Behar-Behukotai; Leviticus 25:1-Leviticus 27:34

With this week’s double portion we come to the end of the book of Leviticus. These portions really connect us to the importance of the land of Israel and the holy earth that the Promised Land is for the Israelites. Behar opens with a discussion of the sabbatical year of rest for the land. Observed to this day in the land of Israel, the shmitta year, or seventh year allows the sacred ground of Eretz Yisrael to rest and renew itself just as on each Shabbat, we human beings are to rest and renew ourselves for the coming week. The Sabbatical year is as we know good farming technique but this elevates it to a sacred obligation to care for the land.

The land and the passage of years and time continue to be a theme as the Jubilee year is described. The fiftieth year of the cycle, the Jubilee is both a sabbatical in terms of planting and harvesting but also in ownership. The property that had been previously sold must revert to its original owners. These were the tribes and clans that had been given it when the land was distributed after the conquest of the Promised Land. Further the Jublilee year releases any slaves as well. Slaves go free.

These verses in Leviticus are quite amazing because they contain in them a unique theology. The sanctity of the land is emphasized through the institutions of the sabbatical year and the Jubilee year. These mitzvot remind us that we do not really ever own the land; instead we must be stewards of the land. God is the ultimate land owner and while we are able to utilize the fruits of the land through our labor, we human beings are reminded through the sabbatical year and Jubilee year observances that there is indeed a Higher Authority at work in the miracle of creation and ownership too!

This is a good reminder in our overly –commercial world where money and acquisitions seem to form the core of our society, that there is more to life than acquiring the most cars, clothes, money, property, and things. While our capitalistic culture emphasizes happiness through shopping and ownership, these ancient verses from Leviticus remind us that perhaps there is another way to think about ownership. That God is the ultimate owner and we are but lent the materials. Further the mitzvot as described in Leviticus helps to equalize society—by redistributing both property and power relationships. It certainly causes us to take a moment to reflect upon the ways in which money and property can cause us to be distracted from leading a life, which puts God and spirituality at the center. This holds true with the ideals of giving tzedakah, which further emphasizes our obligation to care for those in our society who have less. The theology is the money we have must in part be redistributed to the poor because ultimately the money is not ours but all belongs to God.

These verses from Leviticus also hint at the possibility that perhaps, we might use the tools of money and property to create positive relationships with our neighbors and fellow citizens. It emphasizes fair business dealings and admonishes us to not exact an advance or accrued interest. If only those at Mastercard and Visa would read the Torah!

This view puts taking care of basic human needs ahead of profit. Caring for each other in a society is not only the mark of a civilized society but of a spiritual one. These verses in Leviticus help us to honor our fellow neighbors even when the power differential might be explicit. But it admonishes us too, because the ultimate power differential is that God is above us all.

May we read these verses from Leviticus as a humble reminder that all we prize is but lent to us by God. May we be good stewards while it is briefly in our possession.

Posted by Lee at May 13, 2004 02:33 PM