Parsha Review Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:01 - Intro (Announcement)
You are listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe of TORCH in Houston, texas. This is the Parsha Review Podcast.

00:10 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Hi, welcome back everybody to the Parsha Review Podcast. It is so awesome and incredible to be here today and really a tremendous gift for me to be able to learn Torah and to share what I learned and what inspires me with all of you beautiful people sitting here today and for all of you listening online, welcome aboard.

00:31
This week's Parsha is Parsha Behar. It is the ninth portion in the book of Leviticus. It's talking about the holiness of the land. We know that the theme of the book of Leviticus is about holiness attaining holiness, preserving the holiness, and now we're talking about the holiness of. The book of Leviticus is about holiness attaining holiness, preserving the holiness, and now we're talking about the holiness of the land. But if you think about it, the Jewish people are not yet in Israel. They haven't yet arrived in Israel. They don't know that they're going to be punished with 40 years stuck in the desert. But we get the commandments as given by the Almighty through the hand of Moshe. We are taught the laws of what is going to happen when we arrive in the land and we're learning about the laws of the sabbatical year and the laws of the jubilee year, the seventh year and the 50th year, and that cycle keeps on circling every seven years, every 50 years, et cetera, et cetera. But the obvious question that all of our sages ask Rashi here, points this out.

01:32
Let's first read the verse. And Hashem spoke to Moshe on Mount Sinai saying speak to the Jewish people and you shall say to them when you come, when you arrive to the land of Israel, that I am giving to you, by the way, another promise that the land is going to be for the Jewish people and rest shall the land, rest a Sabbath rest for Hashem. During six years you shall sow your fields and during six years you shall prune your vineyards and you shall gather in its crops. And then the Torah continues to tell us of how you should rest in the land and how you shall not work the field and you shall not do during the seventh year. Then we go to verse number 10, over here in chapter 25. V'kidash tem es shnas hachamishim shono. You shall sanctify the year that is the 50th year, the. You shall sanctify the year that is the 50th year, the Jubilee year, and you shall proclaim freedom throughout the land For all its inhabitants. A Jubilee year it shall be for you and you shall return each man to his ancestral heritage and each man to his family. You shall return. It's the Jubilee year. It is the 50th year. That year should also be a time you shall not sow and you shall not harvest its crops that grow on their own and do not gather in what was set aside of it for yourself. And why? Because it is the 50th year.

03:40
My dear friends, what in the world is going on here? What is going on? What is the 7th year? What is going on? What is the seventh year? What is this 50th year, and how is that relevant to us today? Another question is what does this have to do with Mount Sinai? Later, they're going to be in the land of Israel. They're going to be hopefully attaining their own promised land, and then we'll deal with it. What are we talking about now and how is this relevant to us today?

04:16
By the way, we'll see in a few more portions in the middle of the book of Numbers. We'll see in Parshah Shlach how Moshe sends in a bunch of spies and they come with a false testimony on the land of Israel, and then the Jewish people are punished because they cried in vain. God says I'll give you what to cry about. You're not going to enter the land. It turns out that all of those people who were there ended up dying in the desert and it's only their descendants who ended up going into the land of Israel. So why do we need to know these laws now, when they are still in the desert and going to be in the desert for still a long period of time?

04:52
I say, just tell us something very, very incredible. The Jewish people just experienced a modern day splitting of the sea. You know, when the Jewish people left Egypt, they left on a high. It's like, wow, what miracles. We saw the 10 plagues. We saw all of the incredible miracles, how Hashem has power and might over everything and control over the entire universe. They see the splitting of the sea, the entire universe. They see the splitting of the sea. They see all of the victories that the Jewish people win over their enemies, amalek particularly. And what happens? They serve the golden calf.

05:42
You know, today, in our generation, we experienced a very similar miracle. We had over 350 rockets, bombs, ballistic missiles, drone bombs that were flying to Israel from Iran. And how many of them hit One, one fell, did some cosmetic damage in the middle of a field cleaned up in no time. 350 rockets with explosives and we're protected. Isn't that a miracle? And what happens? A day later, they're fighting again in the Knesset, they're fighting again wherever the Jewish people are disputing. What is going on? Didn't they just see the greatest miracle in the world? What's going on with us?

