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Emphasis on the Details
The Parshah begins וידבר ה' אל משה בהר סיני לאמר. Rashi, quoting the Toras Kohanim, writes מה ענין שמיטה אצל הר סיני, והלא כל המצות נאמרו מסיני, אלא מה שמיטה נאמרו כללותיה ופרטותיה ודקדוקיה מסיני, אף כולן נאמרו כללותיהן ודקדוקיהן מסיני. Why is there an emphasis that not only were the כללות said at Sinai but also the דקדוקיהן and פרטות were given at Sinai?
An explanation could be that a person might not attribute significance and importance to the specific details of Mitzvos. A person can understand and identify with the general idea of Mitzvos and their meaning. But it’s hard for a person to understand how the details make a difference. How could it be if someone does מלאכה a minute after צאת הכוכבים he is חייב מיתה but a minute before, he did nothing wrong. How could an Esrog with one little hole be Pasul. So the message being given through emphasizing that also the דקדוקיהן and פרטות of all Mitzvos were given at Sinai is that the specific details are just as importance as the big picture. The idea is just like a small screw in a big machine, without it the whole machine doesn’t work, the same is for the importance of the specific details of a Mitzvah.
But besides for that, what seems to us as big or small isn’t necessarily big or small from the point of view of the נותן התורה. We are not in the position to understand and evaluate what is more important and less important, and what is big and what is small because what seems to us as small and insignificant might be huge and of most significance in his eyes.
In Tehilim Chapter 147, the Pasuk says בונה ירושלים ה' נדחי ישראל יכנס, הרופא לשבורי לב ומחבש לעצבותם מונה מספר לכוכבים לכלם שמות יקרא. Hashem starts with בונה ירושלים ה' which is a major undertaking, changing the whole world. But then immediately the next Pasuk says הרופא לשבורי לב-healing the hearts of an individual human being which is seemingly a small task, and then it continues מונה מספר לכוכבים לכלם which is a large task. So in the eyes of the Ribbono Shel Oilam, there is no big or small, it’s all the same.
The Spirit of Sinai Through Shemittah
Although the Toras Kohanim explains מה ענין שמיטה אצל הר סיני was to teach us that just like שמיטה נאמרו כללותיה ופרטותיה ודקדוקיה מסיני so to all Mitzvos נאמרו כללותיהן ודקדוקיהן מסיני, nevertheless the Ohr Hachaim still asks why was the Mitzvah of שמיטה chosen to teach this message.
It must be that there is a particular connection between the Mitzvah of שמיטה and מעמד הר סיני and שמיטה is supposed to remind us of Sinai and keep the spirit of Sinai alive throughout the generations. One explanation could be that Sinai was an expression of Bitachon as the Mechilta says לא נתנה תורה לדרוש אלא לאוכלי המן and it was in that Zchus that we received the Torah.
Similarly, it says in Birchas Krias Shema בעבור אבותינו שבטחו בך ותלמדם חקי חיים. At Sinai, Klal Yisrael reached the highest level of Bitachon and in that Zchus they merited קבלת התורה. But not only should a person not be preoccupied with his own needs and rely on Hashem with the מידת הבטחון in order to pay full attention to the חקי חיים, but also that in order that we should be able to undertake קיום התורה, we have to believe that the Ribbono Shel Oilam will help us overcome tremendous difficulties. The Gemara in Kiddushin 30b אלמלא הקדוש ברוך הוא עוזרו אין יכול לו, meaning in order for us to do good in a world that is sometimes evil, we need to have Bitachon that if we commit, then we will be able to carry it out. So קבלת התורה requires Bitachon and שמיטה is what instills within us Bitachon and therefore observing שמיטה keeps the spirit of Sinai, the spirit of Bitachon, alive throughout the generations.
