וַיַּ֤רְא אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֔ה וְהִנֵּה־ט֖וֹב מְאֹ֑ד וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם הַשִּׁשִּֽׁי׃ {פ}
וַיְכֻלּ֛וּ הַשָּׁמַ֥יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ וְכׇל־צְבָאָֽם׃ וַיְכַ֤ל אֱלֹהִים֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִכׇּל־מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃ וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י ב֤וֹ שָׁבַת֙ מִכׇּל־מְלַאכְתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃ {פ}
וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּהַ֥ר סִינַ֖י לֵאמֹֽר׃ דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם כִּ֤י תָבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֖י נֹתֵ֣ן לָכֶ֑ם וְשָׁבְתָ֣ה הָאָ֔רֶץ שַׁבָּ֖ת לַיהֹוָֽה׃ שֵׁ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ תִּזְרַ֣ע שָׂדֶ֔ךָ וְשֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים תִּזְמֹ֣ר כַּרְמֶ֑ךָ וְאָסַפְתָּ֖ אֶת־תְּבוּאָתָֽהּ׃ וּבַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗ת שַׁבַּ֤ת שַׁבָּתוֹן֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָאָ֔רֶץ שַׁבָּ֖ת לַיהֹוָ֑ה שָֽׂדְךָ֙ לֹ֣א תִזְרָ֔ע וְכַרְמְךָ֖ לֹ֥א תִזְמֹֽר׃ אֵ֣ת סְפִ֤יחַ קְצִֽירְךָ֙ לֹ֣א תִקְצ֔וֹר וְאֶת־עִנְּבֵ֥י נְזִירֶ֖ךָ לֹ֣א תִבְצֹ֑ר שְׁנַ֥ת שַׁבָּת֖וֹן יִהְיֶ֥ה לָאָֽרֶץ׃ וְ֠הָיְתָ֠ה שַׁבַּ֨ת הָאָ֤רֶץ לָכֶם֙ לְאׇכְלָ֔ה לְךָ֖ וּלְעַבְדְּךָ֣ וְלַאֲמָתֶ֑ךָ וְלִשְׂכִֽירְךָ֙ וּלְתוֹשָׁ֣בְךָ֔ הַגָּרִ֖ים עִמָּֽךְ׃ וְלִ֨בְהֶמְתְּךָ֔ וְלַֽחַיָּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּאַרְצֶ֑ךָ תִּהְיֶ֥ה כׇל־תְּבוּאָתָ֖הּ לֶאֱכֹֽל׃ {ס}
“When you come into the land” (Leviticus 25.2) implies no conquest but the acquisition of a legacy. This may foster the illusion that the Land belongs to Israel permanently and unconditionally, to be inherited by their children to be tilled and cultivated, and to reap the fruits of their sweat and toil. To counter any such notion, God says, the Land which I give to you, i.e. it is not a Land given as an irreversible inheritance, but a pledge renewed on condition that you merit it. However, if you turn away from Me, I shall take it away from you and give it to others.”
Moshe Alshich Hebrew: משה אלשיך, also spelled Alshech, (1508–1593), known as the Alshich Hakadosh (the Holy), was a prominent rabbi, preacher, and biblical commentator in the latter part of the sixteenth century.
The Alshich was born in 1508 in the Ottoman Empire, and was the son of Hayyim Alshich. He later moved to Safed (now in Israel) where he became a student of Rabbi Joseph Caro. His students included Rabbi Hayim Vital and Rabbi Yom Tov Tzahalon. He died in Safed in 1593.
(ח) וְסָפַרְתָּ֣ לְךָ֗ שֶׁ֚בַע שַׁבְּתֹ֣ת שָׁנִ֔ים שֶׁ֥בַע שָׁנִ֖ים שֶׁ֣בַע פְּעָמִ֑ים וְהָי֣וּ לְךָ֗ יְמֵי֙ שֶׁ֚בַע שַׁבְּתֹ֣ת הַשָּׁנִ֔ים תֵּ֥שַׁע וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים שָׁנָֽה׃ (ט) וְהַֽעֲבַרְתָּ֞ שׁוֹפַ֤ר תְּרוּעָה֙ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִעִ֔י בֶּעָשׂ֖וֹר לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ בְּיוֹם֙ הַכִּפֻּרִ֔ים תַּעֲבִ֥ירוּ שׁוֹפָ֖ר בְּכׇל־אַרְצְכֶֽם׃ (י) וְקִדַּשְׁתֶּ֗ם אֵ֣ת שְׁנַ֤ת הַחֲמִשִּׁים֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וּקְרָאתֶ֥ם דְּר֛וֹר בָּאָ֖רֶץ לְכׇל־יֹשְׁבֶ֑יהָ יוֹבֵ֥ל הִוא֙ תִּהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם וְשַׁבְתֶּ֗ם אִ֚ישׁ אֶל־אֲחֻזָּת֔וֹ וְאִ֥ישׁ אֶל־מִשְׁפַּחְתּ֖וֹ תָּשֻֽׁבוּ׃ (יא) יוֹבֵ֣ל הִ֗וא שְׁנַ֛ת הַחֲמִשִּׁ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה תִּהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם לֹ֣א תִזְרָ֔עוּ וְלֹ֤א תִקְצְרוּ֙ אֶת־סְפִיחֶ֔יהָ וְלֹ֥א תִבְצְר֖וּ אֶת־נְזִרֶֽיהָ׃ (יב) כִּ֚י יוֹבֵ֣ל הִ֔וא קֹ֖דֶשׁ תִּהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם מִ֨ן־הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה תֹּאכְל֖וּ אֶת־תְּבוּאָתָֽהּ׃ (יג) בִּשְׁנַ֥ת הַיּוֹבֵ֖ל הַזֹּ֑את תָּשֻׁ֕בוּ אִ֖ישׁ אֶל־אֲחֻזָּתֽוֹ׃
(כג) וְאַתָּ֣ה קַח־לְךָ֮ בְּשָׂמִ֣ים רֹאשׁ֒ מׇר־דְּרוֹר֙ חֲמֵ֣שׁ מֵא֔וֹת וְקִנְּמׇן־בֶּ֥שֶׂם מַחֲצִית֖וֹ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים וּמָאתָ֑יִם וּקְנֵה־בֹ֖שֶׂם חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וּמָאתָֽיִם׃
Because GOD has anointed me.
I have been sent as a herald of joy to the humble,
To bind up the wounded of heart,
To proclaim release to the captives,
Liberation to the imprisoned;
The Fragrance of Freedom R. David Kasher – [email protected] Parashat BeHar 5784
https://mechonhadar.s3.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/KasherParashatBeHar5784.pdf
וְכִ֣י תֹאמְר֔וּ מַה־נֹּאכַ֖ל בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑ת הֵ֚ן לֹ֣א נִזְרָ֔ע וְלֹ֥א נֶאֱסֹ֖ף אֶת־תְּבוּאָתֵֽנוּ׃ וְצִוִּ֤יתִי אֶת־בִּרְכָתִי֙ לָכֶ֔ם בַּשָּׁנָ֖ה הַשִּׁשִּׁ֑ית וְעָשָׂת֙ אֶת־הַתְּבוּאָ֔ה לִשְׁלֹ֖שׁ הַשָּׁנִֽים׃ וּזְרַעְתֶּ֗ם אֵ֚ת הַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשְּׁמִינִ֔ת וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֖ם מִן־הַתְּבוּאָ֣ה יָשָׁ֑ן עַ֣ד ׀ הַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַתְּשִׁיעִ֗ת עַד־בּוֹא֙ תְּב֣וּאָתָ֔הּ תֹּאכְל֖וּ יָשָֽׁן׃ וְהָאָ֗רֶץ לֹ֤א תִמָּכֵר֙ לִצְמִתֻ֔ת כִּי־לִ֖י הָאָ֑רֶץ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֧ים וְתוֹשָׁבִ֛ים אַתֶּ֖ם עִמָּדִֽי׃ וּבְכֹ֖ל אֶ֣רֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶ֑ם גְּאֻלָּ֖ה תִּתְּנ֥וּ לָאָֽרֶץ׃ {ס}
Rabbi David Ingber, Shabbat Behar Sermon, Romemu, 2014
Something miraculous happens when we stop. We get to experience the power that nature knows called dormancy. Dormancy, that which is holding; the heartbeat that rests; the hibernating animals, all of winter; waiting and waiting…There are seeds inside each and every one of us, inside this culture, that cannot emerge because we do not know that dormancy does not mean death, resting does not mean disappearing. What keeps us from stopping is that we are terrified of resting. We are afraid of the imaginative terrible things we will feel in the quiet. We fear that when we stop, even for a moment, the sheer enormity of our lives will overwhelm us. Our outspoken and unspoken fears, they speed up our lives. Like a stone being thrown over a lake, we've learned to skip so we don’t get too wet, and we are terrified that if we let the stone fall, we will disappear. And so we think that our speed will save us from the void. We dance around the security that is offered from touching what is underneath the speed. Can we let go of the obsession of finishing what can’t be finished?