06:33
Our sages tell us that this is the reason us, our sages tell us that this is the reason for the seventh year sabbatical, the Shemitah year, is to remind us that everything is from Hashem. You see, it's very, very easy to forget that everything is from Hashem. Everything is from Hashem. And this is a problem Is that, even though the Jewish people saw all of the miracles, they saw it all. They saw the greatness of Hashem. It was all in front of their eyes. They had the revelation about Sinai, where the entire people were able to see the sounds and hear the sights. I mean, you think of all the miracles that were going on there. Hashem Himself is declaring Anokhi Hashem Akecha I am Hashem, your God. There's never been a revelation, a godly revelation, like this. Ever, there, never was and never will be something like that. And here the Jewish people are being commanded, where Hashem says it's so easy to forget where you come from. It's so easy to forget where you come from, it is so easy to lose sight of what's really happening. Why? Because we think that it's ordinary. We, you know, miracles become ordinary. It's like, no, it's just like you know, like we say.

07:55
We said this previously. We said about Hanukkah. You know, hanukkah is very interesting. Why do we celebrate eight days of Hanukkah? Because one flask, which was supposed to last only one day, ended up lasting eight days. We know. The truth is that that should be a seven-day celebration, not an eight-day celebration. It wasn't an eight-day miracle. It was a seven-day miracle because one day they had enough oil for it was the extra seven days that was the miracle, sages tell us, because oil burning one day is also a miracle. The problem is, we've made it seem like it's just ordinary. We think that oil burning is ordinary. We think that oil burning is ordinary. No, no, no, that is also a miracle. My dear friends, we're all living in a miracle every single day.

08:44
Hashem promises us that by the observance of the sabbatical year, we'll have a triple crop. The crop will grow, a triple crop in the sixth year, so you'll have enough for the sixth year, for the seventh year and for the eighth year. It's an unbelievable miracle and you know what. You can test Hashem on it. It's one of the few times where the Torah says you can test Hashem and the Jewish people for millennia have been observing, since the Torah was given, have been observing the laws of the sabbatical year and seeing the amazing results.

09:19
Why Hashem wants us to let go. It's what I call the Jewish hard reset. It's a time to reset who we are and recognize God. I have nothing without you. Everything is from you, hashem. I realize this, hashem. I declare nothing without you. Everything is from you, hashem. I realize this, hashem. I declare this every single day anew. But sometimes we fall away.

09:45
Hashem says seven years. Every seven years we have to reset, and every 50 years we reset again. What happens? Not only our fields we let go of, but actually our property. In the Jubilee year goes back to its ancestral owners. So if you sold it, it goes back to you. It goes back to the tribe of Shimon, to the tribe of Levi Not Levi didn't get any land, but tribe of Yisachar, and whatever tribe it was, they get back their land. You sold it. It's a 50-year lease. Why? Because you don't own anything. It's all Hashem's Everything.

10:21
It's so easy for us to fall into the trap of kochi ve'otsem. Yodi asali yasechay lezeh. It's my strength, it's my might, it's my wisdom, it's my abilities, it's my talents, it's my skills. It's me, I got it, I have accomplished this, I did it. It's all me. That's a very dangerous frame of mind, because that frame of mind pushes us away from Hashem. Every seven years. Hashem says we need to recalibrate, we need a hard reset. Get back, know exactly where you come from, know exactly the grapes are not your grapes, they're Hashem's gift to you, and remember that. You need to, again and again and again, go back to remembering that the vineyard is not your vineyard, it's not your skills and your talents and your wondrous, amazing capabilities that has brought you this.

11:21
What happened on the seventh year? On the seventh year, anybody driving around in the land of Israel, anybody traveling around, can go to any fruit tree, any tree they want, and just pick the fruits off the trees. That doesn't belong to the landowner, it belongs to Hashem. Hashem says whoever wants can take. There's no limitations here, it belongs to Hashem.