In another sense, שמיטה is a time of equality. It’s a time where there is no difference between the poor and rich. During שמיטה, there are no classes. By Matan Torah, the Pasuk says ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר and Chazal say כאיש אחד בלב אחד. By קבלת התורה, there was a tremendous sense of unity. So in this sense as well, שמיטה keeps the spirit of Sinai alive that the כאיש אחד בלב אחד that we were zocheh to at Sinai should stay with us throughout the generations.
A final explanation could be as follows. After Adam HaRishon ate from the Eitz Hadaas, he was cursed with בזעת אפיך תאכל לחם. The Gemara in Shabbos 146a says בשעה שבא נחש על חוה הטיל בה זוהמא ישראל שעמדו על הר סיני - פסקה זוהמתן. Being that the זוהמא was פסק by Har Sinai, it reverted back to the time of before the חטא of Adam HaRishon where there was no curse of בזעת אפיך תאכל לחם. However, the Zohar says that by the חטא העגל, that זוהמא came back. But even though it came back, it didn’t come back completely and therefore there are still moments in time where a person could tap into a time of before the חטא of Adam HaRishon where there was no curse of בזעת אפיך תאכל לחם. The Mitzvah of שמיטה is such a time where a person can live like אדם הראשון קודם החטא because there is no curse of בזעת אפיך תאכל לחם. In this sense שמיטה keeps the spirit of Sinai alive because it’s an experience of פסקה זוהמתן, of אדם הראשון קודם החטא, which is what Klal Yisrael experienced at Sinai.
The Rambam, in the end of Hilchos Shmita V’Yovel, discusses how Shevet Levi has no נחלה in Eretz Yisrael because they were chosen and set aside to serve Hakadosh Boruch Hu and not to be involved with daily and earthly matters. He then famously ends of with the following:
ולא שבט לוי בלבד אלא כל איש ואיש מכל באי העולם אשר נדבה רוחו אותו והבינו מדעו להבדל לעמוד לפני יי לשרתו ולעובדו לדעה את יי והלך ישר כמו שעשהו האלהים ופרק מעל צוארו עול החשבונות הרבים אשר בקשו בני האדם הרי זה נתקדש קדש קדשים ויהיה י"י חלקו ונחלתו לעולם ולעולמי עולמים ויזכה לו בעה"ז דבר המספיק לו כמו שזכה לכהנים ללוים וכו'.
The Rambam doesn’t say where he knows this from. The Radvaz says the Rambam wrote is מיושר דעתו וסברתו. But it would seem that the Rambam got this from the Mishna in Avos 3:5 that says כל המקבל עליו עול תורה מעבירין ממנו עול מלכות ועול דרך ארץ. There, the Rambam writes אמרו:" חרות על הלוחות - חירות על הלוחות", כלומר: החירות מפגעי הזמן ומפגעי השלטון למי שמקיים הדבר הכתוב על הלוחות. Although this אל תיקרי חרות אלא חירות does not appear in Avos that we have, the Midrash Shmuel on Avos says, in the name of Reb Matisyahu HaYitzhari, that the Rambam was גורס this in the Mishna itself. But the question is that חרות was said by the Luchos Rishonos but not by the Luchos Shniyos. The Gemara in Eruvin 54a says as follows:
מאי דכתיב חרות על הלחת - אלמלי לא נשתברו לוחות הראשונות לא נשתכחה תורה מישראל. רב אחא בר יעקב אמר: אין כל אומה ולשון שולטת בהן, שנאמר חרות אל תיקרי חרות אלא חירות.
It’s clear from this Gemara that this אל תיקי was said by the Luchos Rishonos and after the חטא העגל when the Luchos was destroyed, we fell from that level of אל תיקרי חרות אלא חירות. If so, how could the Mishna in Avos say כל המקבל עליו עול תורה מעבירין ממנו עול מלכות ועול דרך ארץ and the Rambam explain אל תיקרי חרות אלא חירות if we are now holding by the Luchos Shniyos which didn’t say חרות?
