Parshat Behar

Rashi asks a question that has become an oft-quoted phrase in other contexts, מה עניין שמיטה אצל הר סיני. Our פרשה introduces the mitzva of שמיטה by first highlighting that it was said at הר סיני. The question that bothers all the ראשנים is why?

Rashi famously explains that just as the פרשה of שמיטה is incredibly detailed and nuanced, so too, all מצוות were as well elaborated by הר סיני even though they are not described as such in the Torah.

Let us take a moment to understand what was troubling Rashi and how he attempted to address it.

The Jews left Egypt, obviously, during פסח. Forty nine days later they stood at הר סיני and received the Torah. Shortly after, the sinned at the חטא העגל and then they began building the משכן which lasted about a year. Last week we concluded the פרשה with the story of the מקלל, the בן איש מצרי who cursed God. The episode occurred after הקמת המשכן which was in the second year of the Jews’ journeys in the desert. So we are now about a year and a half after הר סיני, and the Torah suddenly introduces a new מצווה by highlighting it was said at הר סיני. Why?

Let us ponder the question before examining the ראשונים’s approach. Logically, there seems to be a couple of options:

1. This episode occurred at הר סיני. If so we would then need an explanation of why we are discussing a conversation that happened at הר סיני now?
2. This conversation occurred now but the formula as to which it was given was similar to that which was done by הר סיני. If so, the temporal order is consistent but we still need to understand why did we choose specifically this מצוה to highlight something about הר סיני.

Rashi’s son in law, the רשב”ם, argues this מצווה was actually introduced before הקמת המשכן. The result is then that Moshe got the Torah at Sinai, as part of that experience, he also got the mitzva of שמיטה and then afterwards he was told how to build the משכן. The חזקוני agrees with this presentation but explains that it was only said here because there is an element of עבודת הכוהנים in the מצות שמיטה and so we only discuss it here.

The רמב”ן introduces the second option, that this was actually said here not by הר סיני. And the reason we recall הר סיני is to highlight that while the basic מצווה was already discussed, now we will expand on all the fine details.

The דעת זקינים argues that this is simply an introductory phrase to the next section of מצוות. Since מעמד הר סיני, we have been focusing on מצוות that are uniquely involving the משכן. Now we are transitioning to other מצוות that are not משכן related, just as all other מצוות that were said at הר סיני.

רבינו בחיי argues that שמיטה has a parallel to a מצווה said by הר סיני, namely שבת. And so we want to ensure that the comparison is clear so we mention הר סיני. Somewhat similarly, the כלי יקר explains that הר סיני was not allowed to be plowed or planted on prior to מתן תורה similar to הלכות שביעית.

Rabbenu Ovadya b. Rav Yaakov Sforno lived at the turn of the Rishonim to the Achronim between 1470-1550. He was an Italian Rishon born in Cesena where he developed his Torah skills and then eventually moved to Bologna where he studied medicine.

He argues that the reason we specifically mention שמיטה now is because Moshe is preparing to bring the Jews into the Holy Land. Recall, that the Jews only travelled the desert for 40 years because of the חטא המרגלים. That חטא occurs in year two, in other words, just a short while after the story of the מקלל. So now, once the Jews have a משכן, they are ready to begin their next stage in their evolution as a people and prepare to learn about the מצוות of ארץ ישראל.

This offers an entirely new level of understanding in many of the Rishonim we have quoted thus far. We are not simply highlighting the relationship of שמיטה and שבת, we are informing the Jewish people, that keeping שבת appropriately will inform how they experience ארץ ישראל. Having the basis of the משכן will now inform how they experience ארץ ישראל. Understanding the great number of details that was expounded on by הר סיני for each מצווה informs how they experience ארץ ישראל.

עבודה (תפילה), תורה ושבת: these are the three elements we specifically highlight as we begin thinking about how to serve Hashem in the land where His presence is most intimate. This is obviously not something we focus on only when living in that land but even here in חוץ לארץ, as Moshe introduced these מצוות outside of ארץ ישראל, as they were preparing to think about ארץ ישראל we need to concentrate on these three fundamental components of יהדות.

This is also incredibly important to think about as hear about reservists begin called back to the front lines and as rockets threaten more and more of Israel. We cannot just simply have them in our mind. We must do something, we must respond religiously. If that means appreciating שבת more, spending more intimate time with our family highlighting the beauty of the שבת experience. Or maybe praying with more כוונה maybe coming to מניין more often or on time. Maybe spend an extra few minutes a day learning more Torah. We must respond religiously as we turn towards thinking about ארץ ישראל more vividly and we pray that this most recent episode of fighting with end shortly with limited bloodshed.