Parashat Behar - Third Aliyah

The aliyah opens with a promise: “Venatenah ha’aretz piryah va’akhaltem lasova vishavtem lavetach aleha” (verse 19). Whoever keeps the statutes and judgments, the land will yield its fruit, satisfaction will come, and dwelling will be secure. But immediately after the promise comes the natural question.

The question the Torah does not condemn. “Vekhi tomru mah nokhal bashanah hashevi’it hen lo nizra velo ne’esof et tevu’atenu” (verse 20). “What will we eat?” is a practical, legitimate question. The Torah does not rebuke it, does not demand blind faith. It answers with a blessing: “Vetziviti et birkhati lakhem bashanah hashishit ve’asat et hatevu’ah lishlosh hashanim” (verse 21). Three years of abundance: for the sixth year, the seventh, and even the beginning of the eighth, until the new crop grows.

The word “Vetziviti” (I will command) is the key. The blessing is not merely the result of hard work or climate conditions. It is a direct act of the Master of the Universe: I command the blessing. Whoever releases their grip in the seventh year discovers that sustenance does not depend on the strength of one’s hands alone, but on a higher source.

The land is not sold permanently. “Veha’aretz lo timakher litzmitut ki li ha’aretz ki gerim vetoshavim atem imadi” (verse 23). This is one of the Torah’s most central verses on the subject of ownership. A person is not the absolute owner. They are a stranger, a resident, a guest. The land belongs to the Master of the Universe, and a person only dwells upon it for a limited time.

Redemption is always possible. “Uvkhol eretz achuzatkhem ge’ulah titenu la’aretz” (verse 24). No transaction closes the door forever. There is always an opportunity to redeem, to restore, to repair. This principle extends beyond real estate: in every relationship, every financial situation, every crisis, the Torah keeps an open door for return.