Behar

וידבר ה' אל משה בהר סיני לאמר. דבר אל בני ישראל ואמרת אלהם כי תבאו אל הארץ אשר אני נתן לכם ושבתה הארץ שבת לה'. שש שנים תזרע שדך ושש שנים תזמר כרמך ואספת את תבואתה. ובשנה השביעת שבת

שבתון יהיה לארץ שבת לה' שדך לא תזרע וכרמך לא תזמר (כה, א- ג)

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Hashem spoke to Moshe at Mount Sinai, saying: “Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them, when you will arrive at the land which I am giving to You, the land shall rest a rest unto Hashem. For six years shall you sow your field and for six years shall you prune your vineyard, and you shall gather its yield. And in the seventh year there shall be a complete cessation for the land, a cessation unto Hashem – you shall not sow your field, nor prune your vineyard.”

There are two paths that present themselves to Man in his trek through life. One seems short and easy – yet is, in fact, long and difficult. That is the path of the wicked, who follow their base desires due to the attraction that they wield. On the surface it seems that this path offers the most gratification; in reality, in the very long afterlife, it brings nothing but misery. The other path, conversely, seems long and difficult, yet is, in fact, short and easy. That is the path of the righteous, who spend their lives subduing their desires in deference to Hashem’s will. While it may seem that such a lifestyle is nothing but privation and discomfort, its value will be eternally appreciated in the Next World, when one’s efforts will provide for his eternal bliss.

While there are numerous distinctions between these two paths, there is one aspect of a person’s conduct which is critical to being successful in steering oneself onto the correct path. That aspect is his relationship with his ego. If one thoroughly distances himself from arrogance and develops the attribute of humility, it will make a world of a difference in developing a propensity for good and a revulsion for evil. As the Chovos ha-Levavos* writes, one of the benefits of humility is contentedness. For one who is arrogant – he never has enough; no matter how much good he has, it doesn’t do justice to what he deserves. The humble, in contrast, doesn’t see himself as deserving of anything; as such, whatever he comes by, whether in his diet or his wardrobe, will make do. As Mishlei** states, The righteous eats to satiety, while the stomach of the wicked will lack.

With this preface we can well understand why the opening passage of our sidra, which, as we shall see, is dedicated to the traversing of these paths of life, begins with a reference to Mount Sinai. For Mount Sinai is a symbol of humility, having been chosen to serve as the setting for the Giving of the Torah due to its lowliness, as the famous midrash goes.*** As I have observed elsewhere, it is for the same reason that tractate Avos begins by referencing Hashem with the title “Sinai.” In both instances, the Torah is instructing us to focus on this most fundamental of character traits as a stepping stone for all subsequent personal growth.

Now, to parse our passage. כי תבאו אל הארץ אשר אני נתן לכם. As one talmudic opinion**** has it, the meaning of such language (“When you shall come to the land”) is that the fulfilment of the subject of the passage is a necessary condition for the acquisition of the Land. Here too, the achievement of humility, alluded to by the reference to Mount Sinai, is a necessary prerequisite אשר אני .for the acquisition of the “Land,” namely the Land of the Living – the World to Come .It is the ultimate gift, one that keeps on giving ,נתן לכם

The World to Come is called Shabbos, the greatest rest. As the Sages***** .ושבתה הארץ שבת לה' expressed it, one who exerts himself on the eve of Shabbos will have what to eat on Shabbos itself. One who invests the necessary effort during his mortal lifetime will enjoy the fruits of his labor in the eternal Shabbos.

As such is the is the nature of his existence, Man is advised שש שנים תזרע שדך. The six years correspond to the six days of the week, the lifelong experience that leads up to the Shabbos of the afterlife. These should be devoted, as much as possible, to working “your field,” that is, what is uniquely one’s own – his portion in the World to Come. For all other pursuits are peripheral to this. This can be best expressed by a metaphor cited by the Chovos ha-Levavos:****** Two brothers divided a field. As neither half was developed enough to provide sustenance for its owner, they both took day jobs employed upon the properties of others. However, when the work day was out, the one who was wise and industrious would devote an hour to the cultivation of his personal property; his unwise and lazy brother would take the rest of the day easy, ignoring his lot. Eventually, the wise brother had his property up and running and could devote himself solely to his own interests; the other spent the rest of his life slaving for others so as to eke out a living. The moral of the story is that while all must devote time to maintaining their temporal existence in this world, one who has his eye on his ultimate success will not fritter away his opportunities to invest in it. (As far as the twin expressions – שש שנים תזרע שדך ושש שנים תזמר כרמך, they may refer to two major categories of study towards the aforementioned goal: “your field” is the study of the exoteric portion of Torah; “your vineyard” the esoteric portion, for יין, wine, has the same numerical value as סוד, secret.) once one reaches the Next World, he will enter a stage of ,ובשנה השביעית שבת שבתון יהיה לארץ complete inactivity. שדך לא תזרע, it will be impossible to accomplish anything spiritual. As such, prudence in how one spends his time before that is of the utmost importance.

