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Behar-Bechukotai - in Mount
Sinay - סיני
(In regular read with Parashah 33, in leap years read separately)
Shanah ha Shimittah (sabbatical year); year of release; Shavatah la Eretz (Sabbatical ceasing for land) and Shnat (year) ha Yovel or Seven Year land Shabbat (Shemittah) - (cf Devarim 15:1-11)
And YHWH spake unto Mosheh in the Mount Sinai, saying:
25:2
Daber el-benai Yisrael ve amarta aleihem:
Ki
tavou el-haeretz asher Ani noten lakhem veshavta ha
eretz shabat laYehovah:
When
ye come into the land which I give you, then the land shall have a Shabat unto
YHWH (יהוה).
25:3 Six shanim (years) thou shalt sow thy field, and six shanim (years) thou shalt prune thy kerem (vineyard), and gather in the fruit thereof;
25:4 But in the Shanah ha shevi'it (7th yr) shall be a Shabbat of rest unto the land, a Shabbat for YHWH (יהוה):
Thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy kerem (vineyard).
25:5 Thou shalt not reap the aftergrowth of thy harvest, neither gather the grapes of thy vine unpruned: [for] it is a Shanat Shabbaton (year of rest) unto ha eretz (land).
25:6 And the Shabbat of the land shall be oklah (food) for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy sakhir, and for toshavkha ha gerim (thy stranger who sojourneth) with thee,
25:7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that [are] in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be oklah (food).
25:8 And thou shalt number seven Shabbatot of shanim (years) unto thee, seven times seven shanim (years); and the space of the seven Shabbatot of shanim (years) shall be unto thee forty and nine shanim (years).
25:9 Then shalt thou cause the Shofar of the yovel to sound a broken blast on the tenth [day] of the seventh month, in Yom ha Kippurim shall ye make the Shofar sound throughout all your land.
25:10
And ye shall kadosh (set apart) the fiftieth year, and proclaim
deror (release) throughout [all] the land unto all the inhabitants
thereof: it shall be a yovel unto you; and ye shall return
every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man
unto his mishpochah (family).
25:11 A yovel (Jubilee) shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather [the grapes] in it of thy vine uncultivated.
25:12 For it [is] the yovel; it shall be kodesh unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.
25:13 In the year of this yovel ye shall return every man unto his possession.(holding)
Jubilee:- Proclaim liberty for all
And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest [ought] of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not to exploit one another:
25:15 According to the number of shanim (years) after the yovel thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, [and] according unto the number of shanim (years) of the fruits he shall sell unto thee:
25:16 According to the multitude of shanim (years) thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of shanim thou shalt diminish the price of it: for [according] to the number [of the years] of the fruits doth he sell unto thee.
25:17 Ye shall not to take advantage of one another; but thou shalt fear Eloheicha: for ANI YHWH (יהוה) Eloheichem.
25:18 Wherefore ye shall do My chukkot (statutes), and shomer My mishpatim, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.
Dwelling Securely:- Those who keep shemittah will prosper in the land.
And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.
25:20 And if ye shall say:
What shall we eat the Shanah HaShevi'it (7th yr)?
Hinnei, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:
25:21 Then I will command My berkah(blessing) upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for shalosh (3) shanim (years).
25:22 And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat [yet] of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat [of] the old [store].
25:23 The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land [is] mine; for you [are] gerim (strangers) and toshavim (sojourners) with Me.
25:24 And in all the eretz your possession ye shall grant a geulah (redemption) for the land.
If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away [some] of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.
25:26 And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it;
25:27 Then let him chishav (count) the shenei (years) of the mimka (sale) thereof, and ha shiv (refund) ha adaf (surplus) unto the man to whom he makhar (sold) it; that he may shav (return) unto his achuzato (possession).
25:28 But if he be not able to restore [it] to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the Shnat (year) ha Yovel : and in the yovel it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession.
And if a man sell a Beit Moshav (dwelling-house) in a walled
city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold;
[within] a full year may he redeem it.
25:30 And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the bayit that [is] in the walled city shall be established for ever to him that bought it throughout his generations: it shall not go out in the yovel.
25:31
But the batim haChatzer (village houses) which have no
wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the
country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the
yovel.
Levite Cities The Levites’ Ancestral Heritage
25:32 Notwithstanding the cities of the Leviim, [and] the batim (houses) of the cities of their possession, may the Leviim redeem at any time.
25:33
And if a man purchase of the Leviim, then the bayit that
was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in [the
year of] yovel: for the Batim (houses) of the cities of the Leviim
[are] their possession among the benai Yisrael.
25:34 But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it [is] their perpetual possession.
Preventing Poverty Those Who Have Means Are to Extend Charity to Those In Need
25:35 And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: [yea, though he be] a ger, or a toshav (temporary resident); that he may live with thee.
25:36 Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear Eloheicha; that thy brother may live with thee.
25:37 Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.
25:38 ANI YHWH (יהוה) Eloheichem, which brought you forth out of ha eretz Mitzrayim, to give you ha eretz Kenaan, [and] to be Eloheichem.
