Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 11 Iyar, 5784 –Day 26 of Omer
Parsha Be-Har – “On The Mountain” (Leviticus 25:1 – 26:2)
First Portion: Leviticus 25:1 – 25:13

It’s a new week! Just got back from “home” in West Chester, PA.  Had an amazing time.  Today is the 26^th Day of the Omer – we are winding down on it – and it’s not too late!

Today’s Theme is the Humility of Endurance. From Chabad:

Yielding – which is a result of humility – is an essential element of enduring. Standing fast can sometimes be a formula for destruction. The oak, lacking the ability to bend in the hurricane, is uprooted. The reed, which yields to the wind, survives without a problem. Do I know when to yield, out of strength not fear? Why am I often afraid to yield?

Endurance is fueled by inner strength. Hod of netzach is the humble recognition and acknowledgement that the capacity to endure and prevail comes from the soul that G‑d gave each person. This humility does not compromise the drive of endurance; on the contrary, it intensifies it, because human endurance can go only so far and endure only so much, whereas endurance that comes from the Divine soul is limitless.

Do I attribute my success solely to my own strength and determination? Am I convinced that I am all powerful due to my level of endurance? Where do I get the strength at times when everything seems so bleak?

Exercise for the day: When you awake, acknowledge G‑d for giving you a soul with the extraordinary power and versatility to endure despite trying challenges. This will allow you to draw energy and strength for the entire day.

I am struck by how our endurance is fueled by inner strength. The humility of endurance is the humble recognition and acknowledgement that the capacity to endure and prevail comes from our soul. From Love within.  It can feel daunting at times – we want to stand rigid and not yield or bend – and – the universe sometimes wants us to sway and move – but remain rooted and grounded.

We must ask “why?” Why do we set up these promises and rules we make to ourselves? What is our goal and purpose? What are we looking to be?

It can feel daunting for sure. Like a mountain in front of us. And we must learn to take one step at a time – and veer off a little to get back on course. With this, let’s dig into the Parsha!

This week’s Parsha is “Be-Har” – which means “on the mountain.” The idea behind the parsha is being in the public arena. How can we live on the mountain – where people are looking at us?  Let’s dig in:

1And the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying,

2Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them: When you come to the land that I am giving you, the land shall rest a Sabbath to the Lord.

3You may sow your field for six years, and for six years you may prune your vineyard, and gather in its produce,

4But in the seventh year, the land shall have a complete rest a Sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field, nor shall you prune your vineyard.

5You shall not reap the aftergrowth of your harvest, and you shall not pick the grapes you had set aside [for yourself], [for] it shall be a year of rest for the land.

6And [the produce of] the Sabbath of the land shall be yours to eat for you, for your male and female slaves, and for your hired worker and resident who live with you,

7And all of its produce may be eaten [also] by your domestic animals and by the beasts that are in your land.

So this is interesting. Once they entered the promised land, they were to work the land for six years, but the seventh year, they were to let the land rest. They could still eat the fruit – they just could not sow or prune their fields.

The idea of rest is tough.  We live in a society that pushes us to GO. Taking a year to pause? Wow.

8And you shall count for yourself seven sabbatical years, seven years seven times. And the days of these seven sabbatical years shall amount to forty nine years for you.

9You shall proclaim [with] the shofar blasts, in the seventh month, on the tenth of the month; on the Day of Atonement, you shall sound the shofar throughout your land.

10And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year, and proclaim freedom [for slaves] throughout the land for all who live on it. It shall be a Jubilee for you, and you shall return, each man to his property, and you shall return, each man to his family.

11This fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee for you you shall not sow, nor shall you reap its aftergrowth or pick [its grapes] that you had set aside [for yourself].

12For it is Jubilee. It shall be holy for you; you shall eat its produce from the field.

13During this Jubilee year, you shall return, each man to his property.

This idea of returning during our fiftieth year is really one we don’t discuss. Two years ago, I turned 50. This is when I returned home. This was my jubilee year. Since then, I have been home many times – the most recent was this past weekend. I love love love the time I have at home.  These are people who knew me then, and know me now.