It must be that a מקבל עליו עול תורה, which the Rambam explains is התמדת הקריאה, can tap into the level of Luchos Rishonos. So אלמלא נשתברו הלוחות, then all Yidden would be on the level of אל תיקרי חרות אלא חירות. But after that, we lost it. However, those select individuals who dedicate themselves and are מקבל עליו עול תורה can tap into the level of Luchos Rishonos and reach the level of חירות.
But the question is if the source for this Rambam is this Mishna in Avos, then what does it have to do with Shevet Levi? Why does the Rambam need to begin ולא שבט לוי בלבד וכו' because based on the Mishna in Avos, this is something promised to anyone who is מקבל עליו עול תורה so why is this brought in the context of Shevet Levi?
In general, the question could be asked why is this Halachah about Levi and anyone else who is נדבה רוחו אותו והבינו מדעו להבדל לעמוד לפני יי לשרתו ולעובדו being mentioned in the end of Hilchos Shmita V’Yovel? The Rambam is famous for being very meticulous when it comes to סדר and there is a reason why each Halachah was put in each place. To bring out this point, the Markeves HaMishna writes על דרך מליצה that אפילו מאן דלא דריש סמוכים בכל התורה - במשנה תורה דריש. Therefore, the question can be asked why the Rambam brought down this Halachah in the context of Hilchos Shmita V’Yovel.
The answer could be that the Rambam understood that the root of כל המקבל עליו עול תורה מעבירין ממנו עול מלכות ועול דרך ארץ is the idea that a person could reconnect to the level of Luchos Rishonos. This is why Shevet Levi has the promise of ה' הוא נחלתם because they didn’t sin with the חטא העגל and therefore they never lost the level of אל תיקרי חרות אלא חירות of the Luchos Rishonos. Therefore, anyone who is המקבל עליו עול תורה who reaches back to the level of חירות is reconnecting with the level of Shevet Levi who never did the חטא העגל.
According to all this, it could be understood why the Rambam quoted this Halacha about Shevet Levi and anyone who wishes to dedicate their life to a higher purpose in the end of Hilchos Shmita V’Yovel. The reason is because the year of שמיטה is about living like אדם הראשון קודם החטא where there was no curse of בזעת אפיך תאכל לחם and a person will be taken care of by the Ribbono Shel Oilam. The same is true about Shevet Levi who didn’t sin with the חטא העגל and therefore the זוהמא which was פסקא by Har Sinai remained for Shevet Levi and therefore they are living a life of אדם הראשון קודם החטא where there was no curse of בזעת אפיך תאכל לחם.
Counting Yovel and Counting Sefira
When it comes to counting the years of יובל, the Pasuk says וספרת לך שבע שבתת שנים שבע שנים שבע פעמים. However, regarding the counting of the Omer, the Pasuk in Parshas Emor says וספרת לך שבע שבתות תמימות. On that Pasuk, the Gemara Menachos 65b says וספרת לכם-שתהא ספירה לכל אחד ואחד that each individual should count. Tosfos points out that by Yovel the Pasuk says וספרת לך which is only for the Beis Din. Therefore when the Pasuk by the Omer says וספרת לכם, we need a special drashah of שתהא ספירה לכל אחד ואחד to teach us that each individual needs to count the Omer as opposed to the counting towards Yovel which is only done by Beis Din. Why is it that the counting for יובל is only for the Beis Din but counting of the Omer is for each individual?
Perhaps the reason could be that it’s only the Beis Din, the Sanhedrin, who are the עיני העדה-the leading visionaries, who have the ability to look at a fifty year unit, as opposed to the vision of individuals which is much more limited. They don’t have the ability to look fifty years forward. Therefore, only a Mitzvah of counting seven weeks is a Mitzvah for each individual as opposed to counting fifty years which is only something that Beis Din can be in charge of.
The Brisker Rav once said that his father, Reb Chaim, was able to see fifty years into the future. But he was only able to see the here and now. But to be able to see the here and now is also a tremendous quality because there are people who can’t even see the present.
