Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue
Parashah #32-33 B’har (On Mount) and B’chukkotai (By my regulations)
Vayikra (Leviticus) 25:1-26:2 and 26:3-27:34
Haftarah: (Yirmeyahu) Jerimiah 32:6-27 and 16:19-17:14
B’rit Chadashah: 1 Corinthians 7:21-24 and Yochanan (John) 14:15-
21; 15:10-12; 1 John
These parashot are read together in regular years
Today’s discussion begins with the Shmittah (loosen or detach) which is to be observed every seventh year. Man is given six years to work the land and plant crops. G-d places special emphasis on the fact that Shmittah is to be a complete rest for the land (Lev. 25:5) just as Shabbat is to be a complete rest for man. We are not to harvest what grows by itself from the seeds left from the previous harvest, or grapes that grow from the untended vine. However, what the land produces during the year of Shabbat may be eaten by the one who is managing the land, servants, maids, employees and everyone living nearby. What is the difference between the produce and the grapes and what grows from the seeds left from the previous harvest?
Let’s explore the full context of this command by starting with where it was given. Most of the laws in Leviticus were given in the Tent of Meeting. The reference to untended grapevines teaches us that the owner may not harvest, store or sell the yield, but it may be consumed by his family and others within the community. The land’s rest in the seventh year reminds us that the determining factor in human material success is G-d, not the law of nature or man’s sense of self-worth.
The Sages tell us that true life comes when man stops striving for material gain in favor of dedication to observing G-d’s Torah out of love. By observing Shabbat and Shmittah, we infuse holiness and purpose into our work, no matter our occupation or task. This command provides further support that G-d is the Author of the Torah because G-d guarantees the year before Shmittah he will order His blessing over the land that there will be enough harvest on the sixth year for three years. This blessing is conditional based on keeping G-d’s regulations, rulings, and acting accordingly (Lev. 25:14). No human can make such a reliable or valid prediction.
Lev. 25:23 reminds us that G-d owns the land. Therefore it is never to be sold. This is the basis for the general prohibition against owning land in Israel. We are only temporary residents and foreigners blessed with managing what land G-d may provide. Unfortunately, there are many who choose to override G-d’s law, buying and selling land in Israel today. There are others who farm the land in direct violation of G-d’s Torah, minimizing, rationalizing, and justifying their actions. There is no valid excuse. This practice is directly driven by greed and not trusting G-d. Although the command to observe Shmittah refers directly to the land in Israel, I submit letting the land rest wherever we live is indicated. After all, no land is exempt from resting for a time. We know that the produce of the land is optimal with proper care including cyclic rest. According to http://www.agriculturelore.com, it is important to keep soil fallow for a season or more in order to restore its fertility.
Moving on to Chapter 25:35-55 we learn the specifics of G-d’s benevolence and care for the poor; both members of the community and foreigners living with the people. G-d demands respect for human dignity; not license to do whatever we may feel is acceptable in our own eyes at the moment which is based on the same Hellenistic Democratic paradigm practiced in Rome… before it fell. A no holds barred “liberty” does not mean we are free to dismiss G-d and His commands and replace them with complete lawlessness. Man’s wisdom leads to death and G-d makes this truth very clear in the following passages just to list a few: Isaiah 55:9; Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25. Corinthians 1:19 reads “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” In opposition to the American way that often encourages people to purchase houses or anything else for that matter above and beyond what they can afford, G-d does not promote an ideal that says it is ok to buy now, pay later. No one should be a slave to his or her employer or anyone else.
The crux of the command to observe Shmittah and Shabbat for man, animal, and land is that G-d is sovereign and that he provides for his people if they but repent of any wrongdoing on a perpetual basis and lovingly follow his commands. G-d’s provision in what may seem illogical to us is also verified in the narrative describing G-d’s provision of daily bread (manna) throughout the Israelites sojourn in the desert. When the people gathered just what they needed, they had plenty, even on Shabbat when gathering manna was prohibited. However, when they got greedy and tried to hoard it, G-d destroyed it through the use of worms (Ex. 16:20).
In the context of disobedience to the command for observing Shmittah, the exile in Babylon lasted 70 years, the exact amount of time the Israelites denied the land its Shabbat. G-d made a point to inform us that He rested on the seventh day and designated it as holy (Gen. 2:3). Who are we to think we do not need to observe the same practice, especially when He commands it and He knows it serves as a time out spiritually and physically from our general routine? The Sabbath was made for man (Mark 2:27). Yahshua’s response to the Pharisees when they were accusing Him and his disciples of “harvesting” the corn kernels on the Sabbath which they deemed as “work, taught two important lessons about the concept of Shabbat rest for man, animals, and the land.
First, the Sabbath was meant for the benefit of man, not to burden them with restrictions added by the Pharisees that made observance burdensome. The disciples had not desecrated the Sabbath. They had just violated the Pharisees’ distortion of the intent of Sabbath rest.
