B"H
Tuesday, Iyar 16, 5782 (31st day of the Omer)/ May 17, 2022
This week’s Torah reading in the Diaspora is Parshat B’har. (In Israel Parshat Bechukotei will be read). Parshat B’har begins with the mitzvah of Shemitah – The Sabbatical year.
The Parsha begins, “G-d spoke to Moshe at Mount Sinai, saying, ‘When you come to the land that I am giving you, the Land should rest a Shabbat to G-d. Six years you may sow your field and for six years you may prune your vineyard and gather its produce. But the seventh year the land shall have a complete rest - a Shabbat to G-d.’”
During the Shemitah year, the owner of the field, and everyone else were equal. Everyone had the same rights to the produce of that year. The poor and needy can help themselves to whatever is in the field.
Q. What lesson does the mitzvah of Shemitah teach us?
A. The Shemitah year teaches us to better understand and appreciate the needs of the poorwho don't have their own fields and must continuously rely on the mercy and generosity of others.
During the Shemitah year, when everyone is equal, the wealthier people who own fields would have a better feeling and understanding of what the poor go through all other years. This gives them a better understanding of the mitzvah of Tzedakah and the importance of helping those in need.
On an extremely cold night, the town Rabbi was collecting money to buy firewood for the poor. He went to the home of the wealthiest man in town and knocked on his door. The rich man opened the door and seeing the Rabbi standing there in the freezing weather, invited him into the house. But the Rabbi didn't enter. Instead, he called the owner outside and started discussing with him about communal matters.
The rich man, who wasn’t dressed properly for the outside, soon became very cold and began shivering. Yet the Rabbi kept on talking and ignored his repeated requests to continue their conversation inside.
Finally, the Rabbi told him the purpose of his visit, "I need money for firewood so that the poor people can stay warm in their homes in this freezing weather."
"I will give you as much as you need!" answered the rich man. "But please come into the house. I'm freezing and you must be too!" The Rabbi agreed and followed the rich man into the house.
After the rich man made his generous contribution, he asked the rabbi, "Why didn't you come in when I first invited you in?"
The Rabbi smiled and said, "I wanted you to feel the suffering of the poor and the urgency of this request. The longer we stood outside and the more you felt the cold, the more understanding you became!" It is the same with the Sabbatical year. It gives the wealthy a better feeling for the poor.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY