TORAH: Leviticus 25:1-27:34
HAFTARAH: Jeremiah 16:19-17:14
GOSPEL: Luke 4:14-22; Matthew 16:20-28
Portion Summary
Behar
The thirty-second reading from the Torah and second-to-last reading from the book of Leviticus is called Behar (בהר), which means “On the Mountain.” The name comes from the first words of the first verse of the reading, which could be literally translated to read, “The LORD then spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai” (Leviticus 25:1). This portion from the Torah introduces the laws of the sabbatical years, the jubilee and laws concerning redemption. In most years, synagogues read Behar together with the following portion, Bechukotai.
Bechukotai
The last reading from the book of Leviticus is called Bechukotai (בחקותי), which means “In My Statutes.” The name comes from the first verse of the reading, which begins with the words “If you walk in My statutes …” (Leviticus 26:3). This last reading from Leviticus promises blessings and rewards for Israel if they will keep the Torah, but punishment and curses if they break the commandments of the Torah. The last chapter discusses laws pertaining to vows, valuations and tithes. In most years, synagogues read Bechukotai together with the preceding portion, Behar.
Portion Outline:
Torah
Leviticus 25:1 | The Sabbatical Year
Leviticus 25:8 | The Year of Jubilee
Leviticus 26:1 | Rewards for Obedience
Leviticus 26:14 | Penalties for Disobedience
Leviticus 27:1 | Votive Offerings
Prophets
Jer 16:14 | God Will Restore Israel
Jer 17:1 | Judah’s Sin and Punishment
Jer 17:14 | Jeremiah Prays for Vindication
Jer 17:19 | Hallow the Sabbath Day
Eze 44:15 | The Levitical Priests
Portion Commentary:
Sabbath Rest for the Land
You’ve heard of the Sabbath day, but have you ever heard of the Sabbath year? It happens once every seven years.
Before you start to wonder how you will get time off from work to keep a Sabbath for a whole year, note that the sabbatical year is not a Sabbath for people, it is a Sabbath for the land of Israel. The Torah instructs the children of Israel to let the land of Israel rest by desisting from agriculture for one out of every seven years. Farmers in the land of Israel were instructed to let the land go fallow. They were not to plow, sow, prune, reap or trim during the seventh year. They could pick and eat the crops that grew of their own accord, but that was to be the limit of their agricultural production.
This does not mean that people in North America or Africa need to let their gardens and fields go unplanted or untended during the sabbatical year. The sabbatical-year laws apply only to agriculture in the land of Israel. That is why the Torah says, “When you come into the land …” before introducing the sabbatical-year law.
Why does the land of Israel need to rest? Does it get tired? The word shabbat (שבת) does not mean “to rest” in the sense of taking a nap or getting some relaxing time by lounging around for a while. The main idea behind the word shabbat is “to cease” or “to desist.” The Sabbath a day of ceasing from production and creation. So too the land of Israel was to have a year of ceasing from production.
Read complete commentary at First Fruits of Zion.