Reb Berel once said that one night, the Brisker Rav told him to sit by the door and if he hears a light knock, he should open the door and chase down the person even if there is no one at the door and tell him that my father is awake and he is waiting for you. Sure enough, there was a light knock and Reb Berel opened the door and there was nobody there but he sees someone walking away so he runs after him and tells him that his father is awake and waiting for him. So the guy came back and the Brisker Rav spoke to him. Later, the Rav explained to Reb Berel that he knew there was a very important אסיפה with all the Gedolei HaTorah about a certain topic and he knew that there would be someone there who would say we need to ask the Brisker Rav. But Reb Itcha Meyer Levine, who was the leader of Agudas Yisrael, wanted to do it and he knew the Brisker Rav was against it so he was going to offer to go speak with the Brisker Rav but return and say that it’s late at night and the Brisker Rav is already sleeping and just go ahead with the decision. Therefore, the Brisker Rav told Reb Berel that someone is going to knock lightly and he should chase him down and tell him that the Rav is available and not sleeping. It comes to show you how the Brisker Rav had it all figured out.
Another story is that in the summer Rav Weinfeld was standing with Reb Berel on the porch on Rechov Press where Shiur was and that night was going to be one of the Sheva Brachos for Reb Berel’s son, Reb Rephael. A Ram Kol was going around announcing that there was going to be a Hesped for the Satmer Rebbe that day at Zupnik, the building of the Eida Chareidis. But Reb Berel hadn’t yet heard that the Satmer Rebbe was Nifter so he was bothered why they were making a Hasped שלא בפניו, before the Kevurah. So he thought for a few seconds and then speculated that being that the Satmer Rebbe had the position of the Gaavad of the Eida Chareidis, the Eida was worried that at his Levyah, they would announce that his nephew, the Sigateh Rav, is taking him over as the Gaavad as well. In order to preempt it, they wanted to announce at this Hesped at Zupnick, before the Kevurah, that Rav Weiss, the Minchas Yitzcahk who was the Raavad should become the Gaavad and not the Sigateh Rav. Reb Berel told this all to Rav Weinfeld in about ninety seconds and it is exactly what happened and they preempted it to prevent the Sigateh from becoming the Gaavad. This further shows how they really have a חוש for seeing in to the future.
Hava Amina of Seven Consecutive Years of Shemittah
The Pasuk says וספרת לך שבע שבתת שנים שבע שנים שבע פעמים. Rashi says שמטות שנים יכול יעשה שבע שנים רצופות שמטה ויעשה יובל אחריהם, תלמוד לומר שבע שנים שבע פעמים, הוי אומר כל שמטה ושמטה בזמנה. According to this, there was a הוא אמינא that seven consecutive years of שמיטה should be observed and the eight year should be Yovel, comes along the Pasuk שבע שנים שבע פעמים to tell us כל שמטה ושמטה בזמנה.
However, this הוא אמינא is seemingly a direct contradiction to another Pasuk. A few Psukim later, the Torah says וכי תאמרו מה נאכל בשנה השביעת הן לא נזרע ולא נאסף את תבואתנו and then says וצויתי את ברכתי לכם בשנה הששית ועשת את התבואה לשלש השנים. The Brachah for someone who observes שמיטה is that he will grow enough crop in the sixth year to last for three years. But according to the הוא אמינא that seven consecutive years of שמיטה should be observed, the וצויתי את ברכתי would have to be for ten years because a person would have to grow enough crop in one year to last him seven consecutive years of שמיטה and the year of Yovel afterward, and yet the Pasuk only says that the crop will last for three years. Therefore, this הוא אמינא is very difficult to understand. This question appears in the שארית יעקב which was printed in אלטונא in 1727. It was written by Reb Yaakov M’Brisk and he writes that in the year 1677, he asked this question to many people, in the בית הכנסת הגדול דקהילת קודש בריסק דליטא and nobody had an answer.
