The Sixth Day
Embrace life as a purposeful and meaningful journey filled with love and care.
Parshat Behar begins with the mitzvah of Shmita, the sabbatical year, and the Torah notably emphasizes that this commandment was given at Mount Sinai. Rashi raises the thought-provoking question, "ma inyan shmita eitzel Har Sinai?"—What is the significance of Mount Sinai in relation to the observance of Shmita? While Rashi provides a somewhat enigmatic response, I believe there are several meaningful connections to explore between Mount Sinai and the Shmita year.
Firstly, the Shmita, and the Omer period leading up to the holiday of Shavuot, when we celebrate receiving the Torah, both share a similar numerical structure. The Shmita follows a seven-year cycle, totaling 49 years, and is followed by the Yovel, the Jubilee year, in the 50th year.
Likewise, after the Exodus, the Jewish people dedicated 49 days to prepare for receiving the Torah on the 50th day, which ultimately became the holiday of Shavuot.
Another numerical connection can be discerned in the words of the verse in the section about Shmita:
וַנתנה הארץ פריה ואֲכַלְתֶּ֤ם לָשֹׂ֔בַע וִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם לבטח עליה ( ויקרא כה: יט)
The land will yield its fruit and you shall eat your fill and live upon it in security. (Vayikra 25:19)
When we keep the Shmita, we become sated, שֹׂ֔בַע – a word with the same letters as the hebrew word for the number seven, שֹׂ֔בַע.
And as the Gemara teaches about the story of creation:
וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם הַשִּׁשִּֽׁי, there was evening and there was morning, the 6th day. It was not just a 6th day of creation, this verse also refers to HA-shishi, the 6th day, which refers to the 6th day of the month of Sivan when we received the Torah on Shavuot.
דְּאָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי״, ה׳ יְתֵירָה לָמָּה לִי? — מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהִתְנָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עִם מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית וְאָמַר לָהֶם: אִם יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַבְּלִים הַתּוֹרָה — אַתֶּם מִתְקַיְּימִין, וְאִם לָאו — אֲנִי מַחֲזִיר אֶתְכֶם לְתוֹהוּ וָבוֹהו(שבת פח.)
Why do I require the superfluous letter heh, which does not appear on any of the other days? It teaches that the God, established a condition within the act of Creation, and said to them: If Israel accepts the Torah on the sixth day of Sivan, you will exist; and if they do not accept it, I will return you to the primordial state of chaos and disorder. [Shabbos, 88a]
And the very next words in the Torah are vayechulu, meaning God completed creation. That sequence tells us that Yom Hashishi, the sixth day of creation, or Shavuot, led to the culmination of creation. In other words, the event on Shavuot, the Jewish people receiving the Torah, was embedded in the 6th day of creation, and enabled God to finish His work and transition to resting on Shabbat.
As we reach the conclusion of the book of Vayikra with Behar-Bechukotai, an important message emerges that sheds light on the discussion we encountered at the beginning of the book. Rashi draws our attention to the first verse of Sefer Vayikra, where God's call to Bilaam is expressed with the term "vayikar," contrasting it with the word used to summon Moses, "vayikra," with an added aleph. This juxtaposition highlights two distinct ways in which God engages with humanity through prophecy. "Vayikar," meaning "happened upon," suggests a sense of coldness and randomness, representing God's relationship with Bilaam. On the other hand, "vayikra," meaning "called out to him," signifies a connection based on love, care, and possibilities, embodying God's relationship with Moses.
This same distinction is echoed in Bechukotai. God conveys that if we demonstrate our care for Him and respond to His blessings with reverence, specifically by observing the shmita and showing our regard for the cherished land symbolizing our covenant through Abraham, then we shall receive corresponding blessings from Him in return.
אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם…וְהִתְהַלַּכְתִּי֙ בְּת֣וֹכְכֶ֔ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָכֶ֖ם לֵֽאלֹהִ֑ים וְאַתֶּ֖ם תִּהְיוּ־לִ֥י לְעָֽם
If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments… I will be ever present in your midst: I will be your God, and you shall be My people
God will then extend to you the same treatment bestowed upon Moses, with chavivut, encompassing love and care.
However, if you regard life as mere happenstance, devoid of significance, I will reciprocate accordingly, just as I did with Bilaam. As the verse in the “Tochecha” (admonition) in Parshat Bechukotai warns us:
וְאִם־תֵּֽלְכ֤וּ עִמִּי֙ קֶ֔רִי וְלֹ֥א תֹאב֖וּ לִשְׁמֹ֣עַֽ לִ֑י
And if you remain apathetic toward Me and refuse to obey Me
The lesson we derive from this is that the Torah serves a purpose beyond merely imparting information, rules, and instructions. Instead, it serves as a guide for fostering meaningful relationships and learning how to lead a life filled with love within those relationships. Consider the fact that the specific information we received at Mount Sinai, encapsulated in the Ten Commandments, is by no means exhaustive. However, symbolically, the Ten Commandments were meticulously carved into stone, not as mere information, but as the Maharal and other commentaries explain, to represent the establishment of our deep connection with God, akin to a wedding band.
This may also explain why Shavuot is referred to as "Yom Ha-shishi," meaning the sixth day, leading to the day of rest and our special relationship with God, the Shabbat. Just as we have a choice for how to perceive the world, either through the lens of randomness or through the lens of purpose, care and love, similarly, there are two ways to approach Shabbat. Consider the words of the midrash describing how we left Mount Sinai
כדאמר במדרש (ילמדנו) ויסעו שנסעו מהר סיני דרך שלשת ימים כתינוק היוצא מבית הספר
They set forward from Mount Sinai… just like a child who runs away from school [Shabbat, 116, Tosafot]
Shabbat too can be viewed "Kitinok Haboreiach mibeit hasefer," like children at school eagerly counting down to the end of the week to cease working and enjoy the weekend. In that view, the weekdays are not important, they’re just a means of reaching the weekend. Alternatively, as we spoke about last week, we can appreciate that our weekdays gain significance when viewed in the context of preparing for the unique connection we experience on Shabbat.
That may also explain why we count the Omer in an upward fashion, rather than counting down as we typically do when eagerly anticipating an event. By counting up towards higher numbers during each of the seven weeks, we symbolize our continuous progress and advancement in both the weekly cycle and in our personal growth. This counting practice encourages us to become individuals who cherish each day, value life, hold a deep love for Shabbat, and appreciate the profound lessons taught to us throughout the days of the Omer and the years of the Shmita.
Throughout the days, weeks, and years of life, we are constantly presented with tremendous challenges. Especially in recent times, we have unfortunately witnessed a distressing increase in horrifying events all over the world. While we cannot turn a blind eye to our reality, we can choose to acknowledge that everything happens for a reason. Hardship and loss are inevitable aspects of life, and we must utilize this understanding to tap into our spirituality. In the midst of adversity, we can strive to grow as individuals and contemplate the profound meaning of life and death. We can use Shabbat to add meaning to our weeks, and Shmita to add meaning to the years. By doing so, rather than perceiving life as a series of random events ("keri"), we can embrace it as a purposeful and meaningful journey of love and care ("chavivut"), as intended by God.
Shabbat Shalom.