25:39 (RY:iv, LY:vi) Acts 2:42-47
Redeeming the unhoused : Do not degrade those who lose their houses
And if thy brother [that dwelleth] by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a avodat eved:
25:40 [But] as an sakhir (employee, hired servant), [and] as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, [and] shall serve thee unto the Shnat (year) ha Yovel :
25:41 And [then] shall he depart from thee, [both] he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own mishpochah (family), and unto the possession of his avot shall he return.
25:42 For they [are] My avadim, which I brought forth out of the eretz Mitzrayim: they shall not be sold as bondmen.
25:43 Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear Eloheicha.
25:44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, [shall be] of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.
25:45 Moreover of the benai ha toshavim (strangers) that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that [are] with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.
25:46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit [them for] a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the benai Yisrael, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.
Redeeming all Yisrael:- Torah prohibits enslaving its citizens forever
And if a stranger or toshav (sojourner) wax rich by thee, and thy brother [that dwelleth] by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger [or] sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's mishpochah (family):
25:48 After that he is sold he may be ge'ulah (redeemed) again; one of his brethren may redeem him:
25:49 Either his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or [any] that is nigh of kin unto him of his mishpochah (family) may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.
ve khishav im-kone hu mi'shnat hi'makhro lo ad shenat ha Yovel ve hayah kesef mimkaro be'mispar shanim b'yom sakhir ve hayah imo:
25:50 And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the shenat (year) ha Yovel : and the kesef (price) of his sale shall be according unto the number of shanim (years), according to the b'yom (day) sakhir (employee, hired servant) shall it be with him.
25:51 If [there be] yet many shanim [behind], he shall refund part of his purchase price in proportion to them for his own redemption.
25:52 And if there remain but few shanim unto the Shnat (year) ha Yovel , then he shall count with him, [and] according unto his shanim shall he give him again the price of his redemption.
25:53 [And] as a yearly sakhir (employee, hired servant) shall he be with him: [and the other] shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight.
25:54 And if he be not redeemed in these [years], then he shall go out in the Shnat (year) ha Yovel , [both] he, and his children with him.
25:55 (LY:Maftir) Exodus 23;10,11; Lev 25:1-7
For unto Me benai Yisrael [are] avadim; they [are] My avadim whom I brought forth out of the eretz Mitzrayim:
ANI YHWH (יהוה) Eloheichem.
This Parshat "Behar"Behar-Bechukotei (Leviticus 25:1-27-34) summary outline.
Key Person:- Mosheh
The Scene is the Mishkan, in the wilderness of Sinai
It is the time when the Yisraelite were at the foot of the mountain, while Hashem manifest His majesty and power on the Mount. Note that the begining of 25:1 and 26:46 ending with the word "on the mount" covenant making and giving the commandments. This portion contains the laws of Shmitah and Yovel, the Torah relating to the selling and repurchase of fields and houses in Yisrael. This Torah portion theme teaches us to rely On Elohim's provision, states that the land belongs to Elohim which cannot be sold we are just a steward of His property entrust to us. It was the purpose of Calling us back to the freedom to serve Elohim, Yisraelites takes comfort that she would not to be enslave forever, never loses the inheritance, Hashem never forgets Yisrael or abandon her. This theme also a calling to abstain and renunciation or forsake Idolatry, It is more important to listen HaShem, observe His commandments and do them. It was an account of rewards for those were obedient and punishment for those keep not the Torah.
The theme also cover the fact that the Kinsmen redeemer as on his part the act of self sacrifice and act of love to pay the price to care for the welfare of the family to redeem and restore their property. The series of Brit Hadashah reading cover a great deal of fact that we are commanded to love one another and care for one another. The Jubilee for believer in Yeshua stand point as the eternal calling to freedom and the good news of hope. We need to learn that sabbatical year, Jubilee, Kinsmen Redeemer are the laws of provision as an act as gift and grace unmerited favour. not to be taken for granted.
Yom Shabbat - Exodus 20:8-11;31:12-7; Lev 23:3 Deut 5:12-15 Every seventh day was a solemn rest from all work.
Rosh Hodesh - Num 28:11-15; Psa 81:3 - The first day of each month was a day of rest special sacrifices, and blowing of Silver Trumpet and Shofar
The Feast of Purim - Esther 9:18-32 This feast was celebrated on the 14th and 15th days of 12th Adar
Shmita (Exodus 23:10,11; Lev 25:1-7) (Hebrew: שמיטה, literally "release"), also called the Shabbatical Year, is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah for the Land of Israel. While shavtah la Eretz meaning Shabbatical ceasing for the land.Each Shemittah we remember that Hashem is the ownership of the land, Master of the land, giver of the land and provider crops yielding thus the land not us, we are just stewards, it is a parallel significant understand between shemittah and shabbat is that a double portion of manna fell to feed us through Shabbat, just as the sixth year will yield enough produce to see us through Shemittah.
