This Torah portion gives some wonderful insight into
what Yisraelite community life was meant to be and will be during the
Millennium when Messiah returns.
Our parashah
this Shabbat teaches the laws of the Shemittah (הָטִּמְש meaning “remission of debt”) or
seventh year, as well as the Yovel (לֵובֹי
(or the “Jubilee,” ) the 50th year or the conclusion of the cycle of seven
Shemittah years.
The
parallels between several “sevens” which YHVH has given us is interesting and
worth noting. The first seven is the normal week with the Shabbat, the seventh
day being symbolic of rest, harmony, and shalom. Pesach followed by the counting
of the omer (seven weeks) and Shavuot constitutes other “sevens,” for after
eating only matzot for seven days, seven weeks are counted with Shavuot coming
on the 50th day (Shavuot is the Hebrew word that was translated in Greek to
Pentecoste meaning 50 and then transliterated to “Pentecost” in English- but it
is Shavuot). The Sabbatical or Shemittah year is yet another grouping of seven,
it being the seventh year in which the Land was to receive her rest. The
Jubilee (Yovel) year constitutes the conclusion of yet another cycle of seven,
namely seven ‘’Shemittah’’ years and as such is the longest of all the cycles
and parallels the Pesach/Shavuot cycle. This recurring motif of sevens has been
the basis for the common teaching throughout the centuries that the history of
our world will likewise follow the pattern of seven, each millennium being a
day (=1000 years) with the millennial reign of Messiah constituting the seventh
or sabbatical millennium. Even the Talmud contains references to Sages who
viewed the ages as a cosmic week. For instance, R. Kattina said: “The world is
to last six thousand years and one thousand it will be desolate, as it says, ‘and
YHVH alone shall be exalted in that day.’” (b.Rosh Hash. 31a)
In a world
that can often seem arbitrary and chaotic, it is necessary to regularly affirm
that YHVH is in control, and that He is working out His plan right on schedule.
This is true as we consider the large picture (i.e., the history and future of
mankind) as well as the events of our own, personal lives and world.
Paul clearly instructs us that we are not to be
conformed to the pattern of this world. - Rom
12:2 And
do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire
of Elohim.
The prevailing narrative and conviction of the church
is that YHVH’s Truth must adapt to modern day ideas and customs, that many
ancient truths of His Word are no longer relevant in a modern- day society.
The truth is that our convictions customs and ideas
need to be conformed to His Eternal Truth as demonstrated through His
Word and His Messiah. YHVH has not changed therefore we need to adapt to His
ideas and truth. YHVH does not adapt to our ideas if they are contrary to His.
When Messiah returns he will once again establish the
ancient paths of YHVH’s truth and wisdom –
Jer 6:16
Thus said יהוה, “Stand in the
ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it;
and find rest for yourselves. But they said, ‘We do not walk in it.’
Jer 6:17 “And I raised up watchmen over you, and
said, ‘Listen to the sound of the ram’s horn!’ But they said, ‘We do not
listen.’
Jer 6:18 “Therefore hear, you nations, and know, O
congregation, what is upon them!
Jer 6:19 “Hear, O earth! See, I am bringing evil upon
this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not listened
to My words, nor My Torah – and they rejected it.
It was Cain and Nimrod who
established cities and empires to control and manipulate people.
Yahshua came to establish YHVH’s Kingdom through His chosen priesthood nation – Yisrael- to bring everlasting peace and prosperity on earth and usher in a new heaven and a new earth where only perfection dwells.
The call of Cain and Nimrod is to build empires and
enslave people – the Torah teaches us to plant vineyards and keep the Sabbaths
– to proclaim liberty to the captives – Is 61
The sabbath year (shmita Hebrew: שמיטה, literally "release" or “remission of debt”) also called the sabbatical year or shvi'it (שביעית, literally "seventh").
Jer 11:14 “And you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, for I do not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their evil.
