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May 20, 2005/Iyar 11 5765, Volume 57, No. 38
Carpe diem, not per diem
Torah study
RABBI ARTHUR LAVINSKY
Parsha Behar/Leviticus 25:1-26:2
"Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." This famous verse from this week's Torah portion, Behar, from the book of Leviticus, is inscribed on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. The Liberty Bell was sounded on July 8, 1776, to announce the first reading of the Declaration of Independence. As a result, the passion that we have for freedom in this country will forever be associated with the words of the Torah.
Just how was liberty proclaimed in biblical times in the Land of Israel? In its original context, this passage was referring to the institution of the Jubilee year, the Yovel, in which slaves were freed and all property was returned to its original owners. The shofar sounded on Yom Kippur to usher in this Jubilee year.
In many instances, people were sold into slavery or were forced to sell their property as a result of having fallen on hard times. Even before the advent of credit cards, it was easy to become debt-ridden, but there was no such thing as declaring bankruptcy in biblical times. In order to pay a debt, individuals would sell their most precious assets, including their land and their personal freedom.
But servitude and landlessness were not meant to be a permanent state. The Jubilee provided hope for everyone who had encountered economic misfortune, but it also reminded the person who had acquired great wealth, many servants and much property that whatever they amassed in their lives was only temporary. Everything we own is ultimately a provisional gift from God.
My Bible teacher at Hebrew University, Nechama Leibowitz, of blessed memory, taught, "The Jubilee legislation was designed to counter man's acquisitive instincts and remind him that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof."
From time immemorial, human beings have been trying to acquire all that they can. Perhaps you have seen the ubiquitous bumper sticker that reflects this philosophy: "He who dies with the most toys wins." This attitude is foreign to Judaism. Quite the contrary, it is the person who shares what he has and who teaches others to do the same who is the unqualified success.
Such lessons can be learned from all walks of life. We cannot always succeed by grasping and grabbing. For example, my golf instructor recently taught me that the most effective way to golf is by gripping the club gently, which allows for a more fluid swing and more consistent ball flight. The more tightly you grab the club, the more likely you are to hook or slice the ball. My wife, Debbi, who is a gifted flutist, tells me that the only way to play the flute or other instruments effectively is to hold onto the instrument gently and with little tension, something that amateurs don't appreciate. Even in the raising of children, while the temptation always exists to keep tight reins on our kids, if we want them to mature on their own, we need to know when to let go. In each of these cases, sometimes less is more.
Perhaps this is the critical message of the Jubilee. In order to live life to its fullest, you don't always have to grab; you don't always need to acquire more. Attend the synagogue of your choice this Shabbat. Read about the Jubilee in Parsha Behar. And when you read the verse "Proclaim liberty throughout the land," I hope and pray that it'll ring a bell.
Rabbi Arthur Lavinsky is the spiritual leader of Beth El Congregation in Phoenix.
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