Behar-Bechukosai - 7th Portion

Join me as we learn Chumash for Shabbos. Parshas Behar Bechukosai combined. This is the seventh Torah reading, Chazak, where we will be concluding the book of Leviticus. Yesterday we began by learning about the laws of evaluations when a person donates property or a human value to the Holy Temple. Today we continue with donating and redeeming property. We will then go into the laws of tithing and as well of the evaluations and redeeming the second tithe and tithing animals, the laws pertaining to it. Chapter 27, verse 16. If a man consecrates part of his inherited field, he dedicates it and makes it holy for God. The higher the value will be determined according to an area with a of barley seed of which we talk about the area measured by a homer, which is seven bushels. At the value of 50 shekel of silver. How does this work? Let's look at Rashi. This over here, the Torah is telling us that when it comes to this type of field, there's another way of how we're going to value it. And this is going to be based on the area of the property. Not according to its worth. Whether it's a good field or whether it's a difficult field to plow with. To be able to redeem it, the equal will be the same. How do you do this? A field which you are able to plow with it, a core, which is a homer, which we gave the number of about about 800 about 248 liters, seven bushels, would be redeemed by Hamishim shekel which is about 800 grams of silver. This is the decree of the verse. This is the amount you give. This is talking about over here when the person's going to pay to redeem it at the beginning of the Jubilee year. But if he's coming in the middle of the Jubilee year that means there's a bunch of years left. Then he has to go according to how many years are left. Sela. Who put in the whole shana. Then he has to give a sela which is a shekel for every year. That means a sela and then a put in which is a smaller coin for every year. Because the field only becomes sanctified holy only for the years of because if the owners are going to have to redeem it then they can have that 20%. How they tell you is wonderful. He then sells it for its value how much it's worth to somebody else without the additional 20%. Now buys it, keeps it out of Yavel until the Jubilee year. Any other field that's sold. When it leaves the person's hands meaning in the Jubilee year when the a second buyer gets it. It goes back it doesn't go back to the temple. It only goes to the Kohanim for the family of the Kohanim who are working in the holy temple that Yom Kippur. That that Jubilee is atoned. Then they divide it. This is the law when it comes to somebody dedicates a field. He says when we get later on when we're going to talk about the field he's going to explain it in detail. Verse 17. As we're going to see now the Torah explains to Rashi just mentioned. If a person dedicates a field after the Jubilee year. this today. If a person dedicates his field after the Jubilee year, then it retains its full redemption value, which would be 50 shekel per homer per barley seed. What happens if a person Rashi If as soon as the Jubilee year passes, right away he gives it to the Levite. This guy comes to redeem it right away. According to this value, he gets it 50 shekel he would have to give. What happens if the person comes and he gives his field after a year of the Jubilee? Then the Kohen has to calculate the money. According to the remaining years until the Jubilee year. It's deducted from the value of what the person had until the year that he sold it from. Let's see Rashi. If the Jubilee year passes, or if he made it sanctified it right after the Jubilee, but he kept it by the judge cuz he couldn't find any buyers. This guy is now coming to redeem it after the Jubilee. So now the Kohen has to evaluate makes the calculation. What's the calculation? The Torah told us the man shall have 49 years. The Torah says it's 50 shekel for 49 years. What does that mean? And a shekel a year. So it's a shekel per year. Plus a shekel plus one shekel at the end. So if you take that one shekel, so it's 50 shekel for 49 years. So it's a shekel and something per year. A shekel a shekel is made up of 48 coins. So if you do the calculation, you get a shekel which is a shekel and one little bit of a coin for per year. So you're missing a little bit because it's really 48 shekel, so you're missing a little bit for every single year. I'm going to be saying to you that putting in that that little extra Calvin Laporte that little extra will be considered for a surcharge. I'm all legal. And therefore, when the person the if I bought the gift the person who's coming to redeem it should act in a generous way. We eat and sell a pigeon you should give one seller and a complete pigeon even though there's a little bit extra that you should be able to get. The whole shot of everyone of the year and the status of the remaining years until the year for America. You then deduct the amount of the value meaning the amount of years that already passed from until the time that he's actually redeeming it. Verse 19. The angle eagle is a solid but if he comes to redeem the field of the