11:42
You know, it's very interesting that we had an event here a little while ago with a winemaker from Shiloh Winery, amichai Luria, and one of the things that he said so beautifully, so beautifully, so beautifully, he said that his accountant was crunching the numbers and he says you know, if we take off the seventh year, we're going to go bankrupt. There's nothing left. We might as well close shop. So he says what are you talking about? What are you talking about? Hashem gives us a promise. Talking about Hashem gives us a promise. We have the privilege to observe the mitzvah of the sabbatical. He says in honor of this, we're going to create a special line of our wine called the privilege wine, and if you go to the kosher wine market, you will find a Shiloh winery wine called Privilege, and it's one of their delicious wines, recognizing the privilege that we have to recognize to live in an existence where we're dependent on Hashem, and on Hashem only the blessings. We think that.

12:58
Look at me, I have a healthy body. Look at me, I'm so talented, I'm so skilled. I have such a great business. I run such a great company. I am such a smart day trader. I am such a whatever industry a person is in, I'm so healthy. I exercise every day, I lift weights, I run the marathon. Look at me.

13:20
And we all know that with one hiccup it's all done, it's all gone. We need to constantly be reminded how fragile we are and how every gift we have is from Hashem. It's so critically important to recognize every breath of air that we take is a gift from Hashem. There's a million ways that we can be unsuccessful and there's a million ways that we can be successful, and Hashem is the one who paves the way for us. And it's important for us to reinstill this faith within ourselves every single sabbatical and every single seven years and every single jubilee. Rest it again and reset, and reset and reset every seven years. It's not me, it's you, hashem. I recognize that it's all from you. I realize that it's all from you. By the way, this helps us with our midos, with our character. It helps us so that we realize we don't need to be jealous of someone else, because I have everything I need. I can be kind because Hashem is the one who bestows goodness upon me. Everything I have is from Hashem.

14:32
People are worried. Charity oh, I can't do it. I can't give. What am I going to have left. And what's the promise that we see in the Torah? That if we bestow charity, kindness on others, hashem bestows more kindness on us. When we give charity to others, hashem gives more charity to us. This is something we see from Shabbos. We see that you don't have money for Shabbos. Spend whatever. Go borrow money. Hashem says I'll pay it back. You're worried that it doesn't fit into my budget? Oh, I don't know how I'm going to make it. I don't know how I'm going to make it. I don't know how I'm going to close my month. I don't have enough money to buy good food for Shabbos. Hashem says you know what? Do it for Shabbos, I'll pay it back. It's on me.

15:21
My dear friends, we need to remember that every single Shabbos is also a reset. Every day of the week, we work and we convince ourselves that it's all me. We convince ourselves that I'm the one who's so capable, I'm the one who's doing everything, I'm the one who's so great. It's me, me, me, me, me. Shabbos, we take a break from everything. We realize Hashem is the one who does everything for us.

15:45
There's a story told about a kibbutz, a secular kibbutz that didn't believe much in God. But they tried. They wanted to test Hashem on Hashem's promise. Hashem says oh, if you keep the sabbatical year, I'll bless you with unbelievable success. They said, okay, they produced a very fine product. And seventh year they let the ground lie foul and everything died. Out Comes the eighth year they start planting and nothing is growing, nothing is catching, except for some very inferior vegetable, cabbage of some sort. And sure enough, they're wondering where's Hashem and where's His promise. Hashem says he's going to reward us. We kept the sabbatical year. And what's our reward?

