What We Miss:

** Introduction of the Jubilee year. Every fifty years, land was returned to the original owners. As the psalm reads, THE EARTH AND ALL WITHIN IT BELONGS TO GOD. The Jubilee reminds Israel that God is the ultimate landowner and that we are tenants and caretakers. We do not have a divine right to own land in perpetuity. While such a concept might offend us moderns, the Torah is emphatic about following the traditions of the Jubilee year. The Jubilee, however, was more theory than reality, never instituted as standard practice. Nevertheless, the Jubilee reminded Israelite citizens that each family had an opportunity to begin again despite any misfortunes of the previous years.

Consider: Were the Jubilee concept implemented in contemporary times, perhaps we would avoid business monopolies and hostile takeovers? Perhaps families could avoid perpetual poverty by receiving a second chance to reverse its fortune? Perhaps the arrogance and Machiavellian character of Wall Street would not exist? Perhaps the world would be guided by humility rather than by hubris?

What We Read:

** Supporting local kinsperson: If another Israelite suffers economic setback, no Israelite was to take advantage of the misfortune. We do not charge interest for work offered. Rather, the Torah instructs us to treat each kinsperson as an equal; no strings attached. The Torah also reminds us about our humble origins.

** Rules of Slavery: In three distinct places, the Torah narrates the rules and regulations about slavery: Once in Exodus, once in Deuteronomy, and once here in the portion of Behar (Leviticus). Each narrative describes a different response to an Israelite slave. The text in Exodus requires a liberated slave to leave alone, without taking family or possessions. A slave who refuses to be free must be branded in his ear with an awl. The text in Deuteronomy instructs a slave owner to liberate a slave along with his family and appropriate furnishing. The text in Behar goes even further: In Behar there is no discussion about a Hebrew remaining a perpetual slave under any conditions. The three conflicting texts suggest perhaps that the Torah was written down at different times, in different circumstances. Such represents the Conservative Movement’s intellectual and literary approach to Torah interpretation.

While Israelite families were permitted to own non-Hebrew slaves (in perpetuity), all people were treated with the dignity human beings deserve. Once again, the Torah portion addresses the themes of arrogance and humility. As natural and economic disasters have soberly reminded us: No one is invincible.

Haftorah Reading: Jeremiah 32:6-27

Jeremiah was the prophet most associated with the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and exile. He predicted the Babylonian invasion and advised his compatriots to accept the inevitable (yet temporary) captivity; Jeremiah was imprisoned for his insolent talk, but ultimately, he was vindicated. In today’s Haftorah, Jeremiah discusses his “redeeming” a piece of property so that it would remain in the family’s possession for years ahead. He took the deed to the sale, and had it placed in an earthen vessel, so that when the Jewish people returned from exile, the deed would be rediscovered and validated. Through his symbolic act, Jeremiah reassured Israel that they would return to their sacred land. Jeremiah was an unpopular prophet since he dared to speak candidly about Israel’s moral failures. He was resolute in upholding moral standards, no matter what the personal cost. Since the Torah reading includes the theme of redeeming property, the Haftorah from Jeremiah 32 is fitting.