Torah Reading for Behar
In Israel: Bechukotai
Parshat Behar
Shabbat, 20 Iyar, 5779
25 May, 2019
SELECT A PORTION:
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7thHaftarahComplete
2nd Portion: (Leviticus 25:14-18)
BothEnglishHebrew
Leviticus Chapter 25
14And when you make a sale to your fellow Jew or make a purchase from the hand of your fellow Jew, you shall not wrong one another. | ידוְכִֽי־תִמְכְּר֤וּ מִמְכָּר֙ לַֽעֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ ×֥וֹ ×§Ö¸× Ö¹Ö–×” מִיַּ֣ד עֲמִיתֶ֑ךָ ×Ö·×œÖ¾×ªÖ¼×•Ö¹× Ö–×•Ö¼ ×Ö´Ö¥×™×©× ×ֶת־×ָחִֽיו: | |
And when you make a sale to your fellow-Jew or make a purchase from your fellow-Jew: Its simple meaning is obvious. The verse can also be expounded [to teach us the following lesson]: How do we know that when you wish to sell, you should sell to your fellow-Jew? For Scripture says, “ וְכִי תִמְכְּרוּ מִמְכָּר לַעֲמִיתֶךָ,” i.e., “And when you make a sale--sell to your fellow-Jew!” And how do we know that if you come to buy, you should buy from your fellow-Jew? For Scripture continues here: “×וֹ ×§Ö¸× Ö¹×” מִיַּד עֲמִיתֶךָ,” i.e., “or when you buy--buy from your fellow-Jew!” - [Torath Kohanim 25:29] | וכי תמכרו וגו': לפי פשוטו כמשמעו. ועוד יש דרשה ×ž× ×™×Ÿ כש×תה מוכר, מכור לישר×ל חברך, תלמוד לומר וכי תמכרו ממכר לעמיתך מכור, ×•×ž× ×™×Ÿ ש×× ×‘×ת ×œ×§× ×•×ª ×§× ×” מישר×ל חברך, תלמוד לומר ×ו ×§× ×” מיד עמיתך: | |
you shall not wrong: This means wronging through money (see verse 17 below and Lev. 19:33). - [Torath Kohanim 25:31] | ×ל ×ª×•× ×•: זו ××•× ×ת ממון: | |
15According to the number of years after the Jubilee, you shall purchase from your fellow Jew; according to the number of years of crops, he shall sell to you. | טובְּמִסְפַּ֤ר שָ×× Ö´×™×Ö™ ×ַחַ֣ר הַיּוֹבֵ֔ל ×ªÖ´Ö¼×§Ö°× Ö¶Ö–×” מֵ×ֵ֣ת עֲמִיתֶ֑ךָ בְּמִסְפַּ֥ר שְ×× ÖµÖ½×™Ö¾×ªÖ°×‘×•Ö¼×ֹ֖ת יִמְכָּר־לָֽךְ: | |
According to the number of years after the Jubilee, you shall purchase: The following is its simple meaning, to explain the verse according to its context: [The text] comes to warn against wronging [by overcharging, thereby linking verses 14-16 together (Mizrachi)], [namely, that] when you sell or purchase land, you should be aware of how many years remain until the [next] Jubilee, and according to [that number of] years and the crops that it is fit to yield, the seller should sell and the buyer should buy. For indeed, he will eventually return it to him in the Jubilee year. Thus, if there are [only] a few years [left until the next Jubilee year], and this one sells it for a high price, the purchaser has been wronged. And if there are many years [left until the next Jubilee year], and he will eat many crops from it [until Jubilee-if the purchaser had purchased the land for a low price], the seller has been wronged. Therefore, it must be purchased