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Beit Rabban Parashah Page פרשת בהר-בחקתי Parashat Behar-Bechukotai ויקרא כה:א-כז:לד Leviticus 25:1-27:34 This week we conclude the book of Leviticus with another double portion: parshiyot Behar and Bechukotai. Parashat Behar talks extensively about people who fall into poverty. It describes a person who, no longer able to support themselves, attaches themselves to someone else’s household and serves them in order to survive and hopefully eventually regain their freedom. The Torah gives strict guidelines about how this means of support and semi-servitude must work, and many cautions about not taking unfair advantage of someone else’s bad luck. Why do you think these guidelines are important? What can we learn from this about how we think about and treat the people who work for us? No matter what, all slaves and servants must be released in the Jubilee year, and the reason teaches us something about our relationship to HaShem (Lev. 25:55): כִּי-לִּי בְנֵי-יִּשְרָ אֵל, עֲבָדִּים--עֲבָדַי הֵם, For it is to me that the Israelites are אֲשֶׁר-הֹוצֵאתִּי אֹותָםמֵאֶׁרֶׁ ץ servants: they are my servants, whom I מִּצְרָ יִּם: אֲנִּי, ה' אֱֹלהֵיכֶׁם. :freed from the land of Egypt I, Adonai your God. It seems like a paradox that we were freed in order to be servants. In what ways is being a servant of HaShem different from being a servant of another person? Why might it be important to know that we can never be slaves to other people? In what ways do you serve HaShem in your life and with your community? How does your Jewish observance create freedom in your life? As we conclude the book of Leviticus, part of which is also called the Holiness Code, we recite “Chazak, Chazak, V’Nitchazek.” May we continue to feel the strength and holiness within us that connects us to our family, friends, community, and HaShem. .

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Parashat Behar Bechukotai
Kol Rina An Independent Minyan Parshiyot Behar - Bechukotai May 16, 2020 *** Iyar 22, 5780 Kol Rina – An Independent Minyan, is a traditional egalitarian community. We are haimish (homey/folksy), friendly, participatory, warm and welcoming. We hold weekly services in South Orange as well as holiday services and celebrations which are completely lay led. We welcome all to our services and programs from non-Hebrew readers to Jewish communal and education professionals. Behar – Bechukotai in a Nutshell https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2904/jewish/Behar-Bechukotai-in-a-Nutshell.htm On the mountain of Sinai, G-d communicates to Moses the laws of the Sabbatical year: every seventh year, all work on the land should cease, and its produce becomes free for the taking for all, man and beast. Seven Sabbatical cycles are followed by a fiftieth year—the Jubilee year, on which work on the land ceases, all indentured servants are set free, and all ancestral estates in the Holy Land that have been sold revert to their original owners. Additional laws governing the sale of lands, and the prohibitions against fraud and usury, are also given. G-d promises that if the people of Israel will keep His commandments, they will enjoy material prosperity and dwell secure in their homeland. But He also delivers a harsh “rebuke,” warning of the exile, persecution and other evils that will befall them if they abandon their covenant with Him. Nevertheless, “Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away; nor will I ever abhor them, to destroy them and to break My covenant with them; for I am the L-rd their G-d.” The Parshah concludes with the rules on how to calculate the values of different types of pledges made to G-d.
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Parashat Behar – Ideas from R
Parashat Behar – ideas from R. Jonathan Sacks This week we read Parasha Behar. It’s on p. 531 in Hertz. Behar gives us directions for celebrating the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, as well as laws regulating commerce and the redemption of slaves. God states that every 7th year is a Shabbat for the land. There will be no planting or harvesting - the land must experience a complete rest. The seventh year is called Shemittah, meaning to release. During Shemittah all outstanding debts were cancelled; we release those who owe us money. I find that an extraordinary act of humanity. Indeed, Behar gives us what Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi of Great Britain, describes as “a revolutionary template for a society of justice, freedom and human dignity.” (repeat that) After 7 of these 7-year cycles, the 50th year called "yovel" or the Jubilee year, takes place. All Hebrew slaves are set free at the end of 6 years - this includes those who wish to remain slaves. A Biblical inscription to this effect was inscribed by our country’s founding fathers on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. The text reads, “And thou shalt proclaim liberty in the Land for all its inhabitants.” (Lev. 25,10) God also said to return land that has been sold, to its hereditary ancestors. This is, as Rabbi Sachs writes, a truly revolutionary text. Slaves are freed. Debts are forgiven. Land is returned to original owners. The earth rests. And because commandments are so extraordinary and so liberating to the poor and oppressed, I kept wondering while reading it: Why doesn’t God also outlaw slavery? In addition to acts promoting justice, freedom and human dignity, the parasha also deals with practical matters.