Lev 25:1 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh on Mount Sinai, saying, (sages
say the entire revelation of the Torah was given to Moshe on Mount Sinai – the
details were revealed by Moshe in the written Torah- B’Har)
Lev 25:2 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say
to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall
observe a Sabbath to יהוה –
Another interesting fact emphasized in our text is that
the Shemittah as well as the Yovel are first and foremost for YHVH’s benefit,
not man’s. V. 2, “. . . the land shall observe a Sabbath rest unto HaShem” (ליהוה
שבת
הארץ
ושבתה” ,(for YHVH or “belonging to YHVH.” Why?
Why did the Land need a rest as far as YHVH was concerned? V. 23 gives us one
answer: the Land, while given to Yisrael, still belongs to YHVH. The Shemittah
year as well as the final Yovel reminds Yisrael time and time again that we are
“renters” (as it were) and that the true owner of all things is YHVH (cf. Gen
14:19 וארץ
שמים
קנה” ,owner of heaven and earth”). Therefore
we are not allowed to take the Land and its produce for granted, nor are we
allowed to treat it disrespectfully.
Lev 25:3 ‘Six years you sow your field, and six years
you prune your vineyard, and gather in its fruit,
Lev 25:4 but in the seventh year the land is to have a
Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to יהוה. Do not sow
your field and do not prune your vineyard.
Lev 25:5 ‘Do not reap what grows of its own of your
harvest, and do not gather the grapes of your unpruned vine, for it is a year
of rest for the land.
Lev 25:6 ‘And the Sabbath of the land shall be to you
for food, for you and your servant, and for your female servant and your hired
servant, and for the stranger who sojourns with you,
Lev 25:7 and for your livestock and the beasts that
are in your land. All its crops are for food.
Lev 25:8 ‘And you shall count seven Sabbaths of years
for yourself, seven times seven years. And the time of the seven Sabbaths of
years shall be to you forty-nine years.
Lev 25:9 ‘You shall then sound a ram’s horn to pass
through on the tenth day of the seventh month, on the Day of Atonement cause a
ram’s horn to pass through all your land.
Lev 25:10 ‘And you shall set the fiftieth year apart,
and proclaim release throughout all the land to all its inhabitants, it is a
Jubilee for you. And each of you shall return to his possession, and each of
you return to his clan.
Lev 25:11 ‘The fiftieth year is a Jubilee(Yovel –
gemtria 48) to you. Do not sow, nor reap what grows of its own, nor gather from
its unpruned vine.
But this is true not only of the Land but also all that it produces. Since the Land belongs to YHVH, so does all of the food grown upon it. The Shemittah years and the Yovel remind us that the produce of the Land really is not ours either, for in these years it is considered ownerless, and thus anyone has the right to eat of it. When we say the HaMotzi (blessing before we eat) we affirm each time that the food we are about to eat belongs to Elohim and He has graciously given it to us for our sustenance.
“Perhaps one of the things that
sets the Yovel year apart
from all others is the requirement to return all real estate to its original
owner as well as to let all slaves go free. The return of real estate is no
doubt based upon the fact already mentioned, i.e., that the Land belongs to
YHVH. It could not be sold in perpetuity (v. 23) precisely because it belonged
to YHVH and His ownership of it must be constantly affirmed. The remission of
slaves, however, adds a dimension to this concept of YHVH’s ownership, for it
also indicates that all people belong to Him!”
Lev 25:12 ‘It is a Jubilee, it is set-apart to you. Eat
from the field its crops.
Lev 25:13 ‘In the Year of this Jubilee let each one of
you return to his possession.
Lev 25:14 ‘And when you sell whatever to your neighbour
or buy from the hand of your neighbour, do not exploit one another.
Lev 25:15 ‘According to the number of years after the
Jubilee you buy from your neighbour, and according to the number of years of
crops he sells to you.
Lev 25:16 ‘According to the greater number of years you
increase its price, and according to the fewer number of years you diminish its
price, because he sells to you according to the number of the years of the
crops.
