20 May BEHAR BECHUKOSAI: MISERY LOVES COMPANY

Parshas Behar
contains both the
mitzvah of the Shmitah
[Sabbatical] year and
the mitzvah of the
Yovel [Jubilee] year.
The Yovel year follows

seven of the seven-
year Shmitah cycles. This 50th year was

basically an extra year of Shmitah, an extra
year of “rest” for the land.
In addition to the standard agricultural
restrictions of Shmitah, there is a positive
command to blow a “Tekiah” blast from the
Shofar on the Yom Kippur (10 Tishrei) of the
Yovel year. This shofar blast announces: “You
shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim
freedom throughout the land for all its
inhabitants; it is a yovel year for you, and you
shall return, each man to his ancestral heritage
and you shall return, each man to his family.”
[Vayikra 25:10].
The halachik import of this last pasuk (which
happens to be inscribed on the Liberty Bell in
Philadelphia) is that all Hebrew indentured
servants go free during the Yovel year. When
the Shofar was sounded on Yom Kippur of the
50th year, it signaled the time for all the
indentured servants to leave their masters and
return to their homes.

The Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 331) offers a
psychological reason for the blowing of the
shofar on this occasion. The Sefer HaChinuch
writes that it was very hard for the owners to
give up their long-time servants. Imagine a
business owner who has a dedicated worker
who has been with the company for many
years or decades. All of a sudden, he must let
the worker go. It is not so easy to do.
It is common for a close attachment to
develop with a maid or nanny who is with a
family for many years. Sometimes we go to a
Bar Mitzvah or wedding and we see someone
there who does not look like part of the crowd,
for obvious reasons. It’s the nanny! She knew
the kid when he was born. Now, 20 years later,
he’s getting married. Of course she’ll be
invited to the wedding — she’s part of the
family!
Picture the situation with the Hebrew servant.
He might have been part of the family for
forty-nine years — since right after the last
Yovel. Now he has to be let go. It is very
difficult for the master to send him away.
Therefore, writes the Chinuch, to arouse the
owners concerning the importance of the
matter and to give them strength of conviction
to do what needs to be done, the Torah requires
universal blowing of the shofar on that Yom
Kippur. This will help the masters realize that

their sacrifice is something that they are
sharing with other masters throughout the
land. The knowledge that everyone else is
experiencing the same financial and emotional
self-sacrifice is a powerful psychological aid
in arousing a person to do what he is required
to do.
If I recognize that everybody is in the same
boat, that everyone has to give up their
servants, their trusted employees, then it is
much easier for me to handle my own need to
give up my servant. Tzaras rabim, chatzi
nechama. [The problems of the masses are
half a measure of consolation.]
Perhaps we can better appreciate this idea if
we think about the difficulties of “making
Pesach”. Preparing for Passover is one of the
most difficult challenges of an observant
Jewish household. The house has to be
cleaned, things have to be koshered, the
kitchen has to be changed over, and meals
have to be prepared. It is tremendously
stressful, tiring and bothersome.
As one stands there cleaning his oven, his
nails are raw, his back is sore, and he thinks to
himself “this is crazy!” But what does he then
think to himself? “At least we are all crazy
together! Everyone needs to do this!” [Of
course, it’s not that we are all crazy — we are
faithful Torah observant Jews!]

This is the meaning of the Chinuch. When
one hears the shofar on Yovel, he realizes that
everyone is in the same boat regarding freeing
his servants, and that makes it easier.
Everyone faces challenges at different stages
of life. Some people have money challenges.
Some people have health problems. Some
people have problems with their children. That
is life. Life is unfortunately a series of
challenges or problems, and how we deal with
them and cope with them. Many times we
think to ourselves, “Boy, do I have problems!
No one else has challenges like mine!” We
look around at others and see that they are
happy. They look fine. They act fine. We think
“only I have problems”.
We have to remember the sound of the silent
shofar that isn’t sounded but should be
sounded: Everybody is in the same boat. The
next person may not be facing the same type of
problems, but we should not fool ourselves
into thinking that we are so unique. Life is full
of a myriad of problems, but the universality
of challenges and problems can be half the
consolation.