Yahshua gave another example in Mark 3:1-6; Matthew 12:9-14; Luke 6:6-11) where He healed a man on the Sabbath. Yahshua posed the question “Which is lawful on the Sabbath; to do good or to do evil; to save a life or to kill?” For someone to forbid acts of kindness and mercy on the Sabbath is contrary to all that YHVH/Yahshua teaches as the correct way to live among fellow men and to relate to G-d.
The second teaching is that Yahshua is the L-rd of the Shabbat. He created the Sabbath and by default he is the One to correctly interpret his own command. Rabbinic Jews elevate their own rules, the Oral Torah, to the level of G-d’s Torah or higher, placing onerous burdens on people, rather than following G-d’s Torah which G-d tells us in Deuteronomy 30:11 that it “is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.” A related scripture is Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
All of the Sabbaths point to a complete rest that only Yahshua can provide. There are to be no mundane activities, no work for man, animals, or the land. Keeping G-d’s Sabbaths rather than whatever day a church or individual decides will be a day of rest is so important to our salvation that G-d reiterates the command numerous times throughout the Old Testament and the B’rit Chadashah (refreshed, renewed Covenant). In fact Parashah #32 that is read in regular years with Parashah #33 ends with “Keep my Shabbats, and revere my sanctuary, I am Adonai.”
Another issue entrenched within Shmittah is the responsibility we have for promoting the welfare of others, including animals and the land. Furthermore, we are implicated in the fate of others to a degree. Those who are blessed by G-d should share any excess with those who are less fortunate. During the Shmittah, recall that the corners of the fields were not to be harvested, but left for those in need. In Judaism, this is a matter of justice and not charity. This is what the concept of tzedakah entails. G-d is our provider, YHVH Yiryeh as first called by Avraham. If we tout ourselves as being his descendants, the hospitality for which Avraham is known should be manifested in us.
On the other hand, we are NOT responsible for the free-will choices others make. Recall that those who wanted to become fellow travelers with the Israelites had to learn the process for sacrifices and make them just as G-d commanded the Israelites. They were to follow the commands of G-d and only then were they allowed to join the nation. Then they were to be treated as a biological Israelite. This process of repentance and atonement/forgiveness and the requirements have not changed other than the sacrificial system using animals. The spiritual commands are the same for repenting and making restitution for a wrong when indicated, but G-d’s commands and his requirements for being integrated into the new priesthood remain unchanged.
Parashah #33 included in regular years with #32 describes G-d’s blessings for living and observing his Torah and curses for choosing to not listen or obey them. This is a perfect tie-in to the last parashah. Deuteronomy 28 is consistent with Lev. 14-46. Again, we are shown that G-d is consistent, never changing as are His commands and laws. One would think that when the commands and regulations were given, there would be no question about listening, internalizing, and acting upon them. Unfortunately, we are reminded that in general, humans are stiff-necked people and do not seem to learn from history. 2000-2001; 2007-2008, and 2021 were Shmittah years. Note the events that took place in America during those two years. In 2001, the Twin Towers were destroyed, the symbol of American materialism. In 2007-8 the widely-watched Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a pre-recession, all-time high on October 9, 2007, closing at 14,164.43. Less than 18 months later, it had fallen more than 50% to 6,594.44 on March 5, 2009. This wasn’t the largest decline in history — during the Great Depression, the stock market took a 90% hit. However, it was more vicious — it took only 18 months, while the fall during the Depression took over three years. While 18 may be interpreted as meaning a new beginning, it also signifies bondage from which new beginnings often occurred. This particular type of bondage is mentioned 18 times in Scripture. Its mention in Exodus 20, the chapter that first eneumerates G-d’s Ten Commandments, is in the context of the first commandment. After the word “bondage/ slavery” G-d commands the children of Israel (true believers) NOT to worship other gods (Exodus 20:2 – 3). Serving other gods places people into spiritual bondage under Satan and his demons, which G-d punishes with physical bondage (see Judges 2:7, 10 – 12, 14) in order for people to reconsider their ways and repent. Could America and other societies that are increasingly rebellious against G-d be headed for the same fate? Time will tell, but if history serves us correctly, and I believe all historical accounts in G-d’s Torah are reliable and valid, the worst is yet to come. This concern is validated by some of the major events in the fall of 2021 to the fall of 2022 which included continuation of the COVID pandemic, the attack on the Ukraine by Russia, increased destabilization of the world economy, and an accelerated push toward the One World Order which will be led by the Antimessiah and finally Satan. Climate change intensified making extreme and once rare weather events more commonplace and are affecting the entire planet. The push towards ostracizing and even persecuting those who do not support blatant abominations against G-d and His commands is escalating exponentially as we progress through these end times. But believers should not be surprised. Yahshua told us this is the way it will be before he returns “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you (John 15:18-19).
