Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

152
Behar
Behind the Scenes
Josh Cohen
I n the beginning of Parshas Behar we learn about the mitzvos of shemita and
yovel. The Torah says (25:3-4):
ןוֹתבָּ שׁ ַ תבַּ שׁ ַ תעי ִ ִב ׁשְּ ה ַ ה ָנׁשָּ ַבוּ .הּתָ אוּב ָ תּ ְ תא ֶ תָּ פְ סַ אָ ו ְ ךָמֶ רְ ַכּ רֹמ ְזתּ ִ םי ִנשׁ ָ שׁשֵׁ ו ְ ךָדֶ שׂ ָ ערַ ְזתּ ִ םי ִנשׁ ָ שׁשׁ ֵ
רֹמ ְזת ִ אלֹ ךָמְ רְ ַכ ו ְ ערָ ְזת ִ אלֹ ךָדְ שׂ ָ ’ה ַל תבָּ שׁ ַ ץרֶ אָ ָל היֶ הְ י ִ
“Six years you may plant your field and six years you may prune your vineyard and
gather its crop. And in the seventh year there shall be a complete rest for the land,
a Shabbos for Hashem; you shall not plant your field and you may not prune your
vineyard.”
Later in the parsha we learn (25:35):
ךְמָּ ע ִ יחַ ו ָ בשׁוֹת ָ ו ְ רגּ ֵ וֹבּ תָּ קְ ַזחֱ הֶ ו ְ ךְמָּ ע ִ וֹדי ָ הטָ מוּ ָ ךָיחִ א ָ ךְוּמי ָ י ִכ ו ְ
when a fellow Jew is impoverished it is our responsibility to help him get back to
where he was. The pesukim continue and teach that we cannot take interest on
.money that we loan out to a Jew
At first glance it would seem that these two sets of mitzvos have nothing in common,
but if we focus out a little bit and into the big picture we can see a great message.
Both these mitzvos show that everything comes from Hashem. For six years, a farmer
works long and hard to produce the best product he is able, but in the seventh year