same person who dedicated it then as we mentioned previously we also have to love you have to add 20% on it a fifth. The way and then he can get it. I say Joseph I'll keep whatever the amount you deducted whatever price you come to you add 20% you add a fifth and that's what he pays to be able to redeem it. Verse 20 email you got to say something but if he does not redeem the field or if he sold the field to somebody else it can no longer be redeemed. Rashi verse 20. The guy who made it dedicated didn't buy it or if he marked it or if the treasurer sold it but he shall also be out of the market no longer go to the original owner. As we mentioned what's going to happen with the Jubilee years, let's see next verse. Now when it comes to the Jubilee year what happens to the field if the original owner didn't buy it back or the treasurer already sold it to somebody else then it's already stays sanctified to God This now becomes inherited property to the coin and it belongs to the coin as his inheritance. Rashi the person who bought it from the treasure when it comes to Yovel now goes back to its original owner like all other fields like any other buyer whom the field leaves the property of the buyer and goes back to the original owner but in this case it's not going to the original owner it's going to the coin. It doesn't go back to holiness that they can now to the temple charity so now it can be used for other things to the treasure. Ella the positive tells us it goes it goes like a field which is dedicated and designated to give to the coin it says that all the special things that are designated go to the coin so to this just the coin will be divided to the coin of that shift to give to the Yovel of the Jubilee year that is at that moment. Verse 22. But if it's a field but if this is if the person gives a field to God that he had purchased that it's not something that he inherited. That's what he's giving to God. Rashi Here the Torah is making a difference between the field that he bought to a field that he inherited. A field that a person bought does not go back to the coin in the Jubilee year it does not go back to the coin in the Jubilee year because the person can only make it holy until Yovel because the Yovel is because when he bought a field the field was never his because in the field that he made holy that field initially when it was going to come to the Yovel Yovel to the Jubilee year it would have to go back to the original owners. Therefore now it can't go to the coin because it's not his field completely. Therefore in if he comes to redeem it he has to redeem it with this money which is for an inherited field. She because if he's not going to redeem it now the treasure is going to sell to somebody else. Oh you mean you go home or if he's going to redeem it year of the Jubilee year the field is going to go back person that he bought it from and that guy that made it holy. That means the guy that made it holy who he bought it from not to the coin. You may say the one who bought it from should go back to the original the buyer. That should be the treasure. That's why it has to say to the one who had inheritance that's what we're going to see in the next verse because it's telling you to the one in this verse it says to the one who has the inheritance meaning he original original owner the one who inherited it who sold it the guy that sold it that made it holy the one who made it holy then the treasure then sold it to another person so that goes back not to the buyer but to the original owner who inherited first and that's by the Jubilee year. However if I have an inherited land and I dedicate it to holiness and then it comes to the oval then it goes to the coin because I'm the original owner of the land. Verse 25. I'm sorry verse 23. Verse 23. So how was this done? As we mentioned previously Rashi gave us the whole detail in this of what the next few verses are about. The coin will then calculate the value remaining of until action until the oval year will give that value by your month day could just rush him will be sanctified to God to keep it in the Tabernacle. However, when it comes to the actual Yovel year, the field will then return last year tight to the person who we purchased it from. That means not the treasure who bought it, not the buyer, last year as I said it's the first original person who got it as an inheritance. Verse 25. Anytime you do an evaluation, it must be according to the sacred shekel. As from Gator the valuation of the sacred shekel is always going to be 20 Gator per shekel. First 25. As she says, anytime when he talks about evaluation and the word shekel is the shekel we're talking about the holy shekel. As from Gator 20 Gator as from 20 money. This is the way it was originally in the time of the first temple. However, later on in the era of the second temple they same just said that the shekel the holy should be evaluated higher and therefore they said it's 20 shekel plus a sixth. They added a person to give the sixth on to it. The rabbis explained in the tractate of six more dinner. Six more silver more is what makes a dinner. A dinner is then 24 more to sell it to a seller and therefore