The above details are provided for comparison with Leviticus 26:14-46 to call the reader to the profound accuracy and progressive nature of these verses to real-time events. It doesn’t take a scholar to realize the truth of G-d’s Word and where the world is in the process of being destroyed because of mankind’s rebellion against G-d’s Torah/Instructions. The one ray of hope is that there will be people who will repent, accept the punishment for their rebelliousness and follow G-d’s Torah. These will be forgiven after their punishment is completed and G-d will “…Rather, for their sakes, I will remember the covenant of their ancestors whom I brought out of the land of Egypt- with the nations watching- so that I might be their G-d; I am Adonai” (Lev. 26:45).
Haftarah: Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 32:6-27
Once again, we see the consistency of G-d’s Torah running like an unbroken, ribbon in the wind throughout the Book. This haftarah is no exception. The punishments that await those who choose to disregard G-d’s Torah (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit discussed last week), are contrasted with the blessings for those who are obedient. Jeremiah rebukes the Israelites for their idolatrous ways and for their lack of faith in G-d. This is not unlike what we see in American and many other societies worldwide. Jeremiah conveys G-d’s words of wrath for those who do not trust G-d, foretelling exile as their punishment. Think for a moment on what Jeremiah must have thought when G-d told him to tell the Israelites of what was to come and of his own imprisonment. Consider the following passage and consider where you are in the spiritual scheme of things:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and relies on mortal flesh for his strength, and whose heart turns away from G-d. He shall be like a lone tree in the desert, and will not see when good comes, and will dwell on parched land in the desert, on salt-sodden soil that is not habitable. Blessed is the man who trusts in the L-rd, to whom G-d will be his trust. For he shall be like a tree planted by the water, and which spreads its roots out into a stream, so it will not be affected when heat comes, and its leaves shall be green, and in the year of drought will not be anxious, neither shall it cease from bearing fruit.”
The haftarah ends with a passage we would do well to memorize or place somewhere where we can see and ponder it daily: G-d who is the source of the hopes of Israel, all that forsake You shall be shamed, and they who turn away from me shall be marked out on the earth that they have forsaken G-d, the source of living waters. Heal me, O G-d, then I shall be healed; help me, then I shall be helped, for You are my praise.” Again we see the purpose for our lives; that G-d may be glorified and praised; that all the nations will know that He is Adonai.
Let us not waste our time engaging in and listening to the disinformation and cacophony about the end of the world, ancient aliens and why we should seek to communicate with them, or anything else that distracts so many from what we should be doing. We should be studying, internalizing and living G-d’s Torah. If we are sincerely concerned about the future, we need to look no further than His Word for the answers and how to prepare. This isn’t beyond our reach. We must place our trust and obedience with the Creator of the universe. There is no higher authority, and he is faithful to provide for His people.
B’rit Chadashah: 1 Corinthians 7:21-24.
“Were you a slave when you were called? Well, don’t let it bother you; although if you can gain your freedom, take advantage of the opportunity. For a person who was a slave when he was called is the L-rd’s freedman; likewise, someone who was a free man when he was called is a slave to the Messiah. You were bought at a price, so do not become slaves of other human beings. Brothers, let each one remain with G-d in the condition in which he was called.”
“For a person who was slave when he was called is the L-rd’s freedman.”
This statement has application in the physical and spiritual realms. We are not to place ourselves in any position in which we become slaves to human masters. This includes every type of indebtedness. Recall the scenario in an earlier parashah whereby a slave takes an awl in his ear as a sign that he chooses to remain a slave to his human master (Deut. 17:17).
This is not a situation to which we should voluntarily submit. However, if we find ourselves physically imprisoned, we can gain spiritual freedom by choosing to follow G-d’s Torah. We may still remain behind bars, but we are then spiritually free. Once we choose to follow G-d’s Torah, we also become free to serve Him, if even only spiritually. Yahshua’s sacrifice freed us from the automatic death indictment that would have been imposed had we continued to follow the ways of the world. At this point we become a slave of the Messiah for we are bought at a price. Freedom is not free! It never has been, nor will it ever be. The evidence is Yahshua’s sacrifice so often taken for granted and misunderstood. The passage continues “You were bought with a price, so do not become slaves of other human beings. Brothers, let each one remain with G-d in the condition in which he was called.” People are called by G-d in many different situations. Sh’aul was called to a different direction on a dirt road on a donkey. G-d had to blind him in order that he might see the truth. Mary was summoned by an angel. Moshe was called from a burning bush that was not consumed. Joseph had a dream. We must be ready to take every opportunity given us to serve G-d when and where He chooses to call on us. Let us make ourselves available. Let us boldly and humbly say “Hine ni Adonai!” (Here am I L-rd/G-d/Yahshua!)
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Tamah Davis- Hart