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Behar (Leviticus 25:1-26:2) Behar 5759
GOOD
MORNING!
Every human being on this planet
has someone who s/he disagrees with -- a spouse, a parent, a
child, a boss, an employee. It is amazing that a parent can walk
into a teenager's room, blow his top about the messiness of the
room, the irresponsibility of the child, the impossibility of finding
anything, the health hazards and the lack of consideration for others
-- and expect his child to say, "Gee, Dad, I never thought of that
before; thank you for pointing it out. I am definitely going to
change!" When that doesn't happen, the parent often figures that
maybe next time if he yells just a little bit louder, the message will
get through. (Insanity is defined as doing the same thing and
expecting different results.) This phenomenon also occurs between groups. In Israel
there is such a lack of communication between groups --
Ashkenazie-Sephardie, Right-wing-Left-wing, Religious-Secular --
that a Tel Aviv University study in 1998 reported that "70% of Israeli
Jews expect an outbreak of political and religious violence."
(research by Modiin Ezrachi). To counter this, a group of secular
and religious Jews have created Common Denominator, endorsed
by the UJA, to unify the Jewish people. The following piece was
created to foster communication. (If you feel that preventing a civil
war in Israel is one of your top priorities, you might want to contact
them -- David Geffen, 9722-566-0048, fax: 9722-566-0047,
dgeffen@unity.org.il or check out their website --
http://www.unity.org.il ) The 10 Commandments of How to Have a Good Fight Torah
Portion of the Week Behar begins with the laws of Shemitah, the Sabbatical year, where the Jewish people are commanded not to plant their fields or tend to them in the seventh year. Every 50th year is the Yovel, the Jubilee year, where agricultural activity is also proscribed. These two commandments fall into one of the seven categories of evidence that G-d gave the Torah. If the idea is to give the land a rest, then do not plant one-seventh of the land each year. To command an agrarian society to completely stop cultivating every 7th year one has to be either G-d or a meshugenah (crazy). Also included in this portion: redeeming land which was sold, to strengthen your fellow Jew when his economic means are faltering, not to lend to your fellow Jew with interest, the laws of indentured servants. The portion ends with the admonition to not make idols, to observe the Shabbat and to revere the Sanctuary. The second portion for this week, Bechukotai, begins with the multitude of blessings you will receive for keeping the commandments of the Torah. (Truly worth reading!) It also contains the Tochachah, words of admonition, "If you will not listen to Me and will not perform all of these commandments..." There are seven series of seven punishments each. Understand that G-d does not punish for punishment's sake; He wants to get our attention so that we will introspect, recognize our errors and correct our ways. G-d does not wish to destroy us or annul His covenant with us. He wants us to know that there are consequences for our every action; He also wants to get our attention so that we do not stray so far away that we assimilate and disappear as a nation. I highly recommend reading Lev. 26:14 - 45 and Deut. 28. Dvar Torah based on Growth Through Torah by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin The Torah states, "You shall not hurt the feelings of one another, and you shall fear the Almighty" (Leviticus 25:17). Why does the verse end with the words, "and you shall fear the Almighty"? Rabbi Shlomo Kluger commented: Some people are careless with the feelings of other people; they think that they only have to be careful to observe those commandments which involve man's obligation to the Almighty. The Truth is that if a person is not careful with his obligations to his fellow men and speaks against them and hurts their feelings, he will eventually be careless with the commandments between man and the Almighty. This is why the Torah adds the admonition to fear the Almighty at the end of the verse. Failure to observe the first half of the verse will lead to failure to observe the latter half of the verse. Since verbal abuse can cause so much suffering, much care must be taken not to say things to people that will hurt their feelings. The more sensitive someone is, the greater care we must take when speaking to him not to cause pain with our words. Not only is it important to watch what you say to someone, but also your tone of voice is crucial. If you shout at someone or speak in an angry voice, this causes hurt feelings and is included in this prohibition. Every time you speak to someone you have a choice of saying things that will make him feel good (which is the fulfillment of an act of Chesed, kindness) or you might say something that will hurt him (and violate this prohibition). Utilize your power of speech to build people up, not to tear them down. Published: Thursday, January 20, 2000
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