not only not only 20 but they made it 24, a little more than it was initially. Verse 20 six. First born Now we come to the laws pertaining to the first born animals. First born of a cow or a sheep Although no man is allowed to However, when it comes to a first born that a person may give as a first born to God you don't have the right to consecrate it. You shall say you shall to a sheep. Though no person's allowed to make a firstborn animal since it has to be brought as a sacrifice anyways, but whether be an ox or sheep it belongs to God and therefore you don't have the right to make it a sacrifice. As Rashi explains the act of saying Over here the Torah is telling us carbon of your shame you cannot a person cannot make it holy because it is already holy it's not yours but at the very fact that it was born as a firstborn. Verse 27 The in by my to me uh What if? Now we're talking about redeeming other kind of entities. The in by my to me uh If a person makes a define animal that's forbidden for consumption and he makes it as a something called he wants to donate it to the holy temple. And father bear therefore he must redeem it by paying for its value. The also say all of them adds on 20% a fifth. The lawyer girl but if he does not redeem it then the name of the has to be sold to its value. The buyer doesn't need to pay an additional the money paid by the owner goes and is used for the upkeep of the holy temple. That's the Rashi verse 27. Uh verse 27 Rashi the in by my to me uh this verse is now a new law that has nothing to do with the firstborn. The to me uh to me uh for the guy we're not talking about a firstborn non-kosher animal that you will redeem it. The because when it comes to the redeeming of a donkey which we talk about you have to redeem the firstborn donkey that's done with the sheep. And not only that who's the sheep given to? They given to the coin and it's not given to the holy temple. Of course if here we're talking about when a person gives a separate item. You know a person decides to give an unkosher animal and wants to donate it to a cause of the animal to me uh to huma because the previous verse before in verse 11 was telling us that if a person gives and he has to redeem an animal that became blemished, and over here it's talking about when a person dedicates an animal which is not holy, meaning a non-kosher animal, for example, a horse, a camel, or a donkey, which any of these animals are not to be brought as a sacrifice. He dedicates it towards the Holy Temple for the upkeep of the Holy Temple, what does the treasurer do? He sells it and then uses the money for the Holy Temple. Whatever the coin evaluates and appraises that it should be. If it's not redeemed through the owner, if the owner says take this camel and they sell it to him and redeem it and give the money that 20%. Then then if the treasurer himself does sells it to somebody else, then he takes the money, whatever money comes from it, and he uses it for the Holy Temple. Verse 28. Here we're talking about segregating and then making something holy for Hashem. Although it's generally possible to redeem anything, however, certain things any person that a person segregates for God from his property, from whatever he owns, may whatever it be a person, an animal, from inherited land, property, you cannot sell it for that you go, it cannot be redeemed. Anything which is segregated it means it's been designated as sacrifices. It is a superior holiness and must be given to Hashem as we're going to see in as follows. If a person comes along and If a person comes along and says, "I want this to be segregated for God." Or let's say you want to say, "I want it to the coin." It has to go to the coin. If a person says, "I want to go for the upkeep of the Holy Temple." It go for the Holy Temple. But what happens if a person says, "I want this to be holy." Next look what I'll be saying about over. Rabbis made have a difference of opinion. Yes, some say some kind of English that if a person just says it without any description, it goes for it can go for the upkeep of the holy temple. What do we what do we have from here? Cuz it it says that anything that's sacred it should be yours. The talking about giving dedication to the one. So if a person says clearly I need a if a person says I want this to go to the yes, some say no anytime there's no clear definition, it goes to the coin as well. No you know you go. Ella he cannot redeem it. He cannot buy it back. He Ella you nothing he has to give it to the coin. This is as Rashi explains that anytime a person says something wants to be holy goes to the coin. And the father's so therefore they explain this verse to mean this time when a person says does not explicitly state what he wants this holy thing to go for. However, whoever says however the other opinion that says that whenever whenever a person says just plain I'm dedicating something to holy it goes for the upkeep of the holy temple. The father explains this verse to mean when a person is dedicating it clearly to give to the coin. Shackle mighty because everybody agrees that when it comes to redeeming things a person says something should go to a coin