Have you returned home in YOUR fiftieth year?  If you aren’t 50 yet? Would you be willing to return home? Why or why not?

Here are my thoughts from two years ago:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts For 14 Iyar, 5882

Today is the 29th day of the Omer. This week begins the theme of humility.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend my 30th HS reunion (twice removed because of COVID). It was very humble being back in a place I have been running away from for 32 years. I had blocked out so much from high school and realized that by blocking it out, I blocked out a lot of good with the bad I was trying to protect myself from.

When I was 15, my dad died. My mother struggled and we really didn’t get along. The only solution was putting me in a boarding school for my Jr and SR year of High School. It was a unique experience and one that shaped a lot of who I became as an adult. And. At the same time, I’m realizing that is was also an experience where character traits were already there shaping that experience.

To realize the positive impact I made on others in a really painful time of my life is the apex of humility. A lot of healing happened in my heart this weekend. My 17 year old self- who I’ve been embarrassed by, and who is a strong layer of insecurity within me, and who I’ve been trying to run away from for 32 years has been brought a lot of peace.

I share this with all of you so you have context as we jump into this weeks Parsha!

Let’s dig in!

This weeks Parsha is “Be-Har.” Which means “on the mountain.” The idea that I feel an emotional mountain this morning going through this past weekend is not lost on me.

The preview of this weeks Parsha also is interesting. As I have recently completed my 50th year on this earth, I am exiting my sabbatical year (49th) and my Jubilee year (50th). There have already been a lot of personal connections to these concepts. The past two years have been quite the journey away from the journey. But in reality they have been the rest for the journey ahead.

Todays portion starts with the Sabbatical year:

God speaks to Moses and tells him; when you come to the land Hashem is giving you

1. The land should rest a Sabbath to God. In the seventh year the land should have a complete rest.
2. You should not reap the after growth of your previous years harvest
3. The produce which grows on its own during the sabbath of the land will be ownerless; this available to you to eat equally with everybody else.
4. All of its produce may be retained in your house to be eaten by your domestic animals, so long as there is sufficient produce remaining in your land for the wild animals.

So. In terms of our lives, when we turn 6, 13, 20, 27, 34, 41, 48. those are sabbath years of our lives. If I reflect on those years, I can begin to see the events that occurred those years being very different than other years. How about for you? Can you think about major events that happened (or didn’t?) during those years?

Next we learn about the jubilee year.

Count 7 sabbatical years, seven years, seven times. The days of this seven sabbatical years will amount to 49 years for you.

The following year, you should announce the Jubilee year with blasts of the shofar. On the seventh month, on the 10th of the month. On Yom Kippur you should sound the rams horn throughout your land.

The court should sanctify the entire period of the 50th year. And proclaim freedom throughout the land for all who live on it. It will be a Jubilee year for you.

1. Each persons hereditary land should to their possession
2. A Hebrew slave that chose to remain with their master indefinitely should return to his family
3. This 50th year is a jubilee for you; but may not be extended into the next year.
4. Just like a sabbatical year you should not sow, you should not reap
5. Because it’s a jubilee your money will become restricted (as if it had been dedicated to the Holy Temple).
6. Like during the sabbatical year you may eat it’s produce
7. If a person sells a field from his hereditary land, the property should be Returned in the jubilee year to the father who is the rightful owner.

So. When I turned 48, I entered into two years – a sabbatical year and a jubilee year. And now as I turn 50, I go back out into the world to do the work I need to do. It is interesting that for me personally, COVID hit right at this time. I turned 48 on April 12, 2020. And I had COVID then. So this COVID thing has kind of put me into this two year cycle of a sabbath and jubilee.

Going to my high school reunion this weekend was a reminder of the work I am doing now; both personally and professionally. There is a clear path forward for me. And returning to Westtown after being away is a large part of that process.

Ok. Sorry (not sorry) for how personal these Torah thoughts have been this morning; but I always try to share my authentic heart and mind with these each and every day.

When you think about the sabbath and jubilee years, what are your thoughts for yourself? No expectation to comment on my journey!

Ok. May we all have a great week ahead of us