Parasha "B'Har" (On the Mountain)

[Jacob Ben Avraham]

 

PARASHAH: “B’Har” (on the Mountain)  

LEVITICUS 25:1-26:2…… JEREMIAH 32:6-27………LUKE 7:1-8:56

 

“Give it a rest! Will ya?” I am sure you have heard that expression before, or “Give it a rest already!”

People tend to say that when one continues in some theme or argues over a point which is not really worth it, HOWEVER, this is what God is saying when He sees the earth, soil, ground being over-worked; “Give it a rest!”  just as people need to rest and take their “Shabbat rest” so does the land which really belongs to HIM, we are just using it. 

     This parashah deals with the giving the land rest after six years of planting and harvesting, on the seventh year the land shall rest.  This, agriculturally, is very sound and comes from the mouth of the creator of all the earth.  The reason is quite simple to understand.  Crops, such as corn, wheat, barley, vegetables, etc., when they grow in the soil, take in nutrients, quite like us, when we eat, we absorb nutrients from the food we eat.  Imagine the land after 6 years of planting and harvesting, all those nutrients, minerals, chemicals from the soil, are being absorbed by the crops sown, if the land does not have a chance to rest and renew itself, it will soon become useless, quite void of nutrients…so… a year’s rest will give the soil enough time to replenish itself. 

     We can apply this commandment today, to allow the land to rest after six years of planting and harvesting, even families that have little vegetable gardens in the back of their houses.  May they enjoy six years of vegetables and then in the seventh year, just dump compost in the soil, food that goes bad, moldy bread, etc., don’t put it in the garbage, bury it in the garden, do that in that seventh year, and then the next year, plant and harvest again.

     We can look at ourselves in a similar way.  How do we count our lives? By a 365-day year? Or by sabbaticals? If we were to count our years by the day, we could say we have many days and years ahead of us! Really? Do we know tomorrow? (didn’t think so). However, if we were to count our years on earth by counting by sevens? How many “sabbaticals” have we lived? How many “might” be left?  If I were to count my sabbaticals, I would have to count starting in 1954.  1954-1960 first seven years, 1961-67, the second sabbatical.  I would have to ask myself, what have I done or accomplished in each of these periods of seven years? Anything of importance? Have I influenced other lives? If we count by sabbaticals, we will find that we really don’t have many sabbaticals to live.

     What do we do in our “seventh year?” wouldn’t it be wonderful to “rest” a whole year? Or just dedicate that “seventh year” to full-time ministry work? That would be quite hard to do for those of us that work for a living, and those who depend on a salary.  Don’t think the boss would be very happy to hear us say; “Boss, I want to take off for this year, it is my “sabbatical” I’ll come back next year at the same time!”  (Yeah, uh-huh, weeelll, you might not find your job waiting for you after a year) but we do have the summers to rest.  If we could divide the year into seven parts, we would end up with more or less 1.7 months of time.  Why not minister during 1.7 months? Share God’s Word, teach the WORD to others, for those who can take off a year without compromising their jobs, take every seventh year and just take that time to rest, travel, minister, hike, walk, leave behind gospel tracts, visit different churches and/or Messianic synagogues, and may ADONAI supply ALL of your needs.

26:2 “YE SHALL KEEP MY SABBATHS! AND VENERATE MY SANCTUARY.

     We can look at this in the spiritual realm as well.  We are like the crops, which are planted, by Adonai, on this earth, to grow in HIM, reach maturity, yet there comes a harvest time, when we will be harvested to go back home, to our eternal Sabbath’s rest, to enjoy our “Yovel” our time of “Jubilee” to reap what we have sown, souls that have come to YESHUA through our testimonies, believers who have grown to maturity through “teachers of the WORD” it is not enough to give out the WORD of God, there must be the ones who teach it, like seeds that are planted and watered.  For this reason, the spiritual gifts are given, and among those are the “teachers of the WORD” the ones who water the seeds so that they may grow, mature, and in the end, harvested. 

     The parashah also talks about slaves and servants.  An Israelite could not be considered a slave, but a servant, yet a foreigner could be considered a slave.  Yet both treatments of the slave or servant had to be humane, and they had to be released during the time of Jubilee, every 50 years.  Normally, a slave or servant would be released at the end of 6 years, however, if the slave or servant wished to remain with the master, the time with the master ended at the time of Jubilee. 

The word "Jubilee" comes from the Hebrew "Yoveil" which means "Ram"  A ram's horn was sounded every 50 years on Yom Kippur to announce that all would revert back to the original owners. 

     What this portion of Torah is saying is that ALL possessions, both material, animal, human, belong to Adonai.  We have each other, our material blessings for only a season.  We should enjoy each other and the blessings that the LORD has given us, for a season, employers should treat their employees with respect and with honor (they would be like the slaves and servants in Biblical times) Employers have their employees, just for a season. 

     Someday, when we stand before our Heavenly Father, we will be accountable for all the things we have been given, both human, animal, and material things.  For the season in which they were given to us, how did we treat them?  In the time of Jubilee, how will we stand before Yeshua?  Something to think about.  

 

JEREMIAH 32:6-27; 16:19-17:14

 

     The prophet, before his people went into exile in Babylon, buys a piece of property, Why? Because Adonai has promised him that he will, to buy and sell again, build houses, plant vineyards, AFTER a period of 10 periods of 7 years each.  Israel did not honor the sabbatical years, and now, the land will rest for 70 years. However, the prophet was promised that Israel would return and repossess the land.  

     We see in reading this parashah that Adonai is a God of judgment, but at the same time, a God of forgiveness.   Many times, we break HIS commandments, and many times, suffer the consequences for our actions, but there is forgiveness, after the time of suffering and tears, YHVH will never forget HIS PEOPLE.  We might go under, but we will never be annihilated.  ISRAEL is 4-ever.  In chapters 16 to 17, the same thing is being said, YHVH sees all, “For my eyes are on all their ways, they are not hidden from my presence”

     Who can hide from a Holy God? Yet the prophet says; “O YHVH, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in a day of trouble” He continues to trust in Adonai, even though the rest of Israel goes into captivity.  We might live in the midst of idolaters, lovers of the world, yet still, we must trust HIM.

LUKE 7:1-8:56

 

     We read about the miracles of Yeshua, Even the faith of a Roman Army officer whose servant was sick unto death, and the servant was healed.  What is required of receiving a miracle? Faith! Not blind faith, but faith in the healing powers of Adonai, The Roman believed being far away, yet his servant was healed.  He did not see Yeshua, yet he believed.  Yeshua said, “blessed are those who do not see, yet believe.  

     Yochanan the Baptizer was recognized by Yeshua, as one of the best “talmidim” since he endured imprisonment, and even death, for the sake of the truth.  Could we do that? Do we even dare to answer? Time will tell. 

 

Ben Avraham