believes that they are entitled to receive everything from society while giving very little back. Do they think of what they can provide to society? The Creator is teaching us to let it go, to release ourselves from our egos, and not to hold on tight to what we have because this will only do damage to us.
Next, we read about the Yovel, יוֹבֵל the Jubilee which holds the idea of freedom, of being redeemed. In the fiftieth year, we would not only reclaim ownership of our property, but we would understand that we had to assume responsibility for it.
We all go through difficult times, and we all make mistakes. Are there any among us who never make a mistake? No one needs to tell us that. We know ourselves. But the most important thing is what we do about it. We can bury it and hold onto it for the rest of our lives but we only harm ourselves. When I do counselling, I always tell people to let it go…shmittah. If we hold on to it, we are saying there is no hope for us, that there is no longer an option for a new beginning or to remake ourselves. When we acknowledge what we have done wrong, that’s when redemption comes. That’s the new beginning. This is what the Creator is teaching us. He wants us to learn the practical application of the Torah.
Sadly, the religious factions in Israel have made a mockery of the Shmittah. The owners of the land can sell the land with a deed signed by a rabbi to a Gentile who will own the land and can continue to use the land, but when he sells the produce, part of the income is given to the owner. We can even see a label that says that this is not a fruit from Shmittah land and in that way, they don’t need to deal with what God is asking of them. However, we cannot fool the Creator who knows our intentions and there are always consequences.
The most important issue, however, is that Shmittah and Yovel teach us principles we can learn from, without drowning in the literal regulations given at that time. These involve “release and redeem”.
How many of us feel oppressed? We may say…I am not oppressed. But think again…are we limited by our fears and phobias? We are living in a time when there is a huge increase of mental diseases and many are living in a state of depression or anxiety. We may wonder where they come from, but we have put ourselves in a box and do not know how to be liberated. This changes our perspective.
Are you holding onto something from your past? Ask yourself…What is it? We might be surprised at how many things hold us back, such as “I don’t like change”, or “I don’t want to move out of my comfort zone”, making any possibility of doing something different frightening. We have many capabilities, but we don’t want to take any risks. We don’t want to take the next step. It doesn’t mean that we will be successful, but we don’t even want to try. How many of us refuse to try something new because we don’t think we can do it? How many want others to do things for us?
This idea of release is so important because we need to release ourselves from ourselves. That’s why I ask you…do you know what is holding you back? What are you afraid of? Once we release, we can conquer. Once we can release these deep-rooted fears, the doors open for us to be redeemed.
The Creator gave the land to Israel and told them they could use it for six years but in the seventh, they needed to let it go. Does the land need rest? Some people who are educated in agriculture might say yes because the soil needs to be replenished. But why does all the land need to rest every seven years? Couldn’t the crops simply be rotated?
The Creator told us that He would command a blessing over the land in the sixth year so that it would yield a crop sufficient for three years. He wanted to instill in them the idea of trusting Him. This applies to us today. That is not easy! I am a person who doesn’t even trust in his own shadow but over time and after many experiences, I am learning how great our Creator is, blessed be His Name.
It is a long and difficult process. In my counselling sessions, I ask about people’s upbringing. What were their first memories? Many have mental blocks about their childhood, and some become very emotional and start crying when they remember difficult situations that happened to them. They still hold onto these memories but once they verbalize them, they can release them and begin the process of healing. We hold deep within many things from the past without realizing the damage they are doing to our present.
The Shmittah and the Yovel represent a new beginning. Everything returns to the owner. Practically speaking, we can start again. I have a saying, “Our God is the God of beginning again”! He does not hold us back but wants us to move forward. It is my prayer for this community that we all be released in a way that we can be the best that we can be with all the potential that He has given us. You will see that this is a step toward trust and redemption. It is taking back ownership. May we work on this and know that the Creator spoke to us on Mount Sinai and that He is still speaking to us today.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Netanel ben Yochanan (Ranebi)