Genesis, Jubilee and Sinai - text study

8/10/2019 Genesis, Jubilee and Sinai - text study

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Genesis, Covenant, Jubilee, Shmitah and the Land Ethic

neohasid.org 2010

The Genesis texts in this study trace the devolution of humanitystwo most important relationships, the relationship with the land andthe relationship with God. pecifically, whenever one relationshipdegenerates so does the other one. !longside these two relationships,one also sees the human relationship with the animals changing, fromone of intimacy to one of "terror on the part of the animals ashumans #ecome predators.

The $xodus and %eviticus texts on the Shmitah&a##atical' yearemphasi(e ideas and give textual clues that show that Shmitahis aresponse to and a solution or tikunfor the tragedy of Genesis. )ere,as the right relationship with the land is restored, so too is thepeoples relationship with God &"* will #ecomeElohimfor you andyou will #ecome my people'. The relationship with the animals alsotransforms into a more $denic one of sharing and "convivencia.

The fundamental understanding that these texts drive at is that thegoal and purpose of the Torah covenant, on a grand scale, is that the

*sraelites o#serve the Shmitahyear, and that in doing so, they willrepair the relationship with the $arth that was destroyed in thegenerations leading up to the flood. $ssentially, the covenant with!#raham is meant to ta+e one people and one land, and put them ina right relationship with each other, so as to #e a model for howhumanity should live. That model is created #y the o#servance ofShmitah.

The importance of Shmitahis emphasi(ed #y the fact that accordingto %eviticus, if God has to choose #etween ta+ing care of the peopleand ta+ing care of the land, God will choose the land over thepeople. The land is not "promised to the *sraelites except

conditionally, #ased on whether they respect the lands rights and doustice with her and through her. This is why, according to the ra##isas well as the author of -hronicles, neglect of the Shmitahyear leadsto exile.

$very human right, as the Torah understands itthe right to #e fed,the right to feed oneself and ones family, the right to have e/ualaccess to resources, the right to #e freed from de#t and from slaveryare all tied to the o#servance of Shmitahand the cycle of sevenyears. The model of ustice #etween human #eings is fundamentallygrounded in the idea of ustice for the land, and for the $arth.

a##i avid evorach eiden#erg

3.. * have #een teaching these texts on Genesis and hmitah since 1445, when* first prepared them for a tikun leil Shavuot. ince then * have taught them manytimes at synagogues, at Teva -enter and 6ayam seminars, the Green 7ionist!lliance, -!8$, a##is for )uman ights and other conferences, to educators,ra##is and lay people. $very time * teach them * learn new things. * hope theexperience you have with these texts will also #e rich. 3lease send me yourinsights and your feed#ac+9

Introduction for teachers

How to use these texts:

*n order to emphasi(e the connections #etween thetexts, the translation method used is "concordant,that is, similar words in )e#rew are translated asmuch as possi#le #y similar words in $nglish.trange phrases in )e#rew are also translated so asto sound strange in $nglish. The goal is not ust totrace the evolution of ideas a#out our relationship

with the $arth, #ut also to provide a text that can#e used for understanding and creating midrashicinterpretation, which often depends on specificphrasing and repeated words. :or some phrasesmore than one translation is offered. &;ote thatGod names are transliterated rather than translated.;ote also that


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Genesis, Covenant, Jubilee, Shmitah and the Land Ethic neohasid.org

a.Elohim&God'saidA %et us ma+e a human adamin our figure li+e our image,and they will dominate/prevailvayirdu over the fish of the sea and over the birdof the skies and over the beastbheimah and over all the landand over everycrawler crawling on the land.!ndElohimcreated the adamin gods image, in

Elohimsimage god created him, male and female god created them. !ndElohim#lessed them andElohimsaid to themA


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!s a conse%uence of the fall, three relationships deteriorate: that between &odand humans, that between woman and man, and that between humans and theland. &enesis until !braham is essentially the history of the continueddegeneration of these relationships.

f.!nd the eyes of them #oth were opened and they +new, that they werena+ed `eirumimThey heard the voice of YHVHElohimwal+ing in the!anand they hid, the adamand his woman, from the face of YHVHElohimYHVH

Elohimcalled unto the adamand said to himA >here are youLAyekah(and

god saidA >ho told you that you are na+edL :rom the tree which *commanded you against eating did you eatLMnto the woman god saidA*ncreasing * will increase your pain `itzvonekh and your pregnancy, in painyou will #irth children, and toward your man your desire tshukatekhand hewill rule overFwithin you bakh. !nd to !dam god saidA


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"he relationship between humanity and the land is replaced by a covenant. !covenant is a contract which is binding on those who are not present, i.e., futuregenerations, and is for the sake of a greater whole, i.e., the land and all theanimals. "he animals are e%ual partners alongside the humans in this covenant.

i.Elohim remembered &oach and all the animalskol hachayah and #eastswhich were with him in the ar+!nd Elohimspo+e to ;oach sayingA Goout from the ar+, you and your woman and your sons and your sons

women with you@ every animal chayah

which is with you, from all flesh of birdand beast and every crawler crawling on the land which is with you, going outwith you, and they will swarm in the landand bear fruit and increase in theland!nd ;oach #uilt an altar for YHVHand took from every cult-pure beastand from every cult-pure bird and sent up burnt-up-offerings with the altar. YHVHsmelled the sweet smell and YHVHsaid unto gods heartA * will not add tocursing anymorethe ground for the sa$e of humanit ba`avur haadamEfor the human hearts leaning is evilF#ad from his youth, and * will not addanymore to stri+ing down all life as * did. Throughout all the lands days,sowing and reapingand cold and hot and summer and winter and day andnightwill not stop)rest loyishbotu.Elohim#lessed ;oach and his sons andsaid to themA hy were the animals rewardedL


