Redeeming the Inner Aspects of Kedusha

29 Iyyar 5785

Yom Kippur Katan - Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan

44 Days of the Omer

Just wanted to share some critical information from last week's parshah commentary...

Ramchal on the Parsha - Behar: Redeeming More Than the Land

...The Torah proceeds to outline the various procedures with regards to selling and redeeming fields.  The fields are considered the outer aspects of kedusha which have fallen into the tumah and must be redeemed.  The loftier inner aspects of the kedusha are represented by the houses inside the walled cities.

And a man who sells his house in a walled city can redeem his property until the conclusion of one year.  If he does not redeem his house before a full year has passed his house which is in the walled city will be established for perpetuity as the possession of the buyer for generations, it will not be released in the Jubilee (Vayikra 25:29-30).

The houses within a walled city represent a loftier inner aspect, thus the Torah encourages the seller to redeem the property as soon as possible. To motivate the seller, the Torah states that if the property is not redeemed within the first year then it would remain sold without the option of redemption.  Houses located in fields, however, are given the status of the fields themselves, which if not immediately redeemed will be returned in the Yovel to the original owner.  Why does the Torah grant additional motivation to the seller of houses in walled cities, and not to one who sells fields or houses in fields?

Houses represent spiritual roots and when given over to the tumah great efforts must be expended in order to extricate them.  Their lofty nature requires them to be returned to kedusha as soon as possible.  If Bnei Yisroel do not take appropriate steps to extract these aspects of kedusha from the tumah they will be unable to awaken this trend in the upper spiritual realms either.  The Torah therefore attempts to motivate man with these warnings.  The houses within walled cities represent the inner aspects of the kedusha, while fields as well as houses situated in fields represent outer aspects of kedusha.  When the inner aspects are elevated and redeemed, the outer aspects will automatically be elevated and redeemed as well, as alluded to in the pasuk:

And the houses in the open cities which do not have walls around them will be considered like fields of the land, they will have redemption and they will be released in the Jubilee (Vayikra 25:31).

These properties revert back to the original owner even without any action on the part of the seller to redeem them.

How do we awaken the redemption of the inner aspects of the kedusha, which will elevate Bnei Yisroel and the Shechina from the tumah of exile?  The only way to accomplish this is by learning Torah and observing mitzvoth.  Malachi, last of the prophets, therefore admonishes Bnei Yisroel:

Remember the Torah of Moshe My servant, which I commanded him at Horeb for all of Israel - decrees and statutes (Malachi 3:22).

The prophet is informing us that by learning Torah and observing mitzvoth we are able to being about the redemption of the inner aspects of kedusha.  When Bnei Yisroel do so, then Hashem will respond by sending the מלאך הברית, "the angel of the covenant" to complete the redemption of the outer aspects of the kedusha as well.  The end result will be the complete and Final Redemption as the prophet continues:

Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of Hashem, and he will turn back the hearts of fathers with their sons and the hearts of sons with their fathers (Malachi 3:23-24).

Unless we learn the Torah, we have no clue what we are supposed to do, but if we only learn and do not put into practice what we learn, we have not accomplished the job and therefore will not reach the goal.  That's why the Sitra Achra gives so much attention to disrupting Torah learning and persecuting Torah learners.  

When redemption feels very far away, it's time to double up on learning and performing!!  

May the learning of this Torah result in increased observance which will serve to redeem the inner aspects of kedusha and hasten the Final Redemption.