Yovel - Jubilee - Literally means ram or ram's horn (Yehoshuua 6:5, During this year the Yisraelites experienced freedom and liberty; Slaves were freed; debts were canceled, the land was left uncultivated, family property was redeem 25:10-17. he must remember that his freedom is a gift from Elohim, and thus that freedom should be utilized to serve Adonay. The fact that Yeshua quoted Yeshayahu 61:1,2 during his earthly ministry was the Year of Yovel (Loukas 4:18,19). We also see in Mattityahu 12 and also Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5 Yeshua and Talmidim on the second shabbat went on the corn field to pluck ears of corn to eat was accuse of violating the Shabbat, it was then the seaon of Yovel as they could freely pluck the crops to eat.
The Torah calls Shemittah a form of Shabbat Shemittah is mentioned several times in the Tenakh:
Shevi'it produce has sanctity requiring special rules for its use:
Aftergrowth - The Sh'mittah applies the concept of the Nazirite vow to the land the word "aftergrowth" of harvest is left growing like the long hair of a Nazirite. The word aftergrowth meaning the plants that spring up on their own without deliberate sowing. Let nature take its place. Let Hashem take care of the nature.although you did not sow it, but it grew by itself from seeds that [inadvertently] had dropped on [the ground] at the time of harvesting. This is called סְפִיחַ.
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Sow and Plough the Land |
Every 7th Shanah shemittah the Land Rest |
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 50th year Yovel |
25:11 A yovel shall that 50th year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather [the grapes] in it of thy vine uncultivated. | Shofar of the yovel to sound a broken blast on the tenth [day] of the seventh month, in Yom ha Kippurim | |||||
| Elohim provides all needs during the year of Yovel. As a result, in the Year of Yovel Elohim’s people do not need to strive and struggle to provide, we rest and are satisfied. | “I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of Elohim is with men, and HE will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and Elohim Himself shall be with them, and be their Elohim. And Elohim shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Rev 21:3-4 | ||||||
KINSMAN REDEMPTION = IS A DUTY
REDEMPTION AND RELEASE
• Go’el = the type who redeems the land or
the person of a family member
• Go’el haDam = the type
who avenges the death of a family member
• Go’el = the type who marries a son-less widow
• Kinsman several Hebrew terms
• Ach a sibling, a close relative, a brother-like relationship
• Karov means “near”, a near relative
• Moda intimate friend, as close as brother
Redeemer pays the price, family member gets the benefit. It was a LEGALLY REQUIRED act of self-sacrifice. Longest time of forced (bound) employment is until debt is paid off (by labor) or until Shanat haYovel. No Israelite can own a Hebrew slave permanently.
Redemption is deliverance from some sort of bondage. The redeemer was to be the nearest blood relative so that the inheritance could return to the family / tribe. One must always remember even though man is free and enjoys the right to own land and determine his own destiny (free will);
The fundamental Truth is that no Yisraelite would permanently lose his inheritance. Similarly concept, redemption is a gift of the covenant we have in Yeshua the Messiah. This is a common theme throughout the Tenakh
There is no explicit mention of a kinsman redeemer in the Ketuvei Shelachim (Apostolic Writings). The primary source texts in the Tanach which deal with this principle are found in Vayikra 25 , Bamidbar 35, Devarim 19, and Rut 4.resemble the Messiah’s role as redeemer and deliverer. an excellent example of this concept in the sefer Iyov gives us an interesting insight into the role of the redeemer at the end of days. Job gave witness to the messiah predicting Him as the coming redeemer. Iyov 19:25 As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
Mashiach Yeshua is the ultimate fulfillment of the TYPE (kinsman redeemer). It should be noted that our redemption, similar to the redemption of Yisrael from Mitzrayim (Egypt), is the subject of prophecy and the work of the Messiah on our behalf was foreordained (Kefa Alef 1:18-20). Yeshua fulfills these requirements for him to act as our kinsman redeemer.
25:23-28 The Land could be sold, but not permanently, because Hashem is the Owner. There were three ways in which land could be "redeemed" (revert to its original Jewish owner):
The nearest relative could buy it back for the seller (v. 25);
The seller (original owner), if he regained financial solvency, could redeem it, paying the purchaser for the years remaining until the Year of Jubilee (vv. 26, 27);
otherwise, the land automatically reverted to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee (v. 28).
How does HaShem's ownership of the Land (Vayikra 25:23; Ex. 15:17; Yeshayahu 14:2, 25; Jer. 2:7; Ez 36:5; 38:16; Hos. 9:3; Ps. 10:15(16), 85:1(2), transform your understanding of the parable of the wicked vinedressers (Matt 21:33-46)
Read Romaios 11:25-27. Notice that HaShem sent Moshiach only after Yisra'el had descended into spiritual bondage to an idolatrous empire. What does Moshiach do, as kinsman redeemer, when he comes to take away Yisra'el's sins?
Study Acts 2:42-47. Explain how the redeemed believers first treated those in their midst who were indebted or homeless.
Explain how the Ruach rewarded
kinsmen redeemers for setting free the impoverished brethren.