This week’s parsha seems to steeply depart from the core of Leviticus not only in terms of content but in terms of location, too. Suddenly, we are transported back to Mount Sinai for a non-sequitur agricultural conversation between God and Moses. While some may argue that there is no such thing as time in Torah, commentators have pointed out that invoking the Mountain of God lends a particular gravitas to the subsequently listed laws and ideas.
So what could be so important about letting the land rest every seven years? What could be so important, then, about the Jubilee year? The Shavuot of years! (Speaking of which, be sure to check out information about our Shavuot service honoring our confirmation students and the learning session on the same evening following services!)
It is my opinion that there are, in reality, three Torahs braided into one: There is the priestly, religious Torah full of laws and rituals. There is the militaristic Torah, full of regulation and guidance. Finally, there is the agricultural Torah which intimately intertwines the relationship between the land, its fruit, and the progeny of Israel. Parashat B’har is precisely the reminder that we are stewards not only of the land but of each future generation. That what we do in this year directly affects what happens 49 years from now, both in terms of how we treat the land, but also in how we treat our children and our children’s children. So much so, that land is given the opportunity to rest (to avoid horrific situations like the American Dust Bowl), and that debt incurred by parents is forgiven in the Jubilee year. By invoking Mount Sinai, in the context of agriculture and progeny, we are meant to remember the eternal covenant God made with Israel and our responsibilities therein, not only then, but with each generation.