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The Mitzvot at the End of the Parsha

By: SFW Students & Alumna

Compiled by Adena Muskin. Special thanks to those who contributed to this week’s dvar Torah, including: Sarah Jacob, Chava Rubin, Tzippora Leah Shapiro, and Malkie Ziegler.

This dvar Torah is written in loving memory of Binyamin Aryeh ben Yachad, who passed away this week.

Parshat Behar is completely devoted to the central theme of shemitta and yovel. All the halachot commanded in Parshat Behar, (the Sabbatical of the land, property ownership, the prohibition of interest, and freeing slaves) revolve around these special years on the Jewish calendar. It is therefore striking that the parsha concludes with three commands that seem completely unrelated to the rest of the parsha:  

“You shall make for yourselves no idols, nor shall you erect for yourselves a graven image, or a pillar, nor shall you place any figured stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God. You shall keep My Sabbaths, and revere My sanctuary; I am the Lord.” (Vayikra 26:1-2) 

Each of these mitzvot has been previously commanded numerous times. Why mention them again here? 

Rashi answers that these commands are directed to the eved ivri, the Hebrew slave, who was just freed by the shemitta or yovel year. Perhaps the slave observed his master violating the Torah during the course of his servitude. These mitzvot are repeated to instruct such a slave not to continue with the actions of his human master. His real master is God, and especially now that he is free, the only commands that the slave must obey are the commands of the Master of the Universe. These specific mitzvot are listed because they are the mitzvot through which we declare that Hashem is the supreme ruler of the world and our only God. These commands are, in essence, a reminder of the entire Torah. 

Ibn Ezra suggests that these mitzvot are intended for the Hebrew slave who was sold to a non-Jew during the course of his servitude. Such a slave must remember his Jewish identity while living in such an environment, and must therefore be extremely careful. 

Ramban claims, similarly to Rashi, that the entire Torah is contained within these three commandments, for they are truly the basis of Judaism. These commands are listed here because they precede the covenant we seal with Him in Parshat Bechukotai and thereby connect shemitta to the covenant. 

Sforno writes that shemitta and yovel serve as a warning to constantly remember who the true Master of the Universe is. Since the commands to not serve idols, keep Shabbat, and honor the Mikdash are the basis for belief in God, they must conclude the chapter commanding us to recognize His complete sovereignty over the land. Although different nations may rule over the land and the Jewish People, only Hashem can supply our most basic needs, such as food and water. So long as the Jewish People observe these commands they will remember that they serve only God, no matter who rules the country at any given historical period.  

Ohr HaChaim offers a two-part answer to this textual problem. Firstly, these mitzvot are rewritten and commanded together in order to draw a comparison between them. Just as refraining from avodah zora, idol-worship, is considered equal to the entire Torah, so too observing Shabbat is considered equal to the entire Torah. Secondly, these mitzvot are commanded here in order to draw a connection between shemitta and Shabbat. The two are very similar, in ways much deeper than the simple resting after 7 days and resting the land after 7 years. It is said that the destruction of the 1^st Beit Hamikdash occurred because the Jewish People weren’t properly observing shemitta, as is promised in Parshat Beshukotai. Perhaps that was not the only reason. Perhaps Shabbat was also not observed as it was meant to be.  

Rav Yonatan Grossman gives a reason for each of the three mitzvot. The prohibition of idol-worship, he writes, connects back to the prohibition to desecrate the land, lest the land throw you out. “And the land was defiled, therefore I brought the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land vomited out her inhabitants.” (Vayikra 18:25). It is apparent from this context that serving other gods, especially man-made idols, in Eretz Yisrael will result in exile from the land. The prohibition against serving other gods, especially in the Promised Land follows very appropriately the commands regarding the land itself.

The reason for Shabbat connects back to the first mention of a Hebrew slave and shemitta in Parsaht Mishpatim. The Torah writes in Shemot 23:12 “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.” Here Shabbat is presented as an opportunity to rest and relax for those who have no firm social standing in society, like the slaves and the converts.

The mitzvah to honor the Mikdash is a reminder that the Mikdash is a sanctified place filled with the awe of God, demanding its proper reverence and distance. The Mikdash is mentioned here as the influence one’s behavior in the Jewish camp and in the Jewish Land.     

Another possibility is that shemitta and yovel create a clean slate, to start anew. Therefore, the Torah continues with the basics, the commands most intrinsically connected to Judaism: refraining from avodah zora, observing Shabbat, and honoring the Mikdash.