Lev 25:17 ‘And do not oppress one another, but you
shall fear your Elohim. For I am יהוה your Elohim.
Lev 25:18 ‘And you shall do My laws and guard My
right-rulings, and shall do them. And you shall dwell in the land in safety,
Lev 25:19 ‘and the land shall yield its fruit, and you
shall eat to satisfaction, and shall dwell there in safety.
Lev 25:20 ‘And since you might say, “What do we eat in
the seventh year, since we do not sow nor gather in our crops?”
Lev 25:21 ‘Therefore I have commanded My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth the crop for three years.
Lev 25:22 ‘And you shall sow in the eighth year, and
eat of the old crop until the ninth year. Eat of the old until its crop comes
in.
Lev 25:23 ‘And the land is not to be sold beyond
reclaim, for the land is Mine, for you are sojourners and settlers with Me. (or
this is how I YHVH want you to treat and live on My land)
This principle of YHVH’s ownership emphasizes yet another
reality, namely, we must view ourselves as “sojourners and residents with YHVH”
(v. 23).
Being forced to
let our possessions and real estate go at a prescribed time vividly reminds us
that He is our “shield and great reward.” It thus reminds us that we do not
define ourselves by what we own (or by what we do not own), but we define
ourselves as “residents with Him.”
Heb 10:34 for you
sympathised with me in my chains, and you accepted with joy the seizure of your
possessions, knowing that you have a better and a lasting possession for
yourselves in the heavens.
Heb 10:35 Do not, then,
lose your boldness, which has great reward.
Heb 10:36 For you have
need of endurance, so that when you have done the desire of Elohim, you receive
the promise:
Heb 10:37 “For yet a
little while – He who is coming shall come and shall not delay.”
Heb 10:38 “But the
righteous shall live by belief, but if anyone draws back, my being has no
pleasure in him.” Hab_2:3-4.
Heb 10:39 But we are not
of those who draw back to destruction, but of belief to the preservation of
life.
Lev 25:24 ‘And provide for a redemption for the land,
in all the land of your possession.
Lev 25:25 ‘When your brother becomes poor, and has sold
some of his possession, and his redeemer, a close relative comes to redeem it,
then he shall redeem what his brother sold.
Ezekiel states this outright when he writes: “All souls
are mine . . .” (18:4). There is something fundamentally wrong with one man
claiming ownership of another, for this might tend to negate the truth that YHVH
is the real owner of every soul, and every soul has a one-to-one obligation
with His Creator to see Him as the primary owner—the One to whom each person
must give first allegiance. Freedom goes hand in hand with YHVH’s righteousness
and justice. Being enslaved is inevitably the result of the falleness of this
world, something the Yovel intends to rectify.
Lev 25:26 ‘And when the man has no one to redeem it,
but he himself becomes able to redeem it,
Lev 25:27 then let him count the years since its sale,
and return the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, that he shall return to
his possession.
Lev 25:28 ‘And if his hand has not found enough to give
back to him, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it
until the Year of Jubilee. And it shall be released in the Jubilee, and he
shall return to his possession.
Lev 25:29 ‘And when a man sells a house in a walled
city, then his right of redemption shall be at the end of the year after it is
sold. His right of redemption lasts a year.
Lev 25:30 ‘But if it is not redeemed within a complete year, then the house in the walled city shall be established beyond reclaim to the buyer of it, throughout his generations. It is not released in the Jubilee.
“Interestingly, the house or
field purchased in the open land was to revert to its original owner at the Yovel, but the
house purchased in a walled city could transfer ownership permanently. What
does this tell us? Perhaps the emphasis is upon the fact that in the ancient
Israelite society, the mainstay of the economy was agriculture. The arable land
was therefore the economic basis, and one could, apart from the Yovel laws,
eventually gain a monopoly in a given region and control the people through
ownership of the fields. On the other hand, the cities contained primarily the
artisans and craftsmen along with the Levites—needed professions but not the
economic base that agriculture provided. Perhaps, then, the whole issue comes
back to one individual having undue control of another (analogous to slavery).