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Behar Roundup
Dear Youth Directors, Youth chairs, and Youth Leaders, NCYI is excited to continue our very successful Parsha Nation Guides. I hope you’re enjoying and learning from Parsha Nation as much as we are. Putting together Parsha Nation every week is indeed no easy task. It takes a lot of time and effort to ensure that each section, as well as each age group, receives the attention and dedication it deserves. We inspire and mold future leaders. The youth leaders of Young Israel have the distinct honor and privilege to teach and develop the youth of Young Israel. Children today are constantly looking for role models and inspirations to latch on to and learn from. Whether it is actual sit down learning sessions, exciting Parsha trivia games, or even just walking down the hall to the Kiddush room, our youth look to us and watch our every move. It’s not always about the things we say, it’s about the things we do. Our children hear and see everything we do whether we realize it or not. This year we are taking our Youth Services to new heights as we introduce our Leadership Training Shabbaton. This engaging, interactive shabbaton will give youth leader’s hands on experience and practical solutions to effectively guide your youth department. Informal education is key. What the summer shows us as educators is that informal education can deliver better results and help increase our youth’s connection to Hashem. More and more shuls are revamping their youth program to give their children a better connection to shul and to Hashem.
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Judaism's Life-Changing Ideas a Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible
Judaism’s Life-Changing Ideas A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible Judaism's Life-Changing Ideas.indd 1 6/8/20 6:29 PM Rabbi Jonathan Sacks JUDAISM’S LIFE-CHANGING IDEAS A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible The Phillips Family Edition Maggid Books & OU Press Judaism's Life-Changing Ideas.indd 3 6/8/20 6:29 PM The Phillips family are delighted to support the work of Rabbi Sacks. תשרי תשפ"א ,London, September 2020 Judaism's Life-Changing Ideas.indd 5 6/8/20 6:29 PM Contents Foreword: The Secret of Our Staying Power / Bari Weiss xiii Introduction: The Transformative Power of Ideas xvii Genesis Bereshit The Faith of God 3 Noaĥ The Trace of God 9 Lekh Lekha Inner-Directedness 13 Vayera The Space Between Us 17 Ĥayei Sara The World’s Oldest Man 21 Toledot Why Isaac? Why Jacob? 25 Vayetzeh Out of the Depths 31 Vayishlaĥ The Struggle of Faith 35 Vayeshev Improbable Endings and the Defeat of Despair 39 vii Judaism's Life-Changing Ideas.indd 7 6/8/20 6:29 PM Miketz Jews and Economics 45 Vayigash The First Psychotherapist 51 Vayeĥi What It Takes to Forgive 57 Exodus Shemot God Loves Those Who Argue 65 Va’era Free Will – Use It or Lose It 71 Bo The Story We Tell 77 Beshallaĥ The Longer, Shorter Road 81 Yitro The Bond of Loyalty and Love 85 Mishpatim The Power of Empathy 91 Teruma Why We Value What We Make 97 Tetzaveh Crushed for the Light 103 Ki Tissa Anger – Its Uses and Abuses 107 Vayak’hel Beyond the Self 113 Pekudei Making Space 119 viii Judaism's Life-Changing Ideas.indd 8 6/8/20 6:29 PM Leviticus Vayikra The Call 127 Tzav Giving Thanks 133 Shemini
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Parashat Behar-Bechukotai
NEWS YOU CAN USE IMPORTANT INFORMATION TIME SENSITIVE RESPONSE REQUIRED PARASHAT BEHAR-BECHUKOTAI Leviticus 25:1 – 27:34 Parashat Behar-Bechukkotai opens on Mount Sinai. At the introduction to this parasha, we find the detailed laws related to sh'mitah, the sabbatical year as well as the yovel, the jubilee year. While sh'mitah involves a seven–year cycle of letting the land lay fallow and the remission of loans, the yovel reflects a fifty-year cycle involving the emancipation of slaves and the return of property to their original owners. Abarbanel; the medieval exegete, (1437-1508, Spain, Italy) suggests that sh'mitah and yovel were emblematic of two of God's expressions of kindness: creation as in the first Shabbat after the