Parshat Behar, Shmitta, Building the Land and Lag BaOmer
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- Rabbi Simcha Hochbaum of Hebron talks about Parshat Behar and Lag BaOmer. Hard work reaps reward, but we also must take a break and realize blessings come from a Higher Source as well.
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Shalom my friends this is Simcha Hochbaum of Hebron. This Shabbat we are reading Parshat Behar which is all about the laws of Shmitta. In the Shmitta year we allow the land to lay fallow and rest so it can produce more nutrients and be able to provide in the most efficient way.
But Shmitta is not only for the land. Shmitta is also for us to learn belief in God.
World economics teaches us the more you work, the harder you exert yourself, the more you put in, the more you labor, the more you toil, the more profit you make.
Jewish economics is just the opposite. Sometimes the blessing comes from not working, by abstaining from work and not opening my store on Sabbath and not working the land for an entire year, God blesses not only that particular year, but the year before and beyond afterwards to show that all blessing and financial prosperity is coming from above.
This week we also celebrate Lag BaOmer, the date of the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. He stood out in a unique from all the other Tannaic authors in that he devoted himself completely to the service of God.
He was completely immersed only in the study of Torah and prayer. Everyone else combined profession together with Torah learning.
Similar to this, Shmitta is the one year in which we Paskin like Shimon Bar Yochai. We follow his ways.Six years we have to work and toil the soil and do the 39 labors that the Torah commands us with. Then you have that 7th year where we put all our faith in Hashem and the farmer doesn't have to worry about economics but he just completely immerses himself and has his mind free in order to serve Hashem
We should be able in the merit of the great Tanna Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai to reveal the great secrets of life, the secret of economics, the secrets of the Torah, the secrets of our soul, the secrets of our existence.
May we be privileged this Shabbat to have eternal rest both at a personal level and a national level.
The earth of Israel should be able to rest in peace. The people and its land should have peace and security. Shabbat shalom.
Thank you Rabbi 🙏