In the theocratic government of Israel, YHVH was always to be viewed as King and one’s life ultimately in His care. To allow a few to monopolize the economy and thus to control the lives of others through their economic advantage would detract from the ultimate plan of YHVH to be known as Israel’s King and provider of all life’s necessities.”
2Ch
36:19 And they burned the House of Elohim, and broke down the wall of
Yerushalayim, and burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its
valuable utensils.
2Ch
36:20 And those who escaped from the sword he exiled to Baḇel, where they
became servants to him and his sons until the reign of the reign of
Persia,
2Ch 36:21 in order to fill the word of יהוה by the mouth of Yirmeyahu, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay waste she kept Sabbath, until seventy years were completed.
Isa
5:8 Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until
there is no room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the
land!
Isa 5:9 In my hearing יהוה of hosts said, “Truly, many houses shall be a waste – big and fine ones, without inhabitant.
This does not give anyone a
reason to be poor! Laziness is not to be tolerated in YHVH’s Torah community.
2Thess. 3:10 For even when we
were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to
work, then he is not to eat, either. 11 For we hear that some among you are
leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like
busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Master Yeshuah
Messiah to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.
Lev 25:31 ‘The houses of villages, however, which have
no wall around them are reckoned as the field of the country. A right of
redemption belongs to it, and they are released in the Jubilee.
Lev 25:32 ‘As for the cities of the Lĕwites, and the
houses in the cities of their possession, the Lĕwites have a right of
redemption forever.
Lev 25:33 ‘And that which is redeemed from the Lĕwites,
both the sale of a house and the city of his possession shall be released in
the Year of Jubilee, because the houses in the cities of the Lĕwites are their
possession in the midst of the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Lev 25:34 ‘But the field of the open land of their
cities is not sold, for it is their everlasting possession.
Lev 25:35 ‘And when your brother becomes poor, and his
hand has failed with you, then you shall sustain him, and he shall live with
you, like a stranger or a sojourner.
Lev 25:36 ‘Take no interest from him, or profit, but
you shall fear your Elohim, and your brother shall live with you.
Lev 25:37 ‘Do not lend him your silver on interest, and
do not lend him your food for profit.
Lev 25:38 ‘I am יהוה your Elohim,
who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, to give you the land of Kenaʽan, to
be your Elohim.
“Here we learn a valuable lesson!
Many who view the Torah as having no lasting value comment that the Torah is
external and devoid of the real spiritual, heart issues—issues that were
emphasized by Yashua and the Apostles. But once again we see such a perspective
has missed the mark for lack of true study of the text. Here in our parashah the outcome
of the Shemittah and Yovel laws is that
we should treat our brother—our neighbour—with a heart of love! Thus, not only
does the life of Torah obedience require an enduring faith in YHVH our Elohim
of the Torah, it also teaches us how we are to treat others. That YHVH would
provide for each family in the sixth year an abundance to carry them through
the Sabbatical year without a lack, becomes the pattern for how each of us
should treat our impoverished neighbour. If YHVH supplies our needs, then, if
we have the means, we should also be gracious to the members of our community
who are also in need. The text is very straightforward: “If your brother
becomes impoverished and his means falter in your proximity עִמָּךְ) ), you
shall strengthen him—whether proselyte or resident— so that he can live with
you.” (v. 35). Rather than taking advantage of a brother who is impoverished,
we are instructed (once again) to “fear YHVH” and to lend without interest nor
to make money on the transactions we have with him. We are to remember that
YHVH has graciously redeemed us from Egypt, and thus we have an obligation
wherever possible to repeat the merciful and gracious acts of YHVH by extending
our help to the poor.”
Pro 19:17
He who shows favour to the poor lends to יהוה, And He repays
his deed.
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam nata-b’tochenu. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed
are you YHVH, 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