creation of the world and revelation as in the giving of Torah fifty days after the Israelites flight from Egypt. For Abarbanel, the cyclical pattern of seven reflected in sh'mitah is part of the larger, existential order of God's creation of the world; similarly, yovel, the jubilee year connects us directly back to the moment of revelation at Sinai through recalling the number fifty. Creation and revelation become bound in two sacred moments in the Jewish calendar. During the seventh year, one is compelled to remember God created the land that we cultivate. Moreover, God is the ultimate loan officer as all blessings emanate from this source. The jubilee year reminds us explicitly of the moment in which God declares unequivocally that we are God's servants — not the servants of humans. Therefore, it is not surprising that slaves are emancipated; they return to the master of the universe.
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Leviticus 25:1-26:2)
An Introduction to the Parashat HaShavuah (Weekly Torah Portion) Understanding the Torah From a Thematic Perspective Behar (On Mount [Sinai]) By Tony Robinson Copyright © 2003 (5764) by Tony Robinson, Restoration of Torah Ministries. All rights reserved. —The Family House of Study— Examining the Parashat HaShavuah by Thematic Analysis Welcome to Mishpachah Beit Midrash, the Family House of Study. Each Shabbat1 we gather in our home and study the Scriptures, specifically the Torah.2 It’s a fun time of receiving revelation from the Ruach HaKodesh3. Everyone joins in—adults and children—as we follow the Parashat HaShavuah4 schedule. We devote ourselves to studying the Torah because the Torah is the foundation for all of Scripture. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the Torah will help us more fully understand the rest of the Tanakh5 and the Brit Chadasha.6 Furthermore, as Yeshua stated Himself, the Torah teaches about Him. So we study the Torah in order to be drawn closer to Yeshua, the goal of the Torah. As believers in the Messiah we have discovered the richness of the wisdom of the sages of Israel. These men, who devoted themselves to the study of the Torah, have left us a rich heritage. Part of that heritage is a unique method of learning and interpreting the Scriptures. It’s called thematic analysis. In thematic analysis we search for the underlying theme/topic of each passage of Scripture. By studying Scriptures related by a common theme, line upon line and precept upon precept, the Scriptures open up to us in a unique manner that is clearly inspired by the Ruach HaKodesh.
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Behar Bechukotai
The Tribe Weekly Newsletter This week’s Parashot are Behar and Bechukotai Shabbat Times in London Shabbat begins: 8.32pm Shabbat ends: 9.46pm This week there are two Parashot (Weekly Torah portions) and they are the last two Parashot (Weekly Torah portions) in the third book of the Torah, Vayikra (Leviticus). Amongst all the laws given to Moshe (Moses) on Mount Sinai, one of the laws God taught Moshe (Moses) was that of the Shemitta year (The Sabbatical year for the Land of Israel). Every seventh year, the land was to lie fallow and all work on the land was to stop, with its produce to be taken freely by anyone. Then, after seven cycles of Sabbatical years (the 50th year), a Yovel (Jubilee) year was to follow, during which the land could not be worked, servants were set free and all kinds of property belonging to a person’s family in the Land of Israel that had been sold, went back to their original owners. The Parashot (Weekly Torah portions) continue with other laws about the sale of land, laws about not charging interest on loans and laws about how to treat servants before releasing them in the Yovel (Jubilee) year. God promised the Children of Israel that if they observe His commandments, they will be prosperous and live securely in the Land of Israel. But God also warned the Children of Israel that they would not experience His blessings and goodness if they abandon Him. Nevertheless, God reassures them that He will never abandon them, even when they are living in other lands.
