(From the teachings of Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef ztvk”l)
(written by his grandson HaRav Yaakov Sasson Shlit”a)
(translated by our dear friend Rav Daniel Levy Shlit”a, Leeds UK)
Two Levels of Trust in Hashem in the Approach to the Shemittah Year and the Success of the Gemmologist Who Sandwiched his Day With Torah Learning
Some years ago we conveyed the teachings of Maran tz”l on Parashat Behar. Now we will bring some additional ideas which Maran tz”l gave ahead of this Parashah being read.
In one of this week’s Parshiyot, Parashat Behar, we are commanded with the mitzvah of Shemittah. At the beginning of the Parashah it states, “Hashem spoke to Moshe at Mt. Sinai, telling him to tell over” (Vayikra 25:1), and then Hashem commanded, that every seven years, during the Shemittah year, most labours linked to working the land are forbidden, as it states, “you may not plant your fields, nor prune your vineyards” (ibid. 4).
After this it states, “In the seventh year, you might ask, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year? We have not planted nor have we harvested crops!’ I will direct My blessing to you in the sixth year, and [the land] will produce enough crops for three years” (ibid. 20-21).
Meaning, if you will say, what will we eat in the seventh and eighth years, for if we haven’t sown in the seventh year, all the produce we gathered from the sixth year will be quickly consumed, and we will have nothing left to eat in the coming years! Therefore the Torah responds, “I will direct My blessing!” Hashem guarantees that there will be a unique blessing in the sixth year and that the land’s crop will flourish more than enough for the coming three years!
Therefore [curiously] it also states at the beginning of the Parashah, “Hashem spoke to Moshe at Mt. Sinai”, but for what reason is Shemittah [emphasised as having been] taught at Mt. Sinai? All the Torah was given at Sinai! Rather, it comes to teach us that there is a unique guarantee from Hashem Yitbarach, and this isn’t even an assurance from a prophet, but literally from Hashem’s mouth as it were.
However we must consider the following. It states, “…you might ask, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year? We have not planted nor have we harvested crops!’” Only then Hashem responds with, “I will direct My blessing to you in the sixth year, and [the land] will produce enough crops for three years”. It appears that [only] if a person will ask what will we eat, then Hashem will activate His berachah. But what will happen if a person trusts in Hashem, fulfils all the mitzvot with a pure heart? He won’t ask what will we eat! He is trusted to fulfil what the Torah commands him! Will such a person not have the assurance of, “I will direct My blessing”? Surely this cannot be the case! If so, why does the Torah relate the berachah specifically after the person asks, what shall we eat?
This may be explained as follows. If for example a person has a field of crops and he was used to an annual production of 50 tonnes, this is sufficient for one year, so if they are a G-d-fearing person, they would take those 50 tonnes also in the sixth year and store them as they normally would. Then they will take from them and eat and trade as required. They will then take, and take and take and take, and it will not deplete until the end of the eighth year! The berachah will rest on their handiwork! How is this possible? There was after all only 50 tonnes! Just as every other year! But here there is a berachah on the produce, they take, and from Heaven they fill what is missing! In this way they are able to eat for the duration of three years. This is how it will play out for someone who trusts in Hashem!
But there is another person who doesn’t have as much trust in Hashem. They hear that they must forsake their fields for a full year! They immediately perk up and ask, what? How will we manage? What shall we eat?! They sit and cry due to the Torah’s mitzvah!
Hashem responds to them: You are afraid? Don’t fear? Go for it, you will see that at the end of the sixth year you will have 150 tonnes of produce! Three times more than one year! “I will direct My blessing to you in the sixth year, and [the land] will produce enough crops for three years”!
However, here the berachah isn’t as complete, because this person ordinarily has 50 tonnes to manage each year, but this year they must hire extra workers that will assist to store all of the produce. Plus they will have to hire extra granaries in order to store everything.
This is the Torah’s intention. If you say, “What will we eat?” Then, you will see that you do have enough to eat but that the berachah won’t be as far-reaching, not with such open arms. However, for the person that has [greater] trust, they don’t need such an overt berachah, rather, “He who walks in innocence will walk securely” (Proverbs 10:9). They only have to trust in Hashem and from Heaven they will assist them in a phenomenally unique way, with a distinctive berachah!
Therefore, every person should learn regarding all their business activities, “You must remember that it is Hashem your G-d who gives you the power to become prosperous” (Devarim 8:18), Hashem says, “Mine is the silver and mine is the gold” (Haggai 2:8). A person may err and think that it is with their strength that they merit to respectfully prosper, in the merit of degrees that they studied for in university, they are wealthy! But this is vacuous, “…nor does bread come to the wise, riches to the intelligent”! (Kohelet 9:11).
“It is therefore a land constantly under Hashem your G-d’s scrutiny; the eyes of Hashem your G-d are on it at all times, from the beginning of the year until the end of the year” (Devarim 11:12). The Hebrew word “mayreishit” meaning “from the beginning” is spelt without the letter aleph, which enables the remaining Hebrew letters of this word to be read as “from Tishrei” referring to the first month of the year (Rosh Hashanah). Our chachamim explained (Beitzah 16a) that all of a person’s food is fixed for them the month of Tishrei until Tishrei (“Tishrei” and “reshit” are the same letters without the aleph). Hashem’s allocation takes place in the month of Tishrei, this is the budget month. This is an auspicious time, which Is a Yom Tov for Am Yisrael. A person fulfils Hashem’s will, performs mitzvot, studies Torah and so HaKadosh Baruch Hu comes and rewards them likewise. “Length of days is at its right; at its left, wealth and honour” (Mishlei 3:16). (In contrast to this the State Budget is on 1st April, “a day of falsehood”, therefore, generally speaking it isn’t a good day.)