according to the time [left until the next Jubilee]. And this is [the meaning of] what it says, תְבוּ×ֹת ×™Ö´×žÖ°×›Ö¸Ö¼×¨×œÖ¸î ‚ בְּמִסְפַּר שְ×× Öµ×™, “according to the number of years of crops, he shall sell to you.” “According to the number of years of crop yields that it will remain in the hands of the purchaser, you shall sell it to him.” Now, [the word שְ×× Öµ×™ can mean “years of” or can mean “two.” Thus,] our Rabbis have expounded from here (see end of this Rashi for clarification), that one who sells his field is not permitted to redeem it in less than two years, that it must remain in the purchaser’s possession for exactly two years to the day, even if there are three crops during those two years, for example, if he sold it to him with crop standing in it [and then the ensuing years brought two more yields of produce. In that case, the seller cannot redeem after one year, claiming that two years’ crops have been issued,] for the word שְ×× Öµ×™ [which could mean two, i.e., two yields] does not leave its simple meaning [that it means years,] referring to [the number of years that elapse and] specifically, years that elapse with a yield of crop, but not years of blight. [Now, if the word שְ×× Öµ×™ means “years” and not two, then how do our Rabbis expound it to mean “two years”?] Because [the term שְ×× Öµ×™ is plural, and] the minimum quantity implied by שָ×× Ö´×™× is two. — [Arachin 29b; Mizrachi] | במספר ×©× ×™× ×חר היובל ×ª×§× ×”: זהו פשוטו ליישב ×ž×§×¨× ×¢×œ ××•×¤× ×™×• על ×”××•× ××” ×‘× ×œ×”×–×”×™×¨, כשתמכור ×ו ×ª×§× ×” קרקע דע כמה ×©× ×™× ×™×© עד היובל. ולפי ×”×©× ×™× ×•×ª×‘×•×ות השדה ×©×”×™× ×¨×ויה לעשות ימכור המוכר ×•×™×§× ×” ×”×§×•× ×”, שהרי סופו להחזירה לו ×‘×©× ×ª היובל. ו×× ×™×© ×©× ×™× ×ž×•×¢×˜×•×ª וזה מוכרה ×‘×“×ž×™× ×™×§×¨×™× ×”×¨×™ × ×ª×× ×” לוקח, ו×× ×™×© ×©× ×™× ×ž×¨×•×‘×•×ª ו×כל ×ž×ž× ×” תבו×ות הרבה ולקחה ×‘×“×ž×™× ×ž×•×¢×˜×™× ×”×¨×™ × ×ª×× ×” מוכר, לפיכך צריך ×œ×§× ×•×ª×” לפי הזמן. וזהו ×©× ×מר במספר ×©× ×™ תבו×ות ימכר לך, לפי ×ž× ×™×Ÿ ×©× ×™ התבו×ות ×©×ª×”× ×¢×•×ž×“×ª ביד הלוקח תמכור לו. ×•×¨×‘×•×ª×™× ×• דרשו מכ×ן, שהמוכר שדהו ××™× ×• רש××™ לג×ול פחות משתי ×©× ×™×, שתעמוד שתי ×©× ×™× ×‘×™×“ הלוקח ×ž×™×•× ×œ×™×•×, ו×פילו יש שלש תבו×ות ב×ותן שתי ×©× ×™×, כגון שמכרה לו בקמותיה. ×•×©× ×™ ××™× ×• ×™×•×¦× ×ž×¤×©×•×˜×•, כלומר מספר ×©× ×™× ×©×œ תבו×ות, ×•×œ× ×©×œ שדפון, ומעוט ×©× ×™× ×©× ×™×: | |
16The more [the remaining] years, you shall increase its purchase [price], and the fewer the [remaining] years, you shall decrease its purchase [price], because he is selling you a number of crops. | טזלְפִ֣י | רֹ֣ב הַשָּ×× Ö´Ö—×™× ×ªÖ·Ö¼×¨Ö°×‘Ö¶Ö¼×”Ö™ ×žÖ´×§Ö°× Ö¸×ªÖ”×•Ö¹ וּלְפִי֙ מְעֹ֣ט הַשָּ×× Ö´Ö”×™× ×ªÖ·Ö¼×žÖ°×¢Ö´Ö–×™×˜ ×žÖ´×§Ö°× Ö¸×ªÖ‘×•Ö¹ ×›Ö´Ö¼Öš×™ מִסְפַּ֣ר תְּבוּ×ֹ֔ת ×”Ö¥×•Ö¼× ×žÖ¹×›ÖµÖ–×¨ לָֽךְ: | |