כי גרים ותושבים אתם עמדי י"ל בזה בדרך רמז להבין זה ע"פ ששמעתי מחכם אחד על פסוק גר אנכי בארץ אל תסתר ממני מצותיך כי ידוע מן איכות טבע העולם כי מי שהוא גר אין לו עם מי לדבק ולקרב עצמו ולספר לו כל מאורעותיו וכל לבו שאין לו חבר לא ישראל ולא גוים אך כשרואה חבירו הגר אזי מספר כ"א בפני חבירו כל מאורעותיו וידוע הקב"ה הוא כמו גר בעוה"ז שאין לו על מי להשרות שכינ' כבודו ית' כי זעירין אינון וכו' והוא שהתפל' דהע"ה גר אנכי בארץ היינו אני ג"כ איני רוצה להיות תושב בעוה"ז ואני רק כגר בעוה"ז ולכך אל תסתר ממני מצותיך כמו גר אחד בפני חבירו שמספר לו כל לבו וזה י"ל הרמז בפסוק כי גרים ותושבים כשתהיה בבחי' גר בעוה"ז ותושב בעוה"ב אז אתם עמדי כי אני ג"כ גר בעוה"ז כנ"ל וממילא אל אסתיר מכם מצותי כנ"ל והבן:
For you are resident strangers with Me It is possible to speak about this in the manner of allusion. I will explain it according to what I have heard from a certain wise person regarding the verse "I am only a stranger in the land; do not hide Your commandments from me." (Psalms 119:19). This is known from the quality of the nature of the world; a stranger is without a people to cleave to, they are without one to be close to and to tell all their happenings and all their heart to, since they have no friend neither Jew nor Gentile. But when the stranger sees a friend, then they tell all of these to their friend, all their happenings. And know that the Holy Blessed One is Themself like a stranger in this world(!) for They have no-one with whom to imbue Their presence and Their glory, may They be blessed, and we are infinitesimally small, etc. And this is what King David, peace be upon him, prayed: "I am a stranger in this land" (ibid.) -- this is to say, I too do not want to be resident in this world(!) And I am only like a stranger in this world. And therefore, do not hide from me Your mitzvot -- like a stranger who tells all their heart to their friend. And this is that which can be said about the allusion in the verse "For [you are] resident strangers", that you are in the aspect of a stranger in this world, and in that of a resident in the world to come. Then you are with Me, for I also am a stranger in this world (as explained above) and obviously, I will not hide from them My mitzvot (as explained above, and understand).
Often the word mitzvah is related to the Aramaic word tzavta, meaning to attach or join. Tzavta can mean companionship or personal attachment. In this sense, a mitzvah bundles up the person who is commanded and the Commander, creating a relationship and essential bond.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1438516/jewish/Mitzvah.htm
In describing different tribal economies of gift exchange, Hyde emphasizes the distinction between reciprocal giving and circular giving.
“When the gift moves in a circle,” he notes, “no one ever receives it from the same person he gives it to . . . the smaller the circle is – and particularly if it is just two people – the more a man can keep his eye on things and the more likely it is he will start to think like a salesman.” It is when the gift passes out of sight – when we let it out of our control – “that the real fruits of the exchange begin to be felt.”
It is through this prism that Hyde invites us to understand the sacrificial system of ancient Israel. It is a traditional gift cycle – one that includes the people, the flocks, the priests . . . and God.
“The inclusion of God in the circle,” he suggests, “changes and enlarges the way the gift moves unlike any other addition.”
The gift we offer passes out of sight and into mystery –
A gesture that implicitly acknowledges
The Great Mystery
from which the gift of life itself
comes to us.
***
This is what Hyde says about the offerings of Vayikra – about the circle of giving that includes God.
“The passage [of the gift] into mystery always refreshes. We are lightened when our gifts rise from pools we cannot fathom. Then we know they are . . . inexhaustible. Anything contained within a boundary must contain as well its own exhaustion . . . But when the gift passes out of sight and then returns, we are enlivened.”
Tich Nhat Hanh
Gata:
I have arrived.
I am home. In the here.
In the now.
I am solid.
I am free.
In the ultimate I dwell.
[Transcribed portions of the video below)
Some of us continue to run even in our sleep in our dreams
because running has become a habit
we run in our sleep in our dreams
I have arrived I am home-- I don't want to run anymore
you want to really rest.
You like to listen to the music of your breathing in and out
your heart is playing music
like that you can enter your sleep peacefully and with much pleasure.
The practice of stopping is very crucial in the Buddhist tradition.
There are moments when we don't do anything -- we just sit there and lie down
but our bodies have not stopped. There is a tension in our bodies.
The body does not have the capacity to rest. To stop.
Stopping does not just mean just stopping the mind it means stopping the body.
because the body has the habit of running
there is a feeling of restlessness in the body....
you can help the body to stop you can help to stop the mind.
you practice with body and mind at the same time. Not just the mind.
The Buddhist term for stopping is Shamata. In Pali ---Samata.
The first meaning of Shamata is stopping. Without stopping you cannot do much......
You can stop at the time you walk, you can even stop while you run. Jogging meditation. Because you are not running after something. You are not searching for something at all. You are at peace in the present moment. That is the meaning of Shamata.
....
You need a strong will and a big desire in order to stop.
Because the habit of running is very strong in us. in our mind and in our body.
The Tibetan term for samatha is shyiné (Wylie: zhi-gnas). According to Jamgon Kongtrul, the terms refer to "peace" and "pacification" of the mind and the thoughts.
from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samatha