16:35
Turns out, I think it was Germany that had a shortage that year of that specific vegetable and they put out there in the marketplace that they're looking for a single vendor to provide the entire country and they're willing to pay an exorbitant price for this vegetable. And this kibbutz, you can imagine, not only won the bid, but every single. You know there's no atheist in a foxhole, there's no atheist in a kibbutz that sees the miracle of Hashem, the hand of Hashem, succeeding their way. All of these kibbutznikim, who are secular Israelis, were packing these bags with unbelievable joy and appreciation for Hashem's miracle, the miracle of keeping a Shemitah, the privilege of keeping a Shemitah to let go, to let go of everything that we have everything that we think is us. We know that King David teaches us that we should recite a hundred blessings every day. A hundred blessings. Why so we constantly remind ourselves every single day that everything we have is a gift from Hashem? It's that easy to forget it On a micro level. It's every day. On a micro level, it's every day. On a macro level, it's every sabbatical year and every jubilee year to re instill within ourselves that everything is from Hashem and to let go and let Hashem bring His success to us. It's not our doing. My dear friends, hashem should bless us all to live a life where we're able to feel the pulse of our Ramunah every single day, to recognize that everything is a gift from Hashem, that we don't fall into the oblivion of everything. Is it's my strength, it's my abilities and my talents? No, it's Hashem. Hash's my abilities and my talents. No, it's Hashem, hashem, it's yours. You're the one who gives all the success. It's all your will and, god willing, we will live in such a way where we will be the happiest people alive on earth by recognizing that everything we have is from Hashem. My dear friends, have an amazing Shabbos.

18:53
I want to share with you something incredible that you know Mitzrayim, egypt. What was the life of the Egyptians? How did they live their lives? Our sages tell us that Egypt was a flatland and that people would just build these little furrows and it would water. As soon as the Nile would overflow, which would happen once or twice a year, all of their fields would be irrigated, everything would get its water and it would be great. It was a guarantee. Every year it overflowed. Every year, everything got irrigated. It was a guarantee. That was Egypt.

19:32
The Jewish people are not like that. The Jewish people go to the land of Israel. What's the land of Israel? It's hills, mountains and valleys and deserts, and it's like you can't just build those furrows and get the water from an overflowing nothing. You know what you're relying on as a Jew in the land of Israel. You're relying on rain. Where does rain come from? Rain comes from Hashem. Hashem decides you get rain, you get rain. Hashem decides you don't get rain. You do not get rain. Why, you know, by the way, it's interesting.

20:07
What did Pharaoh dream about? Way, it's interesting. What did Pharaoh dream about? Pharaoh had a dream, but the people couldn't go outside of what was a guarantee. They couldn't come up with ideas of what this dream could be, because they needed a guarantee, they needed a fix. Who did they need? They needed Joseph, the Jewish guy who relies only on Hash, to get the answer of what the dreams meant. And what did Joseph say? Whatever Hashem interprets meaning, I'm relying only on Hashem. You guys need a solid guarantee.

20:44
The Jewish people, by our very nature, are people who don't live by the laws of guarantee. We live by the laws of. Everything comes from Hashem and when we realize this and we're able to internalize this, everything comes from Hashem. That's our greatness, that's where we shine. There's no such thing as financial security in a believer's life, because a believer's life understands that everything is from Hashem and a person can have all the money in the world saved. You know, there's a story told about one of the Rothschilds, one of the wealthiest human beings on earth, and he once said I'll never die from starvation. And how did he die? His big, mega safe locked behind him and he was stuck in the safe and nobody can open it up. And with his own blood he wrote on the wall before he died I'm the same Rothschild who said I will never die from starvation.

21:55
We, as a people, our entire MO needs to be. I'm relying only on Hashem. That's our strength. Our entire existence is not a guarantee. We're always wavering. Why can't we just be in our own land, madagascar, like Herzl wanted us to move to there? You know he wants us like let's just go to Madagascar, nobody will bother us because we're on our own island, we don't bother them, they don't bother us and we're good to go. That's not the existence of the Jewish people. That's not the existence of the Jewish people. That's good for Canada, that's good for other nations can just live peacefully. They don't even need a military, they don't need anything because they're fine, they're stable. That's not the Jewish people. The reality of the Jewish people is we have ups and downs, we have hills and we have valleys and we have mountains and we have deserts and we have instability, because there's only one thing that's stable in our lives and that's Hashem. So just an idea to help hopefully crystallize this Great question. Thank you.