you shall increase its purchase: You should sell it at a high price. | תרבה ×ž×§× ×ª×•: ×ª×ž×›×¨× ×” ביוקר: | |
you shall decrease its purchase: You should sell it for less money [than in the case in which many years are left until the Jubilee]. — [Mizrachi]. | תמעיט ×ž×§× ×ª×•: תמעיט בדמיה: | |
17And you shall not wrong, one man his fellow Jew, and you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord, your God. | ×™×–×•Ö°×œÖ¹Ö¤× ×ª×•Ö¹× ×•Ö¼Ö™ ×Ö´Ö£×™×©× ×ֶת־עֲמִית֔וֹ וְיָרֵ֖×תָ מֵֽ×ֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ ×›Ö´Ö¼Ö›×™ ×Ö²× Ö´Ö¥×™ יְהֹוָ֖ה ×ֱלֹֽהֵיכֶֽ×: | |
And you shall not wrong, one man his fellow-Jew: Here, [as opposed to the same expression in verse 14 above (see Rashi there),] Scripture is warning against wronging verbally, namely, that one must not provoke his fellow [Jew], nor may one offer advice to him that is unsound for him but according to the mode of life or the benefit of the advisor. And if you say, “Who can tell whether I had evil intentions [when I talked to my fellow in an insulting manner? Perhaps I did so in order to make him feel remorseful and repent his ways].” (see Be’er Basadeh). Therefore, it says, “and you shall fear your God.”-The One Who knows all thoughts-He knows. Concerning anything held in the heart and known only to the one who bears this thought in his mind, it says “and you shall fear your God!” - [B.M. 58b] | ×•×œ× ×ª×•× ×• ×יש ×ת עמיתו: ×›×ן הזהיר על ××•× ×ת דברי×, ×©×œ× ×™×§× ×™×˜ ×יש ×ת חברו ×œ× ×™×©×™×× ×• עצה ש××™× ×” ×”×•×’× ×ª לו לפי דרכו ×•×”× ×תו של יועץ. ו×× ×ª×מר, מי יודע ×× × ×ª×›×•×•× ×ª×™ לרעה, לכך × ×מר ויר×ת מ×להיך, היודע מחשבות ×”×•× ×™×•×“×¢. כל דבר המסור ללב, ש×ין מכיר ××œ× ×ž×™ שהמחשבה בלבו, × ×מר בו ויר×ת מ×להיך: | |
18You shall perform My statutes, keep My ordinances and perform them then you will live on the land securely. | יחוַֽעֲשִׂיתֶ×Ö™ ×ֶת־חֻקֹּתַ֔י וְ×ֶת־מִשְ×פָּטַ֥י תִּשְ×מְר֖וּ ×•Ö·Ö½×¢Ö²×©Ö´×‚×™×ªÖ¶Ö£× ×Ö¹×ªÖ¸Ö‘× ×•Ö´Ö½×™×©Ö·××‘Ö°×ªÖ¶Ö¼Ö¥× ×¢Ö·×œÖ¾×”Ö¸×ָ֖רֶץ לָבֶֽטַח: | |
Then you will live on the land securely: because it is through the transgression of [the laws of] Shemittah that the Israelites are exiled [from their land], as the verse says, “Then, the land will appease its Sabbaths. [All the days of desolation while you are in the land of your enemies -] the land will rest and appease its Sabbaths” (Lev. 26:34). And the seventy years of the Babylonian exile [when the land remained forcibly at rest], corresponded to the seventy years of Shemittah not observed by Israel, [and thus came to rectify and “appease” them]. [see Rashi Lev. 26:35where the calculation is explained; Shab. 33a; and see II Chron. 36:21] | ×•×™×©×‘×ª× ×¢×œ ×”×רץ לבטח: שבעון שמטה ישר×ל גולי×, ×©× ×מר (×•×™×§×¨× ×›×• לד) ××– תרצה ×”×רץ ×ת שבתותיה והרצת ×ת שבתותיה, ×•×©×‘×¢×™× ×©× ×” של גלות בבל, ×›× ×’×“ ×©×‘×¢×™× ×©×ž×˜×•×ª שבטלו היו: |