Rabbi's Drash

B'har / B-chukkotai

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5769

Vayikra 25:1-27:34
 

In the last portion in chapter 23 of Vayikra we studied the festivals-ha moedim, the first of which is Shabbat and encompasses all the others. Our Messiah Yeshua is the fulfillment of all the festivals. He is our Shabbat rest. The first of G-d's holy days is Pesach with Yeshua being the Lamb of G-d. Next is Rishonim Bikkurim where Yeshua is our first fruits followed 50 days later with Shavuot. On Shavuot, a harvest festival we celebrate the giving of the Torah pointing us to G-d giving us the right to enter the Promised land, the land of milk and honey. It is here that the Word of G-d would come alive in the life of Yeshua our Messiah. There follows a recess period where it seems that nothing is happening but it is the preparation for the "terrible days" of the month of Elul. Most of the atrocities which happened to the Jews were during these days. We enter the last three festivals, the first of which is Yom Teruah, the blowing of the shofar where Yeshua calls us to repentance. Ten days later comes Yom Kippur with Yeshua being our Redeemer finishing with Sukkoth with Messiah Yeshua being the time of our rejoicing. In this study we learn about the yovel, the jubilee of the 50th year. Our sages teach that the word 'yovel' comes from the word meaning 'ram' taken from the ram's horn which is blown at this time. It is beautiful picture of redemption beginning with the fall of mankind in Gan Eden. When man fell, G-d cursed the ground. Up to that point, Adam and Eve ate from whatever was produced without having to harvest the land. This is the picture of the 'shmittah year". Every 7th year we were asked by G-d to leave the land alone-not to plant or harvest, but to allow Him to provide for all from the land. We would simply take what we needed in that year. In the 8th year we would sow again and harvest in the 9th year. This meant that we would have to trust G-d to provide for us for 3 years. We would not have to work for our food exactly like in the Garden. The seventh of the seven years will be the total completion of G-d promises, adding up to the 50th year which is the completion of the cycle when G-d will take us "hashiveinu" back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve lived an idyllic life in the Garden; it truly was the paradise which was designed by G-d for humanity. This is the true representation of what G-d wanted for us...He was the total provider and we simply were to be there to receive it. That however was not enough for us as we see. Eve was tempted by ha Satan and chose to disobey G-d; the land was cursed and man would from then on have to work by the sweat of his brow. The sages believe that the animal sacrificed to cover the sin of Adam and Eve was a ram from which the horn is used for the shofar. This same animal, the ram which played such an important role before our expulsion from the Garden is once again seen as the covering for the restoration to the Garden in the final 'yovel'. The idea of Yovel is the return to Gan Eden. When Isaiah 61 was read by Yeshua in the synagogue on Yom Kippur, he was reading about the yovel year. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the LORD has anointed met to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners;" When Yeshua pointed out that he was speaking about himself here., they wanted to stone him because the religious people of the day knew what he was saying. When Yochanan asked if Yeshua was the Messiah, once again Yeshua reminded them of this verse. The miracles he performed during his short time in Israel proved that he was indeed G-d's Messiah who would begin the yovel here on earth. On Yom Kippur Yeshua would be the means by which G-d would free us from any obstacles in the way of us being in relationship with Him. After the yovel we come to the verses of "tochecha", the curses. There are only 13 verses of blessings and the rest are all curses which we also find in the last chapters of Devarim. Why, we might ask would G-d spend so much time warning us about the curses and disasters which would happen if we disobeyed Him? As parents, because we truly love our children and we want them to do their best in life, we need to spend endless hours disciplining them. It is not easy on us. It is easier to allow them to do whatever they want. We need to spend a lot of time warning them of the dangers and the consequences that await them if they disobey the rules of social living. Good parents, when their children fail, do not stand there pointing a finger at them saying, "I told you so" instead they comfort them and help them to get up and try again. G-d does that with His children. G-d is warning Israel, His children…" I gave you instructions; I begged you to obey them or you will hurt yourselves." We are constantly hurting the heart of G-d by our actions and we hurt ourselves even more. We need to examine ourselves daily admitting our failures to Him and He is always waiting with open arms to welcome us back. He is the G-d of beginning again. Yovel is the time of redemption. We need to allow the yovel to come to us…to minister to us…to work inside us. The picture of the land remaining untouched shows a land exposed as we need to be…open before Him, fully exposed. The land needed its rest, its time of quiet as we do. He is telling us to stop fighting so hard…to stop trying so hard…simply to stay quiet. Allow G-d to do what we cannot do. We need so stop blaming our behavior on our past. G-d knew what our life would be like. He knew what we would be going through and He allowed it for a purpose. Now G-d wants to be the healer of our lives. As a special child of G-d are you allowing G-d to bring healing into your life or are you relying on yourself. This is what the year of Shmittah and the Yovel signify…total trust in G-d. Jeremiah spoke it beautifully in chapter 17: 5-14: "Thus says the LORD, cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD. For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes, but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, land of salt without inhabitant. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the water that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit. The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it? I, the LORD search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds. "As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid, so is he who makes a fortune, but unjustly; In the midst of his days it will forsake him ,and in the end he will be a fool. A glorious throne on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You will be put to shame Those who turn away on earth will be written down, because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD. Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved…" Do we trust Him or give lip service only? Are we professional religious people or do we truly care what G-d thinks? Do you believe that your cosmetics can fool G-d? Are you ready to begin your year of "yovel"? Did you know that the lack of being honest with yourself destroys your relationship with G-d? Our sages teach that when we will be in the yovel it will be the times of Messiah, the 7000 year period on earth, the perfect Shabbat. Are you ready for the coming of Messiah?    May G-d add blessings to His Word!      Rabbi Percy Johnson      Netanel ben Yochanan      [nxy [b lantn      © 2008 Use by Permission      Kehilat She’ar Yashuv

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