These are my thoughts and reflections on the 95th parashah of the 3-year Torah Reading cycle. It is contained in Leviticus/Vayiqra 25:39-26:2. I’ve entitled this discussion: The Realities of the Messianic’s Liberty in Messiah–Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 95.

 

 

Getting up to Speed: The Previous Undiscussed Readings

 

Now, I should mention before getting too much into today’s reading that the previous two and a half readings–92, 93, and 94–which we did not discuss, are linked to this one. It is important that we first gain at least a basic understanding of the primary theme of those readings.

 

To begin with, Leviticus 23, or Reading 92, addressed the set-apart days of Yah’s Biblical Calendar Year. Yah’s “moedim.” They include, of course, (1) The Weekly Sabbath; (2) Passover/Pesach; (3) The weeklong Feast of Matzah or Unleavened Bread; (4) The Day of Firstfruits; (5) Pentecost or Shavuot; (6) The Day of the Blowing of Trumpets or Yom Teruah; (7) The Day of Atonements or Yom Kippurim; (8) The Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot; and (9) Shemini Atzeret or The Last Great Day.

 

We’ve discussed each of these set-apart days on The Messianic Torah Observer one or more times throughout the years of this ministry. I would encourage you if you are new to this beautiful and righteous Faith of ours. If you want to know more about these special times on Yah’s annual calendar, go on over to the site and type into the search function the name of the day you’re looking to inquire about and take a listen or read. 

 

Reading 93 touches upon the weekly Sabbath and the various Levitical rituals (i.e., the operating of the Menorah and the stocking of the Table or Bread of the Presence) attached to this set-apart day.  

 

 

Then there is Reading 94 of Leviticus/Vayiqra 25:1-38, which is key to understanding the content of Reading 95.

 

Reading 94 addressed the cycle of Sabbaths the Creator established for His set apart-people to observe. They include:

 

• The weekly, 7^th-day Sabbath.
• Shavuot or Pentecost, which occurs at the end of 7 weeks (popularly referred to as the period of the counting of the omer, which in and of itself is not biblical, but I mention it here only as a reference).
• The 7^th Month of the Creator’s Calendar Year, which contains the Fall Feasts of Yehovah.
• The Sh’mittah or the Sabbatical Year, which occurred in the Land every seven years. There are numerous principles—Messianic, moral, and spiritual–to be gained from a study of the Sh’mittah. But given the limited time I’ve allotted to today’s discussion; I’ll only say that the Shemittah was a year of release tied exclusively to the land and the release of Israelite servants.
• And lastly, the year of Jubilee or Yovel, which occurred in the Land the year after seven consecutive Shemittah or Sabbatical Years. Like its lesser year of release, the Shemittah, the Year of Jubilee has many spiritual, Messianic and moral principles attached to it, and I’ll only say here that it was also a year of release tied both to the Land and to the return of servants to their families and property to their original owners.

 

 

The Rest and Dedication of the Shemittah and the Jubilee

 

Each of these special days was in one way or another intricately linked, not only to a ceasing of work and days of rest. These days were to be dedicated to Yehovah. To focus on Yehovah and His Word.

 

It should be mentioned that the Sabbatical or Shemittah Year, as well as the Year of Jubilee, cannot apply to us today. Despite what some religious leaders have stipulated in the past, these set-apart years are specifically tied to the Land of Yisra’el. These were years that the Father required His people to observe and keep at their appointed times. And because they did not keep these years as commanded, they were expelled from the Land.

 

Are the Shemittah and Jubilee Still in Effect Today for Yah’s Set-Apart People?

 

Unfortunately, because our ancient cousins were expelled from the Land (both the Northern nation of Yisra’el by the Assyrians and the Southern nation of Judah by the Babylonians and later by the Romans), the specific dates for these years have been lost to antiquity. Yet, there have been some who have determined through unknown means the dates of these years and have erroneously applied the commandments associated with these years to Yah’s set-apart people today.

 

Now, please understand me. As I just mentioned, the Shemittah and the Jubilee years have tremendous and beautiful spiritual, moral, and Messianic principles attached to them. And it is those spiritual, moral principles that we modern Messianics must focus on. For example, is it a good idea to allow your land to rest every seven years if you’re a farmer in the spirit of the Shemittah and Jubilee years? Absolutely. But does Yehovah command His 21st-century set-apart children to follow suit? No.

