Behar (On the Mountain)
(Sefer Vayikra) Leviticus 25:1 – 26:2

25:1- “And YHVH spoke unto Moshe in mount Sinai, saying,
2- Speak unto the children of Yisrael, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give
you, then shall the land keep a shabbat unto YHVH.
10- And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the
inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his
possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.
13- In the year of this jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession.
17- Ye shall not oppress one another; but thou shall fear thy Elohim: for I am YHVH your Elohim.
18- Therefore, ye shall do My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.
23- The land shall not be sold forever for the land is Mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with Me.
24- And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.
25- If thy brother be waxen poor, and has sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come
to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.
26- And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it;
27- Then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the balance unto the man to whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession.
29- And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after
it is sold; within a full year may he redeem it.
30- And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city
shall be established forever to him that bought it throughout his generations: it shall not go out in
the jubilee.
31- But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of
the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubilee.
32- Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession, may the
Levites redeem at any time.
34- But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.
38- I am YHVH your Elohim, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of
Canaan, and to be your Elohim.”

“And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down.”
(Isaiah 5:5)

“YHVH has purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Tzion: he has stretched out a line,
he has not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the
wall to lament; they languished together.”
(Lamentations 2:8)

 
“Therefore thus says YHVH; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to
his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, says YHVH, to
the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the
kingdoms of the earth.”
(Jeremiah 34:17)

“For the vineyard of YHVH Tzivaot is the house of Yisrael, and the men of Yehudah his pleasant
plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.”
(Isaiah 5:7)

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore
and to build Yerushalayim unto Mashiyach the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore
and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.”
(Daniel 9:25)

“And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning: afterward
thou shall be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. Tzion shall be redeemed with
judgment, and her converts with righteousness.”
(Isaiah 1:26-27)

Behar Summary:
1. The Mystery of the Jubilee and Its Cherished Year:
The Jubilee has always carried the connotation of deliverance and freedom. For as the Liberty Bell echoes the words of Leviticus “to proclaim liberty throughout all the land…” so we see that before it can truly be experienced, it must be announced. Thus, the prophet pronounced in Isaiah 61:1-2,
“The Spirit of Adonai YHVH is upon me; because YHVH has anointed me to preach good tidings
unto the meek; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of YHVH,
and the day of vengeance of our Elohim; to comfort all that mourn.”
Yet, to properly appreciate and identify with this good news, we must first come to terms with reality. Rather than deny our captivity, it is imperative to recognize whether or not we are dwelling in the place of our promised portion. Be it physical or spiritual, a life outside our inheritance is not to be idolized.
The purpose of Jubilee was that ye shall return every man to His possession. Just as each son of Yisrael was to show an interest in seeing a poor brother reestablished in glory, so too did the coming redemption and its expectation serve to provoke the captive to greatly esteem freedom upon its arrival.
Once dispossessed, the ransomed of HaShem will be restored with true dignity, Isaiah 61:3 forecasting:
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Tzion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for
mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of
righteousness, the planting of YHVH, that He might be glorified.”
May we yearn for one another’s emancipation holding the door of hope expressed in Psalms 119:45,
“And I will walk at liberty: for I seek Thy precepts.”
 

2. Within the Walls, Security or a Siege from True Liberty:
Among the intricacies woven into Torah are the threads of variance regarding the redemption on either side of the wall. Unlike living inside the ramparts of a city, the transfer of familial inheritance beyond the walls held no statute of limitations. Though safety may seem greater when dwelling within the confines of a city, so lies the potential for permanently forfeiting one’s legacy. Within the structure of this dichotomous decree of a perpetual claim to abiding in unwalled villages, sets a profound parable of prophetic insight. Yishayahu’s comparison of Yisrael to Elohim’s vineyard provides an answer.
Although vulnerable to the momentary harassments of invading forces, only to be taken away into slavery and suffer the loss of property, those that possessed their souls free from fortifications, were also guaranteed their land upon their release. Paradoxical to the impenetrability which some hide behind as they rely in constructed walls preventing foreign influence, those who trust in HaShem’s open defence do enjoy a greater security as His Word watches over our ultimate interest. Zechariah 2:5 ensures thus:
“For I, says YHVH, will be to her a wall of fire round about and will be the glory in the midst of Her.”
We must stand for those with a vulnerability to permanent loss who prefer the strength of high walls and offer ways for them to regain their portion. The faithful restorer relates this mercy in Nehemiah 5:8:
“And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold
unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? Or shall they be sold unto us? Then held
they their peace, and found nothing to answer.”
Although the appearance of the city conveys assurance, Esther 9:19 celebrates the lot of those without:
“Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the
month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.”