One suggestion given was that the הוא אמינא was that seven שמיטה years need to be observed during a fifty year period but there is no specific time for them and they could be done at any given year whenever a person wanted. But this is difficult to understand because we don’t really find by Mitzvos that the Torah allows it to be done at an individual’s pace rather there are set זמנים for Mitzvos so the question remains.
Perhaps an answer could be as follows. The Noam Elimelech in this week’s Parshah says in the name of his brother, Reb Zusha, that why does the Torah need to speak out this conversation of וכי תאמרו מה נאכל בשנה השביעת? The Torah could’ve just said וצויתי את ברכתי לכם בשנה הששית ועשת את התבואה לשלש השנים. )The Rav jokingly interjected and said maybe the Torah is encouraging a person to ask questions.) Reb Zusha answered that the Torah is teaching that even if a person says וכי תאמרו מה נאכל בשנה השביעת, meaning he lacks the full Bitachon and that’s why he is asking, nevertheless וצויתי את ברכתי that Hashem will still share his Brachah on such a person.
This idea is also brought out from the Sforno. On the Pasuk וכי תאמרו מה נאכל, he writes וכאשר יסופק זה אצלכם ולא תבטחו שיהיה המעט מספיק באיכותו. If a person will still be in doubt and won’t be satisfied with the promise that he will be satiated with less, as Rashi says on the Pasuk ואכלתם לשבע - אף בתוך המעים תהא בו ברכה, then וצויתי את ברכתי which is promising more in כמות. Similarly, the Netziv in Haamek Davar writes this idea and says as follows:
באשר שבאמת כל זה אינו אלא מעשה נס, שיהיו גדלים בשנה לא זרועה תבואה ופירות האילן משביעים את כל האדם והבהמה, וידוע דדרך נס אינו ראוי אלא לפי ההכנה לכך, והיינו עפ"י שהקדים הכתוב ועשיתם את חקתי וגו' שירבו בשקידת התורה ובפלפולה בשנים אלו, ואין מן הפלא שיוגדל כחם לאלוה, ויהיו מאמינים ומוסרים את עצמם להנהגה עליונה זו, ונגד זה תהיה באמת אז השגחה נפלאה, אבל אם לא תהיו בזה האופן ותהיו משתוממים על זה מה נעשה בשנה השביעית והשמינית, וכאשר יהא כן אז לא יהיה דרך נס, שהשגחה היא באה לפי הכנה, וכמש"כ בס' שמות ג' י"ד וי"ט ו' ובספר דברים ה' ד', והיה עולה על הדעת דעיקר מצות שביעית ויובל לא ניתנה אלא למתנהגים בדרך מעלה יתירה, אבל באמת אינו כן, דהתורה יכולה להתנהג בשלימות אפילו לאנשים שאינם בזו המעלה, ומש"ה פירש הכתוב וכי תאמרו בשנה השביעית מה נאכל ולא תהיו במעלה עליונה זו, אזי וצויתי וגו'. שהוא בדרך השגחה פרטית בדרך הטבע.
According to this, the הוא אמינא of that seven consecutive years of שמיטה should be observed is not a contradiction. Being that the higher level of Brachah, without the וכי תאמרו מה נאכל בשנה השביעת, is in איכות, that a person will be satiated with less, than even if seven years of שמיטה with Yovel following would be observed, the נס of being satisfied with less could still be possible. But תלמוד לומר שבע שנים שבע פעמים, הוי אומר כל שמטה ושמטה בזמנה and therefore if a person will say וכי תאמרו מה נאכל בשנה השביעת, then וצויתי את ברכתי לכם בשנה הששית that the crop in the sixth year will last for three years.