 

It is more important to understand the spiritual-Messianic-and moral principles Yah attached to these set-apart years than to worry about when and how we are to keep them.

 

The Moral-Messianic-Spiritual Elements of the Shemittah and Jubilee

 

The key spiritual, moral, and Messianic elements to be gleaned from these set-apart years are (1) they remind us of the rest we have as Yah’s set-apart people through the Person and Ministries of Yeshua Messiah. Regarding the Shemittah and Jubilee, the Land was to be afforded rest. We were not to labor on the Land whatsoever. We were to allow the Land to go into a fallow state. Yah described the Shemittah as a year of solemn rest for the Land (Lev. 25:2-5). (2) They remind us that all we possess and have access to belongs to Yehovah. We own nothing. For the earth is Yehovah’s and the fullness thereof (1 Cor. 10:26-28).

 

The rest that was afforded to the Land through observances of the Shemittah and the Jubilee years provided food to any who were hungry and who happened by our fields as the uncultivated earth would bring forth produce on its own. In particular, the animals would receive much-needed nourishment from these uncultivated fields.

 

The additional benefits and principles to be found in the Jubilee year focus on what J.H. Hertz in his Torah and Haftarah, families that “are emancipated, and property…that reverts to its original owner” (pg. 532). This emancipation and repatriation played into the economic and moral fabric of the Kingdom of Elohim (i.e., the Malchut Elohim). Property that was sold, let’s say, for economic reasons, would eventually return to the family. Families sold into servitude for economic reasons would be repatriated to their greater family and independence. This repatriation and emancipation of the family was also incorporated into the Shemittah.

 

What better Messianic prophetic shadow picture is found than in the institutions of the Shemittah and Jubilee years? As with everything in the Torah, these years point us to our Master Yahoshua, Messiah. He is the one, through His Person and Ministry, that provides the opportunity for a true and substantive covenant relationship with our Heavenly Father. His atoning and intercessory ministries provide our souls rest: Rest from sin, rest from worry, rest in the World Tomorrow.

 

The Shemittah and Jubilee Conditional Mandate

 

So strongly did Abba Yah feel about these set-apart years that He, in great part, tied our ancient cousins remaining in the Land to their faithful and obedient keeping of these institutions at their appointed times (Lev. 25:18).

 

There are, of course, a great many other things that we could discuss about these set-apart days of Yah. Nevertheless, we now have the foundation to discuss this week’s reading competently.

 

Parashah 95 Themes

 

Let’s consider the themes to be found in our reading for today:

 

Torah Themes

• Slavery—Yah’s expectation of His people related to slavery. Which causes us to ponder the question: How do we enslave others today?
• Proper Treatment of Slaves by a Master (See Apostolic Reading below).
• Jubilee release-Liberty. Emancipation. Restoration. Rest.

Haftarah Theme (Isaiah/Yesha’Yahu 24:1-6):

• The earth and its inhabitants belong to Yah. Yah is thus sovereign over all creation. He will judge His people and His human creation accordingly.

 

Apostolic Reading Themes (John/Yochanan 13:12-20)

• Yeshua shows His disciples what proper treatment of those that belong to Him, their Master and teacher, looks like.
• The Master humbles himself before His students.
• Yeshua told His disciples: (14) You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’ (or Master), and do so correctly, for that is what I am. (14) If then, your Lord (aka Master) and Teacher have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another’s feet. (15) For I have given you an example–you should do just as I have done for you. (16) I tell you the solemn truth, the slave is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger greater than the one who sent him (John 13; NET).

(25:39-46) There is to be no Permanent Servitude for God’s People

 

In these verses, Yah expresses His concerns for the welfare and dignity of bondservants in the Land.

 

It is evident that whenever the topic of slavery is brought up, it can be expected that emotions and opinions will be elevated. Slavery, in these United States particularly, left a terrible black stain upon this nation that was supposed to be founded upon Judeo-Christian principles. Indeed, the enslaved of this nation were treated terribly, which in and of itself was a stark contradiction of the principles of Scripture.

