SurfTheSite
15:1 MI KETS SHEVA SHANIM TA'ASEH SHEMITAH
Deuteronomy 1 2 3a 3b 4 5 6 7a 7b 8 9 10 11a 11b 12 13 14 15 16a 16b 17 18 19 20 21a 21b 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29a 29b 30 31 32 33 34
15:1 MI KETS SHEVA SHANIM TA'ASEH SHEMITAH
מִקֵּץ שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים תַּעֲשֶׂה שְׁמִטָּה
KJ (King James translation): At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.
BN (BibleNet translation): At the end of every seven years you shall issue a Notice of Release.
SHEMITAH: This is really a part of the Law relating to the Yovel, the Jubilee, which was given in Leviticus 25. But see also under YAVAL and Number Seven. The concept of Shemitah has not been mentioned until now, but the purpose has.
15:2 VE ZEH DEVAR HA SHEMITAH SHAMOT KOL BA'AL MASHEH YADO ASHER YASHEH BE RE'EYHU LO YIGOS ET RE'EYHU VE ET ACHIV KI KARA SHEMITAH LA YHVH
וְזֶה דְּבַר הַשְּׁמִטָּה שָׁמוֹט כָּל בַּעַל מַשֵּׁה יָדוֹ אֲשֶׁר יַשֶּׁה בְּרֵעֵהוּ לֹא יִגֹּשׂ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ וְאֶת אָחִיו כִּי קָרָא שְׁמִטָּה לַיהוָה
BN: And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release whatever he has lent to his neighbour; he shall not exact it from his neighbour, nor from any member of that man's family; because YHVH's release has been proclaimed.
15:3 ET HA NACHRI TIGOS VA ASHER YIHEYEH LECHA ET ACHICHA TASHMET YADECHA
אֶת הַנָּכְרִי תִּגֹּשׂ וַאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֶת אָחִיךָ תַּשְׁמֵט יָדֶךָ
KJ: Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;
BN: You may exact it from someone who does not follow YHVH, but anything of yours that is held by a member of your family must be released.
NACHRI: I have slightly extended my translation here to get the full point: these are not necessarily "foreigners" in the sense of people who live in other countries; they are "those who do not follow YHVH", because, being such, they do not keep the Shemitah themselves, so there is no reason to give them advantage, and yourself disadvantage, from it.
ACHICHA: ACHIV in the previous verse was about the borrower's extended clan; this is second person singular, so it is specifically about the creditor's.
15:4 EPHES KI LO YIHEYEH BECHA EVYON KI VARECH YEVARECHECHA YHVH BA ARETS ASHER YHVH ELOHEYCHA NOTEN LECHA NACHALAH LE RISHTAH
KJ: Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it:
BN: In that way there shall be no one needy among you, for YHVH will surely bless you in the land which YHVH your god is giving you for an inheritance to possess it -
Biblical Socialism! I wonder how the banks and mortgage companies would respond if a government were to introduce such a law today: no repayments or interest on any loans in their seventh year: all debts cancelled at the end of the seventh year. Probably they would just limit all loans to six years, with a contractual obligation to complete or forfeit, and increase the rate they charge accordingly.
אֶפֶס כִּי לֹא יִהְיֶה בְּךָ אֶבְיוֹן כִּי בָרֵךְ יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ
BN: In that way there shall be no one needy among you, for YHVH will surely bless you in the land which YHVH your god is giving you for an inheritance to possess it -
Biblical Socialism! I wonder how the banks and mortgage companies would respond if a government were to introduce such a law today: no repayments or interest on any loans in their seventh year: all debts cancelled at the end of the seventh year. Probably they would just limit all loans to six years, with a contractual obligation to complete or forfeit, and increase the rate they charge accordingly.
I have left this verse open, with a hyphen, because the verse that follows appears to be an addendum or qualification.
15:5 RAK IM SHAMO'A TISHMA BE KOL YHVH ELOHEYCHA LISHMOR LA'ASOT ET KOL HA MITSVAH HA ZOT ASHER ANOCHI METSAVCHA HAYOM
רַק אִם שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע בְּקוֹל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לִשְׁמֹר לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת כָּל הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם
BN: ... but only if you hearken diligently to the voice of YHVH your god, to make sure that you carry out all the instructions which I am giving you today.