Onas Devarim
The prohibition of אונאת דברים is in this week’s Parshah and the Chinuch writes the following:
שורש מצוה זו ידוע, כי הוא לתת שלום בין הבריות וכו' וראוי להזהר שאפילו ברמז דבריו לא יהי נשמע חירוף לבני אדם, כי התורה הקפידה הרבה באונאת הדברים, לפי שהוא דבר קשה מאד ללב הבריות. והרבה מבני אדם יקפידו עליהן יותר מן הממון, וכמו שאמרו זכרונם לברכה [שם] גדולה אונאת דברים מאונאת ממון, שבאונאת דברים הוא אומר [שם, שם] ויראת מאלהיך וגו'.
A person should be very careful when it comes to אונאת דברים because there are people who are מקפיד on it more than their money.
ואולם לפי הדומה, אין במשמע שאם בא ישראל אחד והתחיל והרשיע לצער חבירו בדברים הרעים שלא יענהו השומע, שאי אפשר להיות האדם כאבן שאין לה הופכים, ועוד שיהיה בשתיקתו כמודה על החירופין, ובאמת לא תצוה התורה להיות האדם כאבן שותק למחרפיו כמו למברכיו, אבל תצוה אותנו שנתרחק מן המדה הזאת, ושלא נתחיל להתקוטט ולחרף בני אדם, ובכן ינצל אדם מכל זה, כי מי שאינו בעל קטטה לא יחרפוהו בני אדם, זולתי השוטים הגמורים, ואין לתת לב על השוטים.
Although a person should be careful when it comes to אונאת דברים, he is not expected to be like a rock and not respond to those who insult him.
ואם אולי יכריחנו מחרף מבני אדם להשיב על דבריו, ראוי לחכם שישיב לו דרך סלסול ונעימות ולא יכעס הרבה, כי כעס בחיק כסילים ינוח, וינצל עצמו אל השומעים מחירופיו וישליך המשא על המחרף, זהו דרך הטובים שבבני אדם ויש לנו ללמוד דבר זה, שמותר לנו לענות כסיל, לפי הדומה, מאשר התירה התורה הבא במחתרת להקדים ולהורגו, שאין ספק שלא נתחייב האדם לסבול הנזקין מיד חבירו, כי יש לו רשות להנצל מידו, וכמו כן מדברי פיהו אשר מלא מרמות ותוך, בכל דבר שהוא יכול להנצל ממנו.
If a person is forced to respond to someone who is insulting him, he should respond in a pleasant fashion without getting angry.
ואולם יש כת מבני אדם שעולה חסידותם כל כך שלא ירצו להכניס עצמם בהוראה זו להשיב חורפיהם דבר, פן יגבר עליהם הכעס ויתפשטו בענין יותר מדי, ועליהם אמרו זכרונם לברכה [שבת פ"ח ע"ב] הנעלבין ואינם עולבין, שומעין חרפתם ואינם משיבין, עליהם הכתוב אומר [שופטים ה', ל"א] ואוהביו כצאת השמש בגבורתו.
There are very pious people who don’t want to enter into any strife and they don’t want to take a chance with כעס. Therefore, they are silent when someone insults them and about them Chazal say הנעלבין ואינם עולבין, שומעין חרפתם ואינם משיבין, עליהם הכתוב אומר [שופטים ה', ל"א] ואוהביו כצאת השמש בגבורתו.
Bitachon: When and When Not
The Pasuk right after the Parshah of שמיטה says וכי ימוך אחיך ומטה ידו עמך והחזקת בו וכו'. How does this make sense to appear right after the Parshah of שמיטה?
It could be that שמיטה teaches us Bitachon, כי לי כל הארץ, that Hashem runs the world. So there is a concern that if כי ימוך אחיך, a person might say that the Ribbono Shel Oilam will help and he doesn’t need to get involved. Therefore, here, the Torah is teaching us that even though a person should have Bitachon for himself, but not Bitachon for someone else. When it comes to helping someone else, one must operate as if there is no Bitachon and it’s the person’s responsibility to help him out- והחזקת בו.