 

Slavery at the time Torah was given was a reality of ANE life. In many cases, slavery was a lifeline to both sides of the equation as it offered the masters who needed manual labor to keep their household afloat economically and offered the servants an escape from utter destitution. In Yah’s eyes, slavery or servitude was an option for both sides to have their respective personal and family burdens lifted. It was never meant to be as it was in the United States. 

 

Among several related issues, the main issue at stake separating the Hebrew’s involvement in slavery from the United States’ involvement in slavery has to do with the treatment of slaves by their masters.

 

It was prohibited for Hebrews to be slaves to their Hebrew brethren. If there was a need for a Hebrew to be taken in by another Hebrew in servitude, they were to be treated as “hired servants,” which meant that they were not to be given “menial or degrading work, but only agricultural tasks or skilled labor, such as would be performed by a free laborer who is hired for a season” (J.H. Hertz; Torah Haftarah; pg. 536).

 

Yah stipulates that this hired servant would remain in their master’s home till the Shemittah or Jubilee, whichever came first (25:40; Exo. 21:2; Deu. 15:12). The Shemittah guaranteed the hired servant a return of his personal freedom, but the Jubilee guaranteed both a hired servant’s freedom and a return of all inheritance to their previous owners.

 

The other aspect of redemption, liberty, and emancipation of Hebrew servants is that outside of the Shemittah and Jubilee years, that soul enjoyed the privilege of being redeemed out of servitude, either by a family member or by their own means, if he somehow comes across the price for him and his family’s redemption.

 

Contrary to the false notion that slaves were the property of their owners or masters, a Yisra’elite or Hebrew was never meant to be any human’s property. For every human and all the substance of the earth belongs to Yehovah. Humans were never meant to own another human being.

 

Of the Hebrew, a prototype of all of Yah’s people, by the way, Yah stated: “For they (i.e., the Hebrew hired servant) are My servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt” (25:42).

 

The Hebrew’s treatment of a master’s servant came with stipulations: He was to be treated as a kinsman. He is not to be harshly treated, as was common in treating slaves in this nation back in the day.

 

Of this stipulation, J. H. Hertz writes: “In Rabbinic law, the rules that should regulate the relationship between a master and his Hebrew slave are given in great detail and are based on the principle that master and man are kinsmen, e.g., the slave must not be given inferior food or accommodation to that of the master” (ibid, pg. 537).

 

Yah did, however, permit His people to have slaves or bondservants. However, these would be of the “nations that are round about you” (25:44-45). These foreign bondservants/slaves were not subject to the privileges afforded their Hebrew counterparts in the Shemittah and Jubilee years. Nevertheless, the Hebrew master was responsible for maintaining the dignity of his bondservant. Thus, the Godly treatment of his slaves was mandatory: “…but thou shalt fear thy God” (25:43). This commandment asserts that the Hebrew master knows what he is supposed to do in relation to the treatment of his servants. Thus, knowing the right thing to do, the master was expected to do the right thing. 

 

The bondservant, unlike his Hebrew counterpart, could be treated as a family asset and passed down to the master’s posterity.

 

Slavery was always a slippery slope for humanity to engage in. The chances of masters abusing and mistreating their slaves can never be ignored nor understated, as it is human nature to treat their fellow humans wrongly, be they slave or simply neighbors in the biblical sense.

 

Yah, however, inserted Himself into this paradigm of human activity. He commanded His chosen ones to be a light to the nations by living contrary to the ways of the world’s nations, by living according to His set-apart ways. The underlying principle in every human activity is to love Yehovah with one’s whole being and to love one’s neighbor as one loves him/herself (Luk. 10:27). Turns out that one cannot truly love their Elohim without loving their neighbor. Thus, the relationship between master and slave or servant that Yah codified in His Torah is to be a good one. Instead of slavery being a destructive and demeaning human activity, it was to be civil and humane. This was not debatable. Yah’s people were required to conform to this paradigm.

 

This Torah instruction transcends every human notion about servitude, including ethnicity and socio-economic status.