in London there's no way that a person can buy you back redeem it and only has to go to the coin and the way it is. Actually have the the coin has to get it and then the coin can decide what he wants to do with it. However, things that a person dedicates to God lift them they can be redeemed like things that are given to this upkeep of the holy temple and things of that nature. Call him good as him. This is some kind of if a person says that general any things that a person dedicates goes for the upkeep of the temple. May we doubt it brings a proof from this verse. The one that says whenever a person says something plain, he's dedicating something for holiness it goes to the coin. The explains call him when it says over here all dedicated things are of superior holiness to learn it comes to teach me that whenever something gives to a coin a dedicated something go I'll catch you catch him they even apply into an animal to which was made of superior holiness that's an ascent offering. Well catch you catch him it will also go on either things that have a lighter holiness for example a peace offering for nation of coin and and he gives it to the coin not the actual animal but the value of the animal commercial it's explained in the tractate of in if he makes a vow he has to give the value to the coin and the actual animal goes on the is brought as a sacrifice of a donation nice and he gives something that's worth it he has to give something of the same value worthy of it as well. So therefore when we talk about over here when a person makes a promise to bring in a scent offering and he dedicates an animal for it and afterwards he says I'm segregating this thing even though if the animal itself uh can't give he cannot give because it's the coins now but still and all he's responsible let's say if the animal itself I'm sorry he can't give because let's say the animal died or got injured he has to give the value of it to the coin because since he still owns it. And therefore once he gives the value to the coin he's was an obligated yet to bring an animal. However if a person says I want this animal to be an ascent offering then he has to then the obligation is you have to see how much a person would buy for the animal for cheaper as it goes into the details of what that exact money that he sells he has to give that money to the coin as well. May Adam whether it's a person face of a coin whether he cover tells us that the same way a person can consecrate and dedicate certain items to give, so too a person can give a human. What kind of human? For example, maidservant, servants, we're talking about non-Jewish ones. However, Jewish ones he doesn't know, so he doesn't have that ability to give them to the coin as well. Verse 29. Any segregation of value of such a person that has been given that has been segregated cannot be redeemed. Meen Adam of a human loy you party cannot be redeemed. Mois you must since the person it has to be and payed to the he has the the he has the since the person is to be put to death and has no monetary value in this regard. What does this mean? Let's understand what this says. Rashi says as follows. Kol Adam Asher Yachrim. What does this mean? Does he really think that because Reuben made somebody that's only you get killed because of it? So it says that the explain as follows what this verse means. Hi Yotzei La Hadik. If somebody was ruled against him that he should be killed. The Omer Erkei Li. And the guy says, you know what? I want to dedicate that guy who's going out to be killed, I want to give his value to the Holy Temple. Lo Omer Kumi Tzei Zeh If it's nothing worth. Meaning, the guy says that the law as long as a person is uh if the person's going out to be killed and he says, "Oh, I want to give my value to the Holy Temple." Mois Yumos, the Torah says. Had he held a lamas he's going to be killed. Lefi Li Padui Li Dam Li Erach Differ he has no value. That means what is this talking about? What is this verse telling us? That if a person says while he's being killed, he's because he was already ruled that he's liable of capital punishment, so he tries to find a trick to say, "Ah, I want to dedicate my life to the Holy Temple. I want to give my value to the Holy Temple." You have no value, you're about to be killed. And therefore, he just has to be killed. Mois issue is that he's killed. Verse 30, the whole master artist mizera artist mp8. So, to when we talk about all tithe that of the land, whether it's from the seed of the land or from the fruit of the tree L'Hashem who it's given to it goes to God Kadosh L'Hashem, it's holy to Hashem. What we are talking about over here is the ma'aser sheni, we're talking about ma'aser sheni. Ma'aser sheni which is called Kadosh, ma'aser sheni was that there was a certain period during the time of the produce when we go into the sabbatical year go when in in eras of 60 years or there was the first the second, the fourth, and the fifth year of the sabbatical year, you had to take a certain amount of your the second tithe and you had to bring it to the holy temple in Jerusalem and you had to consume it there. That's what we're referring to over here and therefore