We shall relate a true story regarding this. A certain Jew, lived in Syria and he was G-d-fearing. Every day he arose to pray “netz” at sunrise. After the prayers, he would stay in Bet HaKenesset and study “Chok LeYisrael”. Not just reading it but he would properly study the Mishnayot with the commentary of Rabbeinu Ovadia MiBartenura (1445 - c. 1515). He would study the Gemara with Rashi and Tosafot. This is how he learnt for a full hour.
Afterwards he would open the Shulchan Aruch and learn for a further hour. Only then would he return home. Then his wife would serve him breakfast and only then would he go to work. He had an office where he would meet his clients. His work was selling precious stones and gems. He was an expert gemmologist, evaluating jewels, what type and its value. However, he earned a meagre livelihood and in his home was ‘meagre bread and scant water” (Yeshayahu 30:20), real financial hardship.
His wife would chastise him, “You fool! How can we survive under such strain? Everyone opens their shop at 8am but you arrive late, that’s why we have no livelihood!” Her husband would retort to her, “But I study!” She would be angry, “What do you study? Study, study! But we have no money!” He would calm her, “Livelihood comes from Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu, he feeds and provides for all! Don’t worry! Soon with Hashem’s help everything will be good.”
Our chachamim say (Pesachim 118a), a person’s livelihood is as difficult as the splitting of the Reed Sea, as it states and “He gives nourishment to all flesh” (Tehillim 136:25) juxtaposed is, “To Him Who divided the Sea of Reeds into parts” (ibid.136:13). What is the comparison between a person’s food and the splitting of the Reed Sea? Just as prior to the splitting of the sea the people didn’t know what to do. Before them was the sea, behind them were the Egyptians, and in the wilderness were wild animals. They didn’t understand how they may be saved. They began praying to HaKadosh Baruch Hu that He save them. Not one of them dreamt that the sea would split and become dry land and that they would all walk on dry land whilst in the sea! Not one of them dreamt of this possibility! Likewise with a person’s livelihood. They don’t know how they will have a livelihood, no concept of how they will be saved but HaKadosh Baruch Hu unlocks a person’s mazal.
Likewise this man too didn’t know how Hashem will help him, yet he trusted in Hashem.
One day he arrived at his office and at the entrance of the shop sat an Arab. The Jew asked him, “Who are you?” The Arab replied, “Please my dear I am from Chevron, I came to consult you.” Together they entered the office. The Arab untied the wide turban from his head and from it produced another turban and another and another and he counted, one, two, three, four until he counted ten turbans. In the last turban was an exquisite gem! A precious stone. It illuminated the entire office! The Arab asked the Jew, “Tell me, how much is this gem worth?” The Jew examined it and said to him, “This is an extremely precious gem, an “amethyst”, and it is worth $100,000.” The Arab asked the Jew, “Would you like to purchase this gem from me?” The Jew replied, “I don’t have the money, I cannot purchase such a gem but if you wait a few days I can find someone for you who adores gems who will agree to purchase from you the gem and you can pay me a commission.
The Arab agreed to the advice. He said to the Jew, “It will take you sometime to find me a buyer for the gem. So I will go on my way. I am staying in the Fouad Hotel. When you find a purchaser come to the hotel and let me know. They both parted way by agreement.
But that Jew, his head and most of his body were immersed in Torah study. The whole conversation with this Arab eluded him. After two hours he closed the office and returned to the Bet HaMidrash. There he had a “chavrutah” (study partner) that he learnt with daily. He went to study and forgot about the whole thing.
The next day in the morning, the Jew walked close to the Fouad Hotel and he saw a large group of people. He asked, what happened? They replied to him that in this hotel was an Arab who arrived from Palestine and stayed and ate in the hotel for a full week and hadn’t yet paid. This morning he had a heart attack and died. The hotel owner searched his pockets to see if he had the money to pay for his hotel stay but he found nothing. The Arab was poor and destitute. So the hotel owner turned to the police and they sent him an officer here that he sell the Arab’s clothes in order to at least pay something to the hotel owner. Not the whole amount but at least something, it’s better than nothing.
The officer arrived, placed a table and stood on it. He produced the Arab’s shoes and hanged them on his staff. He raised the staff and announced, “Who wants to buy these shoes?” One person said I will buy them for five bishlik! A second shouted, I’ll pay ten bishlik, fifteen, eighteen. The officer asked, is there anyone else interested? Yes? Going once, going twice, one, two, three! Sold!
The officer raised the Arab’s shirt. It was dirty and sweaty. He lifted it with his staff and announced, who is buying the shirt? And sold it. After this he sold the rest of the Arab’s his clothes, until he reached the turban.
He raised the turban with his staff, filthy dirty and announce, who wants to buy the turban? One said, I’ll buy it for ten! The Jew said to himself, perhaps the amethyst is still in the turban? He called out, I’ll buy it for twenty bishlik! They all laughed. Twenty bishlik for such a ragged and dirty hat?! The officer began laughing and called to the Jew, come now to me and take this grimy turban! He threw it before the Jew and they all laughed. But they say, “he who laughs last, laughs longest!” The Jew paid and returned to his office.
He unravelled the turban, one, two, three. Behold within the inner turban, the amethyst shone a precious light. He sold the amethyst and became extremely wealthy!
This is the reward of the Holy Torah! “Length of days is at its right; at its left, wealth and honour” (Mishlei 3:15).
“Blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem, then Hashem will be his security!” (Yirmiyahu 17:7). Every person should trust in Hashem, “but as for one who trusts in Hashem, kindness surrounds him” (Tehillim 32:10).
Shabbat Shalom!