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l. ix years you will sow your land and gather your produce. !nd theseventh you will release tishmtenah and forswear, and the poor of ourpeoplewill eat and their remainder theanimal of the fieldchayat hasadehwilleat. o you will do to your vineyard and olive orchard. ix days you will doyour wor+s and in the seventh day you will stop, for the sa+e of your ox andyour don+ey resting lma`an yanuachand your female servants child and thestranger reEsouling vayinafeish. $xod 25A10E11

m.YHVHspo+e to oshe inount SinaisayingA pea+ to Qisraels childrenand say unto themA :or you will come to the land which * give you and theland will restFstop shavtah, YHVHs shabbatFa##athErest*n the seventh yearthe Sabbaths sabbath shabbat shabbatonwill it #e for the land, a a##athfor YHVH. ont sow your field and dont prune your vineyard !nd theshabbatof the land will be for you for eatingA for youand for your male servantand for your female servant and for your hiredEwor+er and for your settlerlivingEasEaEstranger with you toshavkha ha!arim imakh@ and for your beastbhemtekhaand for the animal which is in your land chayah asher bartzekhaall ofher produce tvuatahwill be to eat.Qou will count for yourself seven a##athsof years, seven ears seven timeson $om Haki)urimyou will ma+e theshofar pass through all your land. !nd you will ma+e holy the fiftyEyear

year, and call out libertFrelease drorin the land, to all those inha#itingher. *t will #e a 8u#ilee $ovelfor you J you will return each man to his tri#eEpossession, and each man will return to his familyQou will do mstatutes, and you will watch over my udgmentsand settle on the landsecurely lavetach. !nd the land will give her fruit and you will eat to be satisfiedand you will settle securely on herThe land you may not sell permanentlylatzmitut, for the land is mine ki li haaretz, for ou are strangers andsettlers #yFwith meki !erim vtoshavim atem `imadi. o in all the land of yourtri#eEpossessions you will give redemption!ulahto the land . %ev 2HA1E2O

(n n there is a three-fold progression in which eating is turned inside out: (f youwill not listenthe animal of the field will make you childlessou will eat theflesh of your sons and your daughters"he land of your enemies will eat you.

n. *f you will wal+inm statutesand watch over my commandments anddo them, then * will give your rains in their season and the land will give herproduceyvulah and the tree of the field his fruitand you will dwellsecurely lavetach in your land!nd * will set peace in the land and * willuphold my covenant with youand * will ma+e myself wal+ in the midst ofyou and I will becomeElohimfor ouand you will #ecome my people!nd if you will not listenand if you will despise my statutesto undomy covenant, even so will * do this to you * will set my face againstyouand your land will not give her produce and the tree of the land will notgive his fruitand ( will send out against you the animal of the field chayat hasadehand she will make you childless!nd if with this ouwill not listento meand will wal+ with me in opposition bkeri, * will wal+ with you in a fury of

oppositionand you will eat the flesh of your sons and your daughters fleshyou will eatand * will desolate the land and your enemies will #e desolateover her, those living in herthen the land will en*oFdesire tirtzeh herSabbaths!ll the days of her desolation she will restwhat she didnt restin your a##aths when you were dwelling on her!nd you will #e lost inthe nations and the land of your enemies will eat you!nd those of you whoare lefttheir uncircumcised hearts will #e #entEtoEshapeand * willremem#er my covenant with Qaa+ov, and even my covenant with Qit(cha+and my covenant with !vrahamand * will remem#er the landThese arethe statutes and udgments and ,orot which YHVH set #etween god and#etween Qisraels children in ount Sinai #y oshes hand. %ev 2CA5EO2

page /" Sinai, Shmitah and Jubilee

Tishmtenah.The word "Shmitahis used only in eut.1H, which descri#es how loans were canceled in theShmitah. "3ermanent slaves &who refused to go out intheir seventh year' were also freed at the 8u#ilee.

The poor of your people. )ere only the poor arementioned with respect to Shmitah, while in section m,servants, employees, and the!er toshav, nonEciti(en ornonE8ew, are all included. These others are included inha##at here.

* The animal of the field will eat.The Shmitahyearemphasi(es that the wild animals will eat the a##athproduce along with the people. imilarly in mwe read"the animal which is in your land. The one other time

when animals and people share the same food is in $den)ala+hically, in order for animals to #e a#le to share theShmitahcrops, fences were #reached and gates were leftopen.

* In 1ount inai.The midrash as+s, ">hat does Shmitahhave to do with inaiL &ashis answer is that all thedetails of the laws, even those dependent on the land,

were taught at inai.' :rom an ecological perspective, theanswer is clearA The whole purpose of the inai covenantis to restore us to a right relationship with the land.

* the a++aths sa++ath.The ultimate ha##atthepurpose of ha##at. Pne might say that ha##at is ustpractice for Shmitahand 8u#ilee.

om 0a)ipurim. Mnli+e other years, the 8u#ilee #eginson Qom 6ipur. >hyL

* even years seven times. The Torah emphasi(esseven again and again. *t can mean renewing the cycle ofcreation. )ow do you interpret itL

(all out li+erty.The verse on the %i#erty

Genesis, Jubilee and Sinai - text study

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