it's called Kadosh. The first tithe had to be given to the Levi and when we talk about that was called ma'aser rishon and then they were what from what kind of produce had to be brought the second tithe. Some mizera oretz dagan which is from the five grains, wheat uh wheat, barley, oats, spelt, and rye. Those are the five uh those are the five grains that were liable of ma'aser sheni. However, kitniyot which means legumes or other seedlings did not were not liable to biblical obligation of ma'aser sheni only rabbinic. U'pree ha'etz also as well they have to give ma'aser sheni second tithe was from tirosh v'yitzhar, wine and oil also you had to give tithe in from as well. L'Hashem who kanah Hashem God acquired it u'mishlo haney belongs to him. V'sivcha l'challah l'chol mishlamecha God commanded you to go eat it in Jerusalem. K'mo she'ne'emar as we look in the book of Deuteronomy, it's explained this a little detail of al chatot Hashem and you'll eat it before God your God. Ma'aser dagan'cha v'yitzhar'cha the tithing of your grains and your fruits and your vine winery. Verse 31. If a person redeem some of his second tithe, then he has to add a fifth on to it. That means let's say a person says, "I can't bring all my produce up to Jerusalem and eat it." He can redeem it at a fifth to it and spend the money then in the Jerusalem. It has to be his. He cannot redeem somebody else's. However, if somebody redeems a friend's uh tithe, he does not add 20% of the fifth. The person could redeem it from it. That means he pays its value of it. Like this is allowed to eat it in any place. And the money he brings it up and he eats it in Jerusalem. From the start of the year he will take with the money as we talk about in the book of Deuteronomy that the Torah describes Moshe tells the Jewish people what the advice is that if you can't take all the produce, you redeem it with the money and you go and you spend the money in Jerusalem and in the holy temple. Verse 32. Now we talk about tithing of animals. And the tithe of cattle or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one is holy to God. It's sanctified to God. What does it mean under the rod? What does it mean under the rod? When a person decides which is number 10, he takes them out of the uh walk out of the doorway out of and he makes them one go after the other. And he numbers them 1 2 3. The when it comes to number 10, he gives it with a used to have like a rod that had like a paint on it. It had like a red paint on it. And it had like a red paint on it. And he would have to mark it that this is the tithed one. This is the tenth one. This is what he used to do with the sheep and the goats and the calves that were It has to be holy. This was holy that he had to bring it to the holy temple. to bring its blood and its limbs on the altar. The meat was eaten by the owners. Shalimim sure matnas Kohanim because this was not counted with the other 24 gifts that the Kohanim would get. We don't find that we don't find that the meat was given to the Kohanim. This was strictly given to the owners. It was a tenth of every one of his flock that were born that year and it was it was marked by this red paint that he hit with the stick. why he uses this terminology. Verse 33. Lo yivaker ben tav lera. He was not allowed to distinguish between good and bad. Meaning she cannot select between good and bad. Lo yimirenu should not exchange. He shouldn't distinguish between the good and bad. Lo yimirenu if a person tried to distinguish between the two and tried to put a blemish one for an unblemished one so to speak. Lo yimirenu both the one that he exchanged and the one itself yeachedesh holy. Lo yigoel, they cannot be exchanged. They cannot be redeemed. Lo yivaker. What does this mean? He shouldn't change it. Shesh nemar because since it says in the book of Devarim derech emet to be from the best choice. So therefore we think he better say after the wall he's counting he should look which one's the better one that the better one should be for number 10. Talmud Lo yimar therefore the verse tells me Lo yivaker you should not be searching and distinguishing and trying to see which one ben tav lera. Ben tav lera to which one is a blemished one or unblemished one. Kol hakadosh whatever is number 10 that's the way it is and you don't look you don't go back. Velashi kodash baal mum we're not saying that then take the tenth one even if it's blemished you have to bring it to the altar. Lo yochal you have to eat it betered as master as it is the tithe. Meaning it has that holiness either but he can't just go sell it in the meat market. She also as well as he's not allowed to shear its wool for the obvious work with it. It's considered a holy animal even if it's blemished. The Torah then continues in the last and final verse of the book of Leviticus, "Eleh hamitzvos, these are the commandments that God commanded Moshe Israel to the Jewish people b'har Sinai, on Mount Sinai." "Chazak, chazak, v'nischazeik." Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen each other with the study of Torah and Chumash. This is the seventh Torah reading of Parshas Bechukotai, the conclusion of the book of Leviticus.