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Shabbat-B'shabbato – Parshat Behar (Abroad: Parshat Emor) No 1573: 20 Iyar 5775 (9 May 2015)
Shabbat-B'Shabbato – Parshat Behar (Abroad: Parshat Emor) No 1573: 20 Iyar 5775 (9 May 2015) AS SHABBAT APPROACHES The Bill of Sale - by Rabbi Oury Cherki, Machon Meir, Rabbi of Beit Yehuda Congregation, Jerusalem Before Jerusalem was conquered by the Kasdim, G-d commanded Yirmiyahu to buy the field belonging to his cousin Chanamel, as we read in the Haftarah for this week. This symbolic act, which took place in the last moments before the city fell, is a sign to those about to leave in exile that they will return to Zion: "This is what the G-d of Hosts, the G-d of Yisrael says: Houses and fields and vineyards will be bought in this land" [Yirmiyahu 32:15]. The verses which describe in great detail how the bill of sale was written and then stored in an earthenware vessel, the testimony given before the witnesses, and the transfer of the money, serve as sources for many laws of purchase, including the law that a marriage is performed by the groom giving the bride money or a valuable object (Kidushin 2b). The connection between establishing a private home – marriage – and an act that is relevant for the nation as a whole – return from exile – is not coincidental. An individual achieves perfection if the specific goal of his actions is to benefit the community as a whole. And this is the meaning of the statement that whoever makes a bride and groom happy is considered as having rebuilt some of the ruins of Jerusalem. Yirmiyahu also emphasizes the context within which the general situation will improve, and this too is an important detail along the path to mending reality as a whole: "Behold, G-d, You created the heavens and the earth with Your great might and with Your outstretched hand, nothing can be hidden from You" [32:17].
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PARASHAT BEHAR the Unique Perspective of Parashat Behar Rav
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32 Vayikra B'har
Parashat HaShavuah r;hB Vayikra (Leviticus) Understanding the Parsha 25:1-26:2 B’har Leviticus 25:1-26:2 (On Mount (Sinai) We will Learn how to 1) interpret the main theme (subject)of a Parsha (weekly reading from the Torah), 2) make thematic connections to that Parsha (study the Scriptures related by a common theme [subject], line upon line and precept upon precept) 3) learn how to gain greater understanding of the Parsha we are looking at through its thematic connections to other portions of Scripture. Chiastic Structures Within the Torah Back in Parashat Mishpatim, we saw an example of achiastic structure in the Torah. A chiastic structure is a thematic method of organizing the stories of the Torah. Some believe, the Scriptures are a hodge-podge of stories hooked together in a book; but, they couldn’t be further from the truth. The Scriptures (and the Torah in particular) are a VERY organized and structured document. In fact, they are so well organized, once you understand how to uncover their organizational principles you will definitely fall on your knees and give glory to Adonai, knowing that only an all-knowing, all-powerful Elohim (God) could have developed such highly structured approach. In this lesson, we will uncover another chiastic structure woven through the stories found in the books of Exodus and Leviticus. Thematic analysis is THE primary method and model we should be using to understand and interpret the Scriptures. Adonai intended for us to study the Scripturesthematically. This will become even more evident to you becausethe themes will naturally lead you to profound truths and patterns found in the Torah that would otherwise remain hidden! http://www.restorationoftorah.org http://restorationoftorah.org/WeeklyParsha/MBMBehar.htm 1 The "Problems" With the Sidra Read Leviticus 25:1.What seems "strange" about this verse? It states that the following instructions were given to Moses on __________________ __________________.
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The Sabbatical Year: from the Practical to the Mystical
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Parshat Hashavua Yeshivat Har Etzion PARASHAT BEHAR "Two
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