(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH, the blessed One for all eternity. Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have selected us from among all the peoples, and have given us your Torah.
The Torah of Yisrael is markedly civil and humane in terms of the treatment
of slaves. In the Torah, slaves were given many rights, and slave owners were
obliged to maintain these rights as an act of obedience to YHVH. Slaves were to
be given rest on Sabbath days, given equal opportunity to engage in the worship
of YHVH, and had legal recourse if mis-treated. Indeed, if a slave sustained a
severe injury by his master, he was given his freedom (Ex 21:26–27). Slaves who
were not indentured for life could be redeemed and could even redeem themselves
if their means were sufficient.
In our
parashah,(Be Har) the clear contrast is made between one’s “countryman” (ָיךִחָא‘
,achicha, literally “your brother”) and people from foreign countries (םִגּוֹיַה תֵאֵמ
,mei’eit hagoyim, “from the nations”). The Yisraelite is never to be a
purchased slave, meaning that while he will do the work of a common purchased
slave, his position as a slave or servant ends at the Sh’mittah (sabbatical
year, cf. Ex 21:2), including the Yovel (Jubilee). In other words, he is never
to be considered the property of another Yisraelite—his position as a slave is
only temporary, like that of a hired worker. The text explains why: “For they
are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt; they are not to be
sold in a slave sale” (v. 42). The Yisraelites belong to YHVH because He
purchased them via the redemption from Egypt. They cannot, therefore, become
the property of someone else. This is not the case with a slave or servant
purchased from the pagan nations, or from the foreigners who may live within
the community of Yisrael. Such a slave or servant may become the perpetual
property of the one who purchases them, meaning that their families will continue
to be the purchased slaves or servants from generation to generation. “You may
even bequeath them to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can
use them as permanent slaves” (v. 46). Thus, in the Jubilee, only Yisraelites
are released, not slaves from pagan nations.
Lev 25:39 ‘And when your brother who
dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, do not make him serve as
a slave.
Why would a brother become poor?
He
needs to learn that obedience to the covenant brings blessing – see whole
chapter of Deut 28 (note disobedience
causes dispersion and slavery vs64-68) If he becomes poor through decisions he
made, he should undergo rehabilitation and come under submission to one who by
YHVH’s favour is living under the blessings of the covenant – The Torah- until
he can be prosperous and self - supporting again. There should be no
humiliation or any form of exploitation during this rehabilitation process.
Lev 25:40 ‘But as a hired
servant,(Heb – sakir – hired servant) as a settler he is with you, and serves
you until the Year of Jubilee.
Lev 25:41 ‘And then he shall leave
you, he and his children with him, and shall return to his own clan, even
return to the possession of his fathers.
Lev 25:42 ‘For they are My
servants,(Heb – eved – servant or slave) whom I brought out of the land of
Mitsrayim, they are not sold as slaves. (see “eved ivri’ Hebrew slave in Shemot
22) Note
importance of the context in which the Torah was given – Parashat Yitro is
followed by Parashat Mishpatim……
Lev 25:43 ‘Do not rule over him
with harshness, but you shall fear your Elohim.
Lev 25:44 ‘And your male and
female slaves whom you have from the nations that are around you, from them you
buy male and female slaves, (eved)
Lev 25:45 and also from the
sons of the strangers sojourning among you, from them you buy, and from their
clans who are with you, which they shall bring forth in your land, and they
shall be your property.
Lev 25:46 ‘And you shall take
them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a
possession, they are your slaves for all time. But over your brothers, the
children of Yisra’ĕl, you do not rule with harshness, one over another.
Lev 25:47 ‘Now when a sojourner
or a settler with you becomes rich, and your brother with him becomes poor, and
sells himself to the settler or sojourner with you, or to a member of the
sojourner’s clan,
Lev 25:48 after he has been
sold, there is a right of redemption to him – one of his brothers does redeem
him,
Lev 25:49 or his uncle or his
uncle’s son does redeem him, or anyone who is a close relative to him in his clan
does redeem him, or if he is able, then he shall redeem himself.
Lev 25:50 ‘And he shall reckon
with him who bought him: The price of his release shall be according to the
number of years, from the year that he was sold to him until the Year of Jubilee;
as the days of a hired servant it is with him.
Lev 25:51 ‘If there are yet
many years, according to them he repays the price of his redemption, from the
silver of his purchase.
Lev 25:52 ‘And if few years are
left until the Year of Jubilee, then he shall reckon with him, and according to
his years he repays him the price of his redemption.
Lev 25:53 ‘He is with him as a
yearly hired servant, and he does not rule with harshness over him before your
eyes.
Lev 25:54 ‘And if he is not
redeemed in these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee, he
and his children with him.
Lev 25:55 ‘Because the children of Yisra’ĕl are
servants to Me, they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of
Mitsrayim. I am יהוה your Elohim.
Lev 26:1 ‘Do not make idols for
yourselves, and do not set up a carved image or a pillar for yourselves, and do
not place a stone image in your land, to bow down to it. For I am יהוה your Elohim.
Lev 26:2 ‘Guard My
Sabbaths and reverence My set-apart place. I am יהוה.