15:6 KI YHVH ELOHEYCHA BERACHECHA KA ASHER DIBER LACH VE HA'AVATETA GOYIM RABIM VE ATAH LO TA'AVOT U MASHALTA BE GOYIM RABIM U VECHA LO YIMSHELU
KJ: For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.
BN: For YHVH your god will bless you, as he promised you; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.
samech break
כִּי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בֵּרַכְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָךְ וְהַעֲבַטְתָּ גּוֹיִם רַבִּים וְאַתָּה לֹא תַעֲבֹט וּמָשַׁלְתָּ בְּגוֹיִם רַבִּים וּבְךָ לֹא יִמְשֹׁלוּ
KJ: For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.
BN: For YHVH your god will bless you, as he promised you; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.
samech break
15:7 KI YIHEYEH VECHA EVYON MEY ACHAD ACHEYCHA BE ACHAD SHE'AREYCHA BE ARTSECHA ASHER YHVH ELOHEYCHA NOTEN LACH LO TE'AMETS ET LEVAVECHA VE LO TIKPHOTS ET YADECHA MEY ACHICHA HA EVYON
כִּי יִהְיֶה בְךָ אֶבְיוֹן מֵאַחַד אַחֶיךָ בְּאַחַד שְׁעָרֶיךָ בְּאַרְצְךָ אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ לֹא תְאַמֵּץ אֶת לְבָבְךָ וְלֹא תִקְפֹּץ אֶת יָדְךָ מֵאָחִיךָ הָאֶבְיוֹן
KJ: If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:
BN: If there be among you a needy man, one of your kinsmen, within any of your gates, in your land which YHVH your god is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your needy brother...
15:8 KI PATO'ACH TIPHTACH ET YADCHA LO VE HA'AVET TA'AVIYTENU DEY MACHSORO ASHER YECHSAR LO
כִּי פָתֹחַ תִּפְתַּח אֶת יָדְךָ לוֹ וְהַעֲבֵט תַּעֲבִיטֶנּוּ דֵּי מַחְסֹרוֹ אֲשֶׁר יֶחְסַר לוֹ
KJ: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.
BN: But you shall surely open your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need in that which he is lacking.
15:9 HISHAMER LECHA PEN YIHEYEH DAVAR IM LEVAVECHA VELIYA'AL LEMOR KARVAH SHENAT HA SHEVA SHENAT HA SHEMITAH VE RA'AH EYNCHA BE ACHICHA HA EVYON VE LO TITEN LO VE KARA ALEYCHA EL YHVH VE HAYAH VECHA CHET
BN: But you shall surely open your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need in that which he is lacking.
15:9 HISHAMER LECHA PEN YIHEYEH DAVAR IM LEVAVECHA VELIYA'AL LEMOR KARVAH SHENAT HA SHEVA SHENAT HA SHEMITAH VE RA'AH EYNCHA BE ACHICHA HA EVYON VE LO TITEN LO VE KARA ALEYCHA EL YHVH VE HAYAH VECHA CHET
הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן יִהְיֶה דָבָר עִם לְבָבְךָ בְלִיַּעַל לֵאמֹר קָרְבָה שְׁנַת הַשֶּׁבַע שְׁנַת הַשְּׁמִטָּה וְרָעָה עֵינְךָ בְּאָחִיךָ הָאֶבְיוֹן וְלֹא תִתֵּן לוֹ וְקָרָא עָלֶיךָ אֶל יְהוָה וְהָיָה בְךָ חֵטְא
KJ: Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.
BN: Make sure that there is not a base thought in your heart, saying: "The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand"; and your eye be evil against your needy brother, and you give him nothing; and he cry out to YHVH against you, and it be a sin in you.
VELIYA'AL: See my note at Deuteronomy 13:14.
