Leviticus 25:1-27:34 | Jeremiah 16:19-17:14 | Mark 12:13-34

This week's edition of The Set Table contains:

Questions and Commentary on Shabbat Behar - Bechuqotai
Chayyei Yeshua - A Devotional Commentary on the Besora Reading
Looking Ahead

Questions & Commentary on Parashat Behar - Bechuqotai

1. How are we to deal with the poor? 

Rabbi Jonathan Kaplan

Parashat Behar builds on the theme of care for poor through exploring how the community should provide for those who have lost property through economic hardship (Leviticus 25:25ff). Following the discussion of the Jubilee legislation and God's declaration that "the land must not be sold beyond reclaim, for the land is mine," the parasha details how this radical economic vision should be applied in the community. 

If your kinsmen is in straits and has to sell part of his holding, his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his kinsman has sold. If a man has no one to redeem for him, but prospers and acquires enough to redeem with, he shall compute the years since its sale, refund the difference to the man to whom he sold it, and return to his holding. If he lacks sufficient means to recover it, what he sold shall remain with the purchaser until the jubilee; in the jubilee year it shall be released, and he shall return to his holding.

    Leviticus 25:25-28 

The radicalism of this vision is that it respects both the investment of the individual who buys the property and the conviction that everyone should have a stake in society. Leviticus Rabba 34:1 expands on the vision of this passage not by discussing this radical social vision, but instead by focusing on the meaning of the opening phrase ki-yamukh achikha "If you kinsmen is in straits." The Midrash offers us a number of potential meanings for this phrase to expand upon our obligation to care for the poor (cf. Exodus 23:6, Deuteronomy 15:7, Luke 12:33).  The editor of this section of Leviticus Rabba begins by stating our verse and then the verse with which he will bring our verse into conversation, "Happy is the one who is thoughtful with the poor; the LORD will keep him from harm in bad times" (Psalm 41:1). For the darshan, it is not merely enough to buy your kinsman's property when he is in financial straits. The obligation to care for the poor extends to a number of other areas of life. 

The darshan begins by highlightin the interpretation of Abba b. Jeremiah that being thoughtful with the poor entails enthroning "the Good Inclination over the Evil Inclination." In rabbinic literature, the Good Inclination is often personified as a poor person. In this case, Abba b. Jeremiah's interpretation is expansive. Care for the poor means living a life in which we work to have our Good Inclination prevail over our Evil Inclination and thus pursue a just society. 

The darshan next mentions the contention of Isi that this "refers to one who gave a perutah to a poor man." A perutah is a small coin, but, though small, it is enough to help buy food to sustain the person (see Psalm 41:3). 

Another way in which the darshan tells us we are called to care for the poor is through the interpretation of R. Jochanan that this verse "refers to one who buries a met mitzva." Met mitzva (lit. commandment of the dead) refers to the obligation of all Jews, including priests, to ensure the burial of a person who has no relatives or friends to look after his burial (cf. Psalm 41:3). This interpretation may seem odd at first, but if we consider the broader vision of the Torah and Yeshua, we are called to pursue a society in which people are cared for and respected in both life and in death. 

The final way in which the darshan enjoins us to care for the poor is through the visitation of the sick. The poor in this case are not those who have lost property but those whose lives are threatened and whose spirits are often made poor by the weight of illness and pain. Visiting and caring for the sick (bikkur cholim) has the power to encourage and strengthen those who are suffering and even save their lives. This is illustrated in a parable Yeshua tells in response to the question of a learned scholar about the limits of neighborliness. 

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,' he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?

    Luke 10:30-35 

As we can see from the four interpretations of the Midrash and the parable of Yeshua, caring for the poor fundamentally entails nurturing a just society in which we "love our neighbor as" ourselves (Leviticus 19:6). 

2. What is the connection between these two parashiyot, and what is the ultimate promise made by God to the Jewish people? 

Joshua Brumbach

Behar and Bechuqotai are the last two portions of the book of Leviticus. On non-leap years, when various portions are doubled up, the rabbis specifically chose these two portions to be read together. One does not have to look too hard to be able to see the similarities between the two portions. 

Behar begins with a special connection between Mt. Sinai and the land of Israel by speaking of the holiness of shemita, of letting the ground lie fallow for an entire year every seven years. This connection is directly intertwined to the mitzva of Shabbat. For six days we are to work, and on the seventh day we are to rest. This idea follows that God created the world in which we inhabit for six days, but on the seventh day God ceased from his creating and brought completeness and menucha - rest. The purpose of shemita is to teach us that the ultimate force in the universe is God and not the law of nature. It also goes against our own instincts of fear that if we do not plant and work during that year, we will starve. Yet this is why, built even into the harvesting of the land, God gives us opportunities to demonstrate faith. That is the reason for the harvesting for six years and stowing a small amount away every year in order to have extra food for the year of shemita. By doing so, we trust God will provide for us during these years so that we will not go hungry in the seventh. This goes against everything in us to take a Shabbat - especially for an entire year! 

However, Parashat Bechuqotai begins with God promising that if we follow his commandments, then he will give us abundance in our harvests and blessings upon us. That he will send us the rain we need and will keep our enemies away. It is his promise that if we will trust in him and observe the mitzvot he just gave us in the previous parasha, then he will be faithful to meet our needs. 

Matthew 12:13-34 - "Little Caesars"

Dr. Noel Rabinowitz

In this week's Besora reading, Mark reports that some Pharisees and Herodians came to Yeshua and engaged him in a discussion in order to trap him in a statement. Yeshua's opponents wanted to have him arrested by the Roman authorities and best way to do that was to prove that he was a threat to the Roman government. Quite confident that they had crafted an "escape proof" question, the Pharisees and Herodians came to Yeshua and asked, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful and deter to no one; for you are not partial to any; but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not? (14). 

Of course, Yeshua knew full well what these individuals were really up to. More importantly, he knew about the hypocrisy that lay behind their question. He responded, saying, "Why are you testing me?" He then instructed them to bring him a denarius. 

What follows is perhaps one of the best known "stumper responses" of all time. Yeshua held up the coin and asked the delegation, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"  They responded, "Caesar's" (16). The narrative, however, does not record what the inscription on the coin said. Fortunately, our knowledge of history and archeology allows us to answer that question ourselves. We know from history that the Caesar on the coin was Tiberius Caesar who reigned as emperor from 14 - 37CE. The inscription on the coin would have read, "Tiberius Caesar Augustus, son of the divine Augustus." 

Yeshua has turned the discussion back on his questioners. In light of their response ("Caesar"), Yeshua says, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's" (17). 

What's going on here and what's the point of the story in the first place? The key to understanding this incident lies in understanding the purpose of Mark's Gospel. Mark's main purpose is to show that Yeshua - not Caesar - is the true Son of God. Mark writes to a primarily Gentile readership, a readership that understands that the Emperor is a divine and savior, and Lord. In effect, Mark is making a counterclaim on imperial authority. Fine - give to Caesar, the so called son-of-god, the divine savior, the earthly things that belong to him. But give to God - and to the true Son of God, Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel the things that belong to him. 

NEXT WEEK'S READINGS - PARASHAT BEMIDBAR

Numbers 1:1-4:20
1 Samuel 20:18-42
Luke 21:5-24