This week’s Haftarah portion:
Isa 24:1 See, יהוה is making the
earth empty and making it waste, and shall overturn its surface, and shall
scatter abroad its inhabitants.
Isa 24:2 And it shall be – as with the people so with
the priest, as with the servant so with his master, as with the female servant
so with her mistress, as with the buyer so with the seller, as with the lender
so with the borrower, as with the creditor so with the debtor;
Isa 24:3 the earth is completely emptied and utterly
plundered, for יהוה has spoken
this word.
Isa 24:4 The earth shall mourn and wither, the world
shall languish and wither, the haughty people of the earth shall languish.
Isa 24:5 For the earth has been defiled under its
inhabitants, because they have transgressed the Torot1, changed2
the law, broken the everlasting covenant3. Footnotes: 1Torot
- plural of Torah, teaching. 2Jer. 23:36. 3This is the
only reason, according to all Scriptures, why the earth shall be burned in the
day of judgment – see also 13:9, 13:11, 26:21, 66:24, Mic. 5:15, Zeph. 1:2-18.
Isa 24:6 Therefore a curse shall consume the earth,
and those who dwell in it be punished. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth
shall be burned, and few men shall be left.
This
week’s Apostolic reading:
Joh 13:12 So when He had washed their feet and taken His
garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to
you?
Joh 13:13
“You call me Teacher and Master, and you say well, for I am.
Joh 13:14
“Then if I, Master and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to
wash one another’s feet.
Joh 13:15
“For I gave you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
Joh 13:16
“Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master,
nor is an emissary greater than he who sent him.
Joh 13:17
“If you know these teachings, blessed are you if you do them.
Joh 13:18
“I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen, but
that the Scripture might be filled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up
his heel against Me.’
Joh 13:19
“Now I say to you, before it takes place, that when it does take place,
you shall believe that I am.
Joh 13:20
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send, receives
Me. And he who receives Me, receives Him who sent Me.”
Many shall come into their inheritance in the kingdom
when they first learn to be faithful with that which belongs to another.
Ultimately everything belongs to YHVH –
Additional midrash:
Psa 24:1 The earth belongs to יהוה, And all that
fills it – The world and those who dwell in it.
When we keep the Sabbaths of YHVH we declare His
ownership over of all things.
Luk 16:11
“If, therefore, you have not been trustworthy in the unrighteous mammon,
who shall entrust to you the true?
Luk 16:12
“And if you have not been trustworthy in what is another man’s, who
shall give you what is your own?
The sages taught that when you buy a slave, you buy a master.
The truth is that some people are better off when they are under someone
else’s supervision until they can stand on their own feet and help others.
Pro 19:10
Luxury is not fitting for a fool, Much less for a servant to rule over
princes.
Pro 30:21
Under three matters the earth trembles, And under four, it is
unable to bear:
Pro 30:22
Under a servant(eved) when he reigns, And a fool when he is satisfied
with food,
Pro 29:2
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the
wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
Pro 16:20
He who acts wisely concerning the Word finds good, And blessed is he who
trusts in יהוה.
Bondservants and Masters
Eph 6:5
Servants, obey your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in
sincerity of heart, as to Messiah;
Eph 6:6 not
with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as servants of Messiah, doing the desire
of Elohim from the inner self,a Footnote: a Rom_6:16-23.
Eph 6:7
rendering service with pleasure, as to the Master, and not to men,
Eph 6:8
knowing that whatever good anyone does, he shall receive the same from the Master,
whether he is slave or free.
Eph 6:9 And,
masters, do the same to them, refrain from threatening, knowing that your own
Master also is in the heavens, and there is no partiality with Him.
1Co 11:3 And
I wish you to know that the head of every man is the Messiah, and the head of
woman is the man, and the head of Messiah is Elohim.
See book of Philemon
– run away slave. Paul did not condemn slavery, he advocated kindness towards
slaves.
The consequences of rebellion are too
terrifying to imagine. If we are not willing to submit to YHVH as Yahshua
showed us and to submit to the authorities that YHVH has appointed – our
unrepentant rebellion will bring us under the eternal torment from the ‘’Tormenter’’
himself.
Pro 17:11 An
evil one seeks only rebellion, So a cruel messenger is sent against him.
2Es 14:21 For thy law is burnt, therefore no man knoweth the
things that are done of thee, or the work that shall begin.
2 Esdras 7: 20 Let many perish who are now living, rather than
that the law(Torah) of YHVH that is set before them be disregarded! 21 For
the YHVH strictly commanded those who came into the world, when they came, what
they should do to live, and what they should observe to avoid punishment. 22 Nevertheless
they were not obedient, and spoke against him; they devised for themselves vain
thoughts,
2 Esdras 14: 21 Your Law(Torah) has been destroyed by fire, so
no one can know what you have done in the past or what you are planning to do
in the future.
22 Please send your Set Apart Spirit to me, so that I can write down
everything that has been done in this world from the beginning, everything that
was written in your Law (Torah). Then in these last days, people will be able
to find the right way and obtain life if they want to."
All of YHVH’s counsel and His
redemptive plan is best understood in the context of authority and submission
to His Torah and appointed messengers of His Torah.
(Blessed are
you Yahweh, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of
truth, and have planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you,
YHVH giver of the Torah – Ameyn