There is a Chassidish Vort on the Pasuk אשרי משכיל אל דל. A משכיל, was a “enlightened” Jew who was leaving Yiddishkeit. So it could be said about the Pasuk אשרי משכיל אל דל that when it comes to helping a poor man, make yourself like a משכיל, as if there is no God.
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Pulling Back and Then Engaging
Parshas Behar begins with כי תבאו אל הארץ אשר אני נתן לכם ושבתה הארץ שבת לה' that when Klal Yisrael comes to Eretz Yisrael, there will be שמיטה. The next Pasuk says שש שנים תזרע שדך ושש שנים תזמר כרמך ואספת את תבואתה that for six years, they will work the field. And then the next Pasuk reiterates ובשנה השביעת שבת שבתון יהיה לארץ שבת לה' שדך לא תזרע וכרמך לא תזמר that the seventh year will be שמיטה.
The first question is that the order of the Psukim is seemingly wrong that the first Pasuk should be שש שנים תזרע שדך and then afterward it should say ושבתה הארץ שבת לה' because chronologically, it will first be the six years of work and then the seventh year will be שמיטה. So why does the Pasuk first start off with the fact that there is שמיטה and then mention the six years of working, and then circle back to repeat that there will be a seventh year of שמיטה. Not only are the Psukim seemingly out of order but the last Pasuk ובשנה השביעת שבת שבתון is seemingly superfluous.
Perhaps an answer could be as follows. When the Jewish people were in the Midbar, they were living on miracles. They were eating the מן, drinking water from the באר, and protected from the ענני הכבוד. They were completely removed natural life. Under such circumstances, they were able to see clearly the constant involvement of Hashem in their life. But now as they are about to enter Eretz Yisrael, כי תבאו אל הארץ, they are entering a reality of תזרע שדך תזמר כרמך ואספת את תבואתה. This new way of life puts them at risk of believing that all their success and achievements is because of their own effort and work-כי תאמר בלבבך כחי ועצם ידי עשה לי את החיל הזה and they would fail to recognize Hashem in their success. Therefore, before they get to Eretz Yisrael and begin working on the land, they first must know בשנה השביעת שבת לה' that everything is really from Hashem. Although in the order the six years of work comes before the seventh year of not working, the idea is so important to realize beforehand because if they would begin working without that recognition, they wouldn’t stop.
The same idea is with the six days of work and the seventh day being Shabbos. Adam Harishon needed to be born on Friday right before Shabbos in order to experience Shabbos to have this recognition that everything comes from Hashem and then afterward can follow six days of work. But if he would’ve been created on day one with a full week ahead of him, he would’ve never stopped when Shabbos came.
This idea also has to do with the beginning of Bechukosai. The Medrash Raba in the beginning of the Parsha says the following:
הה"ד (תהלים קיט) חשבתי דרכי ואשיבה רגלי אל עדותיך אמר דוד רבש"ע בכל יום ויום הייתי מחשב ואומר למקום פלוני ולבית דירה פלונית אני הולך והיו רגלי מביאות אותי לבתי כנסיות ולבתי מדרשות
Dovid Hamelech says that every morning he was thinking should he go here or should he go there והיו רגלי מביאות אותי לבתי כנסיות ולבתי מדרשות. What is this all about?
The idea is that not only in Gashmiyus should a person not become possessed by possession and he shouldn’t take the produce for granted rather he should recognize כי לי כל הארץ. So to also in Ruchniyus. If a person goes to the Beis HaMedrash and it’s something that is self-understood and habitual, then it loses its meaning and we lose our gratitude and we lose the זכות that Hashem gives us to be of the יושבי בית המדרש. Therefore Dovid HaMelech says that every day he started all over again and he thought maybe he should do this, or maybe he should do the other thing, maybe he should go do business. So he writes חשבתי דרכי that he gave חשיבות to his ways but ואשיבה רגלי אל עדותיך that he returned to the Beis HaMedrash. The reason is because if it’s habitual and self-understood, then it has no חשיבות. In order to retain the חשיבות, it needs to be new every day.
