Parasha: Behar · Aliyah: Fourth (Netzach)

כי ימוך אחיך ומכר מאחוזתו, "If your brother becomes poor and has to sell part of his heritage, etc." This paragraph contains cardinal moral-ethical lessons to mankind. Kohelet 10,18 alludes to this when he says: "through slothfulness the ceiling sags." Our sages in Taanit 7 comment on this "you have made "poor" the One of Whom it is said (Psalms 104,3) "המקרה במים עליותיו" "Who sets the rafters of His lofts in the waters;" When people who dwell in the lower parts of the universe stray from the correct path they cause the beneficial outpourigs from the upper part of the universe to cease. They thereby endanger the continuous presence of sanctity on earth. In the final analysis the fate of the universe is determined by the conduct of the creatures who inhabit earth, i.e. "the lower world."

When the Torah says: ומכר מאחוזתו "and he sells part of his heritage," this is a reference to the משכן, the Holy Tabernacle, which is G'd's heritage. The Torah warns us that our sins may result in G'd "selling off" His heritage, i.e. our enemies appropriating our (G'd's) Sanctuary. We find an allusion to this concept in Psalms 79,1 where Assaph describes the Gentiles as having entered G'd's domain. Midrash Tehillim comments on this verse that the redemption of G'd's Sanctuary is in the hands of the righteous who endeavour to be close to G'd. G'd has already told us this in Leviticus 10,3 when He said בקרובי אקדש, "I will be sanctified by those near Me." "They, the righteous, have to redeem what I had to sell." G'd is perceived as calling on the righteous in their capacity as אחי ורעי, "My brothers and My friends" (compare Psalms 122,8). Redemption will occur when the righteous succeed in awakening the hearts of their contemporaries by convincing them that it is really not in their best interest to spend their time exiled from the table of their Father in Heaven. The righteous have to convince the average Jew that what he considers success in his world is illusory if bought at the expense of forfeiting his respective eternity in a better world. In the future all Torah scholars who have failed in their efforts to convince their peers to adopt a Torah-true lifetsyle, etc. will have to render an account before the highest tribunal. G'd will hold those Torah scholars responsible for the continued disgrace suffered by the Holy Temple.

ואיש כי לא יהיה לו גואל, "And if a man has no redeemer, etc." According to Sanhedrin 93 the Torah occasionally uses the word איש as a simile for G'd, such as in Exodus 15,3 ה׳ איש מלחמה. The Torah's message in this verse is that in the event no Jewish leader is at hand to arouse the people to return to G'd as penitents, this is no reason to abandon hope altogether. Rather, והשיגה ידו ומצא כדי גאולתו, the Jewish people will achieve their redemption by alternative means. Sanhedrin 98 describes both afflictions and national exile as means to bring about redemption. The expression והשיגה ידו may be understood as similar to Deut. 2,15: יד ה׳ היתה בם, "the hand of G'd was against them," a reference to G'd exacting retribution through exiling a nation under harsh conditions. Such an exile will eventually lead to redemption of the Holy Temple.

וחשב את שני ממכרו, "let him count the number of years of his sale," etc." The sale occurred due to our sins as mentioned by Isaiah 50,1: "here you have been sold due to your sins," and the sin is equivalent to a debt to be paid off. When the time comes to tear up the I.O.U. a careful accounting is made of any remaining indebtedness before the promissory note is torn up. The Torah speaks about the remaining years the Temple has been in foreign hands. The time it is redeemed depends on the quantity and severity of the collective sins of the people of Israel. We are told in Yuma 86 that if a person actually enjoyed the sins he committed, he has to flagellate himself in a measure which corresponds to the amount of pleasure he had when committing the sins he is guilty of. This is part of the rehabilitation of the sinner. In this manner he will repay his debt. G'd will deal with us in this manner at the time the redemption will be close at hand. This is also what the sages had in mind in Sanhedrin 98 when they refer to the חבלי משיח the birth-pangs to be endured as part of the coming of the Messiah. After that, ושב לאחוזתו, G'd will return to His heritage. The word ושב also refers to Israel. We have a parallel in Deut. 30,3 ושב ה׳ את שבותך "and G'd will return with your captive ones;" we would have expected the Torah to speak about והשיב i.e. "He will bring back" instead of "He will come back" (compare Megillah 29).

ואם לא מצאו ידו די השיב, "But if he does not have sufficient means to restore it to himself, etc." If G'd observes that the people do not possess the strength to endure all the suffering that is their lot, and the debt they owe is still great, והיה ממכרו עד שנת היובל, "then its sale will extend (only) to the Jubilee year, etc." Here the Torah refers to G'd's timetable, i.e. the ultimate date for the eventual redemption. At that time, ויצא ביובל ושב לאחוזתו, He will come out in the Jubilee year and return to His heritage (rebuild the Temple). Exile will come to an end even if the Israelites will be (G'd forbid) absolute sinners.