 

 

Yisra’el is a Servant Only to Yehovah (25:47-55)

 

Yah’s perspective on servitude of His set-apart people is simple: Yisra’el belongs to Him. Period. He redeemed her from the gods of Egypt/Mitsrayim. He separated her from the other nations of the world and took her as His bride. He established an everlasting covenant with her. Thus, she belongs to no other entity from a general standpoint. From a microcosm standpoint, the Hebrew was never meant to become a slave to any soul.

 

The rest of the world, indeed, remains as bondservants to the powers of this world. Furthermore, these remain slaves to sin and are subject to Yehovah’s judgment and wrath.

 

Practical Messianic Halachah

 

The spiritual, Messianic, and moral principles gleaned from this parashah/reading are numerous. But for the sake of time, allow me to point out just a couple.

 

The Netzer as a Slave

 

As Yah allegorically stipulated in our reading today, no Hebrew or Yisra’elite is to be treated as a bondservant, no Netzer or called out one is to be a slave to sin or to any entity of this world: Be that entity human or a want-to-be god. 

 

Yeshua said to His detractors: “…everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34; ESV).

 

The Apostle Paul/Shaul wrote to the Messianic Assembly in Rome: “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness” (6:16; ESV)?

 

Our Master Yahoshua HaMashiyach redeemed us from our previous master, enslaver, hasatan, and his ilk. Thus, we now belong to Yehovah, our Father and Elohim. And He has given us the wherewithal to resist the tugs and allure of our former master by way of His Holy Spirit, giving us the ability not to sin. Consequently, we are called to be perfect in our ways as Yah our Father is holy (Lev. 19:2; 1 Pet. 1:15-16).

 

The Netzer as a Slave Master

 

Given that slavery as an institution no longer exists in this nation, how are we to apply the principles of a Godly master to ourselves today?

 

Those of us who have employees or employ workers or contractors are, in a sense, masters. And the question that must be answered in relation to our reading here today is: How do we treat those whom Yah has entrusted us with? Do we pay them on time? Do we pay them a fair wage? How do we speak to them? Do we assign them reasonable work tied to the terms they were hired? Are we sensitive to their needs? Do we love them as Yah requires us to do?

 

How about those who we encounter who are less fortunate than ourselves? Do we treat them with dignity, respect, and love? How about workers who provide us with services? Do we treat them with Godly respect, dignity, and love?

 

Then there are those to whom we loan money and assets: Are we treating them with dignity, respect, and love? Are we reasonable in our expectations of them repaying their debt? Are we in some way engaging in usury with them?

 

It comes down to our sitting down and assessing how we deal with those who come and go within our day-to-day sphere of influence. Are we walking out the Great Commandment of loving Yah and loving our neighbor?

 

 

Yeshua, as the Emancipator of the Netzer

 

 

I’m reminded of a beautiful hymn from back in my Baptist Church days, the refrain of which is as follows:

 

“Jesus paid it all…All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow” (Elvina M. Hall; 1865).

 

The Shemittah and Jubilee years of Yehovah’s Biblical Calendar are a prophetic shadow picture reminder of our redemption through Yeshua, our Messiah. As former slaves, His atoning sacrifice and ongoing ministry in the heavenly temple have emancipated the Netzer from enslavement. The Netzer now belongs to their perfect Master, Yehovah Elohim. He not only is the Netzer’s Master, but He has also adopted us to become His children. The Apostle wrote variously:

 

“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to bring you back again into fear; on the contrary, you received the Spirit (aka, the Ruach HaKodesh), who makes us sons and by whose power we cry out, ‘Abba’” (Rom. 8:15; CJB).

 

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. And not only it, but we ourselves, who have the Firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we continue waiting eagerly to be made sons—that is, to have our whole bodies redeemed and set free” (Rom. 8:22-23; CJB).

 

“In the Messiah He chose us in love before the creation of the universe to be holy and without defect in His presence. He determined in advance that through Yeshua the Messiah we would be His sons—in keeping with His pleasure and purpose…” (Eph. 1:5; CJB).

 

Beloved, in these perilous times, let us walk victorious in the knowledge and reality of who we are in Messiah, that we belong to Yehovah as His servant and child. And that we have liberty in every conceivable way through our Master Yeshua.

 

Shabbat Shalom—Shavu’atov beloved of Yehovah. Until next time.