Behar - A Mountain of Humility

Our Parsha begins: “And G-d spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai saying.” The Torah then goes on to enumerate in great detail all of the laws of shemittah and Yovel. The sages comment on this juxtaposition of Mount Sinai to shemiitah, that just as shemittah was taught to Moses on Mount Sinai with all of its details, so too all the other Mitzvot were taught to Moses on Mount Sinai with all their details.

The name of the parsha therefore is Behar (Sinai) for 2 reasons: A. It is the first word of the parsha (after “and G-d spoke”) B. All the Mitzvot (in the parsha) were taught on Mount Sinai.

There is a well known Midrash regarding why G-d chose Mount Sinai over all the many other mountains, upon which to give us the Torah. Mount Sinai was the lowest of all the mountains and so G-d chose it to teach us a lesson in humility. If you want to be a vessel for the Torah you must feel yourself to be lowly and humble.

This however begs the question: If G-d wants to teach us a lesson in humility, why give the Torah on a mountain in the first place? Wouldn’t a valley be a better representation of humility?

It seems therefore that G-d was trying to teach us a double lesson. On the one hand a lesson in being a mountain but on the other hand a lesson in humility.

This dichotomy is expressed beautifully in the Mitzvot of this Parsha.

One of the main Mitzvot featured in the parsha is the Yovel (Jubilee). Every 50 years the reset button is pressed and all Jewish slaves are set free. In addition any land that was sold since the previous Yovel automatically returns back to its original owner.

What is the point behind this reset? Why did the Torah institute this phenomenon that everything must go back to its original status?

There are 2 very different and profound answers found in the works of the Rishonim (early commentators).

The Chinuch:

G-d wants us to remember that everything belongs to Him and is controlled by Him. As man goes about conducting his business and acquiring wealth, he can begin to develop a sense of self importance. He can start to feel like he controls his own destiny and is accomplishing great things. So every 50 years G-d reminds him that He is in control. Whatever this person may have acquired is returned to its original owner and he realizes that only G-d can control who ends up with what.

Yovel according to the Chinuch is a lesson in humility. It reminds the person of how small he is and how little power and influence he has over destiny. It’s G-d who runs the world and only He will decide who gets what.

Ralbag:

A person who needs to sell himself as a slave or sell his property is generally from the ranks of the poor and destitute. Such a person can easily lose all hope of ever becoming successful again and his life can spiral downward until he feels like he has nothing more to live for. To prevent this from happening, G-d instituted the Yovel. Even if a man became so desperate as to have to sell himself as a slave and sell his home, he need not despair. There is light at the end of his tunnel and hope for a better future. Come the Yovel he will automatically regain his freedom and have his home and property returned to him.  This knowledge keeps his spirits up even while he is in his difficult state and gives him a reason to keep persevering for a better future.

The Yovel then according the Ralbag is a lesson in perseverance. It reminds a person to be strong and hopeful and how even if he is down right now, a time will come when he will yet rise again. He will not be defeated and always has the power to turn things around. This is the mountain.

Yovel is thus the Mitzva which best captures the paradox of Behar -Mount Sinai. It is the Mitzva which speaks of strength and perseverance while at the same time of humility and human fragility. It is Mount Sinai – the mountain of humility.

The lesson is clear. In life, a person must assume both attitudes. He must constantly juggle his humility and strength of character. There is great danger in exaggerating one attitude at the expense of the other.

A person who focuses too much on his frailty and smallness, can become stagnant and unmotivated. Why work hard and persevere, when he has so little say regarding his success in life? One needs the strength of character and the belief in self to keep motivated and persevering.

On the other hand, if a person gets too caught up in himself, it could lead to a false sense of power and invincibility. The strength of character can easily turn into arrogance and he could forget about G-d. One needs also the humility. He needs to keep in mind that ultimately G-d runs the world and we must therefore submit ourselves to His will.

We must aspire to be that mountain of humility.