This is the same idea in the Pasuk שבתי בבית ה' כל ימי חיי לחזות בנעם ה' ולבקר בהיכלו. The word ולבקר is a visit but someone who is שבתי בבית ה' כל ימי חיי is not a visit rather is permanent. So the idea is that the permanence should not take away the daily excitement and it should have the excitement of that of a visit and it should be like new every day.
This is the connection to beginning of Behar where it says שש שנים תזרע שדך and ושבתה הארץ that just like in Gashmiyus one must first pull away and then have the engagement, so too in Ruchniyus that maybe a person should first consider not going to the Beis Medrash but then decide to go.
מה ענין שמיטה אצל הר סיני
Parshas Bechukosai begins אם בחקתי תלכו and Rashi says שתהיו עמלים בתורה. Rashi in the beginning of Behar says מה ענין שמיטה אצל הר סיני and explains because מה שמיטה נאמרו כללותיה ופרטותיה ודקדוקיה מסיני וכו'. But even with this answer, it still needs to be understood why the Mitzvah of שמיטה was chosen to tell us this about other Mitzvos and therefore there must be a connection between שמיטה and הר סיני.
The Torah was given on Har Sinai and it was chosen for Matan Torah because it was מכיך מכל טוריא-the lowest of all the mountains. But if the idea is for it to be given on something lowly, then it should’ve been given in a valley which is lower than a short mountain. It must be that for Torah, complete שפלות is not what is required rather הר דמכיך which is the דרך הממוצע-the middle path. In Judaism, there needs to be a balance. This is the idea of שש שנים תזרע but on the other hand its שבתה הארץ.
Counting Yovel and Counting Sefira
When it comes to counting the years of יובל, the Pasuk in Behar says וספרת לך שבע שבתת שנים שבע שנים שבע פעמים. However, regarding the counting of the Omer, the Pasuk in Parshas Emor says וספרת לך שבע שבתות תמימות. On that Pasuk, the Gemara Menachos 65b says וספרת לכם-שתהא ספירה לכל אחד ואחד that each individual should count. Tosfos points out that by Yovel the Pasuk says וספרת לך which is only for the Beis Din. Therefore when the Pasuk by the Omer says וספרת לכם, we need a special drashah of שתהא ספירה לכל אחד ואחד to teach us that each individual needs to count the Omer as opposed to the counting towards Yovel which is only done by Beis Din. Why is it that the counting for יובל is only for the Beis Din but counting of the Omer is for each individual?
Perhaps the reason could be that it’s only the Beis Din, the Sanhedrin, who are the עיני העדה-the leading visionaries, who have the ability to look at a fifty year unit, as opposed to the vision of individuals which is much more limited. They don’t have the ability to look fifty years forward. Therefore, only a Mitzvah of counting seven weeks is a Mitzvah for each individual as opposed to counting fifty years which is only something that Beis Din can be in charge of.
In a similar vein, in the אגרות הרמ"ה (עמוד קנא) he writes that counting the weeks of the Omer is only מדאורייתא when there is a Beis Hamikdash but counting the days is מן התורה even nowadays without a Beis Hamikdash. The Ohr Sameach in הל' תמידין ומוספין פ"ז הכ"ב, quoting the רמ"ה writing about this says ואם תשאל מדוע, ע"ז אומר גזירת מלך הוא, ובסוד אלוקי מי יבוא. But it could be this same idea as above, that when there was a Beis Hamikdash, even though the individual wasn’t able to see fifty years ahead, nevertheless he was able to see seven weeks ahead. Whereas now during the Galus where we live day by day, we can’t even be expected to see a full week at a time. Therefore, nowadays, the Torah doesn’t demand from us to count the weeks, but only the days of the Omer.
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