Our verses can be explicated in two different fashions, as per the respective opinions of Shammai and Hillel in how one ought best prepare for Shabbos.******* The former would purchase an item for Shabbos; if he later encountered a superior one, he purchased it and consumed the original item during the week. This process would continue throughout the week, and thus Shammai “ate all week in preparation for Shabbos,” so to speak. Hillel, in contrast, “had another middah, approach:” he would wait until the end of the week to purchase for Shabbos, trusting that Hashem would provide him with it just as He provided for his daily needs. Thus, Hillel was described as one “whose every deed was for the sake of Heaven.”

These different approaches can be better understood in light of another divergence between them. As a talmudic passage in Shabbos******** famously relates, a potential convert approached each of the two with the outlandish demand that he be converted on the condition that he be appointed the Kohen Gadol. While Shammai brushed him off, Hillel embraced him. This reflects the roots of their respective spiritual psychologies: Shammai operated on the attribute of Din, strict justice. As such, the notion of converting for – of predicating one’s service of Heaven upon – an ulterior motive was anathema to him; only the purest motives would do. Hillel, in contrast, worked off the attribute of Chesed, kindness. He was therefore accepting of all, even those who could not work at optimal capacity.

This is why Shammai arranged his shopping schedule so that he would always be eating as a form of Avodas Hashem – the high bar that he set for himself would not tolerate mundane consumption. In this context, the aforementioned understanding of the verses rings true: all of one’s “six days” of his lifelong “week” are to be dedicated to the ultimate goal of his eternal repose.

Hillel “had another middah,” that of Chesed. His “every deed was for the sake of Heaven,” even something seemingly insincere like the acceptance of a convert for ulterior motives. Hillel knew that even such inferior efforts at Divine service have their place, for מתוך שלא לשמה בא לשמה, it can lead one to higher, more authentic levels. And, as such, although Shammai demonstrated a lofty level of purity of motive in his weekly Shabbos preparation, for Hillel it was unnecessary. So long as he ended the week with food for Shabbos, his preceding six days of mundane consumption was also of value.*********

From this perspective, we can offer a novel interpretation of our passage. שדך refers to that which is very personal, namely “your body.” שש שנים תזרע שדך, during the first six decades of your life, feel free to cultivate your physical side. However, בשנה השביעית, when you reach your seventh decade, שבת שבתון יהיה לארץ, such cultivation must cease, 'שבת לה, your attention turned completely to developing your relationship with Hashem. שדך לא תזרע, now your physical side is והיתה .not to be attended to (to the degree possible), rather your spiritual side shall be your focus through the spiritual readiness garnered in this last decade one provides ,שבת הארץ לכם לאכלה spiritual sustenance for himself for eternity. This is the approach of Hillel, who traversed the week with his simple trust in Heaven, anticipating that he would able to make good on his spiritual responsibilities before he reached its end.

Another possible explanation of our verses may lie in the talmudic account of the four sages who “entered the Pardes,”********** i.e., attempted meditative connection with a higher spirituality consciousness. One was Ben Azzai, who “gazed and died.” As the Maharsha there explains, Ben Azzai entered a state of such blissful spiritual rapture that his soul simply disconnected from his body – terminating his life. While this may seem grand, it is not the goal that Hashem desires from us. The purpose of existence is to participate in it: to live life fully through engagement with a world full of mitzvos.

However, when man’s final years creep up, it is then time for him to withdraw somewhat from his physical preoccupation, so as to ready his soul for its reunification with the spiritual realm from which it stemmed. There are those who are successful in this regard to the degree that their physicality is completely refined, allowing it to fully participate in one’s spiritual delight. These include Eliyahu, Chanoch, and R. Yehoshua b. Levi, and this was the state temporarily achieved at the Giving of the Torah. For most of us, though, the body’s purification will need to come after its separation from the soul.

This is the meaning of our verse: וידבר ה' בהר סיני, reminiscent of the spiritual elevation experienced at Sinai, דבר אל בני ישראל, instruct the Jews, כי תבאו אל הארץ, that they should see to it that when they arrive in the afterlife, אשר אני נתן לכם, which, as mentioned earlier, is the ultimate gift from Above, ושבתה הארץ, it should be in a state in which their earthy, physical side will be stripped of its coarseness, 'שבת לה, just as the soul – which is coded as “Shabbos” – is completely in tune with Hashem.

עולם ושנה – Why is the soul called Shabbos? As we know, reality consists of three dimensions( space, time, and man. And all of existence can be divided along two poles – the physical ,ונפש and the spiritual. Thus, each of the three dimensions is divided into two subcategories, producing six dimensions. Within time, the spiritual pole is known as Shabbos. And within man, the spiritual anchor, is, of course, the soul. It follows that Shabbos is synonymous with the soul.***********)

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*6:10

**13:25 

***Midrash Tehillim 68; cf. Megillah 29a. 

****See Kiddushin 37b.
*****Avodah Zarah 3a.
******.2:3

******* Beitzah 16a.
******** 31a.
********* This is the intention of the statement that “penitents stand in a place where the absolutely righteous do not stand” (Berachos 34b). The “place” is the middah used. Tzaddikim operate in the “place,” in the context, of Din; all of their deeds are accounted for. Ba’alei Teshuvah work in the context of Chessed; it is there that their contribution is appreciated. 

**********Chagigah 14b.
***********A sign of this connection: In Shemos 31:17, שבת וינפש, the Shabbos and the nefesh, the soul.