15:10 NATON TITEN LO VE LO YERA LEVAVECHA BE TIT'CHA LO KI BIGLAL HA DAVAR HA ZEH YEVARECHECHA YHVH ELOHEYCHA BE CHOL MA'ASECHA U VE CHOL MISHLACH YADECHA
נָתוֹן תִּתֵּן לוֹ וְלֹא יֵרַע לְבָבְךָ בְּתִתְּךָ לוֹ כִּי בִּגְלַל הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל מַעֲשֶׂךָ וּבְכֹל מִשְׁלַח יָדֶךָ
BN: You shall surely give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him; because for this thing YHVH your god will bless you in all your work, and in all that you put your hand to.
15:11 KI LO YECHDAL EVYON MI KEREV HA ARETS AL KEN ANOCHI METSAVCHA LEMOR PATO'ACH TIPHTACH ET YADCHA LE ACHICHA LA ANIYECHA U LE EVYONCHA BE ARTSECHA
כִּי לֹא יֶחְדַּל אֶבְיוֹן מִקֶּרֶב הָאָרֶץ עַל כֵּן אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ לֵאמֹר פָּתֹחַ תִּפְתַּח אֶת יָדְךָ לְאָחִיךָ לַעֲנִיֶּךָ וּלְאֶבְיֹנְךָ בְּאַרְצֶךָ
KJ: For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
BN: For there will always be poor people in the land; therefore I command you, saying: You shall surely open your hand to your poor and needy brother, in your land.
samech break
15:12 KI YIMACHER LECHA ACHICHA HA IVRI O HA IVRIYAH VA AVADECHA SHESH SHANIM U VA SHANAH HA SHEVIYIT TESHALCHENU CHAPHSHI MEY IMACH
כִּי יִמָּכֵר לְךָ אָחִיךָ הָעִבְרִי אוֹ הָעִבְרִיָּה וַעֲבָדְךָ שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים וּבַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת תְּשַׁלְּחֶנּוּ חָפְשִׁי מֵעִמָּךְ
KJ: And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.
BN: If your kinsman, an Ivri male or an Ivriyah female, should be sold to you, he shall serve you for six years; but in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.
Note that the word Ivri is used here as a self-descriptor; note also that the feminine is IVRIYAH, not Ivrit.
However, this assumes that ACH is being used in the narrow sense of a kinsman (as it was in the opening verses of this chapter), rather than the broader sense of a fellow human.
15:13 VE CHI TESHALCHENU CHAPSHI MEY IMACH LO TESCHALCHENU REYKAM
15:13 VE CHI TESHALCHENU CHAPSHI MEY IMACH LO TESCHALCHENU REYKAM
וְכִי תְשַׁלְּחֶנּוּ חָפְשִׁי מֵעִמָּךְ לֹא תְשַׁלְּחֶנּוּ רֵיקָם
BN: And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed.
Severance pay for slaves! Which sounds like an irony, but actually it is a statement that throws in question yet again our understanding of the position of the Habiru in Egypt. Go back to the latter chapters of Genesis, where Yoseph puts his 7-year-plan economic strategy in place, and - note this - they were not slaves at all, they were, at most, indentured labourers, people who had given their services to the state without pay, but in exchange for bread in a time of famine, effectively mortgaging their bodies, their homes, their lands, to the Pharaoh. But they still owned them, in the same way that you own your house, even though the building society probably has the bigger share, and can repossess if you foreclose. But here, because of Shemitah, and still following the Yosephite principle, that debt is cancelled in the seventh year, and you get your land, your home, your body back - though you may decide to re-indenture it for the next seven years (see verse 16).
15:14 HA'ANEYK TA'ANIK LO MI TSONCHA U MI GANECHA U MI YIKVECHA ASHER BERACHECHA YHVH ELOHEYCHA TITEN LO
הַעֲנֵיק תַּעֲנִיק לוֹ מִצֹּאנְךָ וּמִגָּרְנְךָ וּמִיִּקְבֶךָ אֲשֶׁר בֵּרַכְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ תִּתֶּן לוֹ
KJ: Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.
BN: You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, and out of your threshing-floor, and out of your wine-press; of that with which YHVH your god has blessed you, you shall give to him.
And not just "furnish him", but "liberally", noch! Redundancy pay. I wonder how religious people in today's Capitalist system handle this.
To see this in practice, go to Genesis 30:25, where Ya'akov has just ended his second seven-year period as an indentured labourer, and witness how he negotiates that settlement with Lavan. The principle there is very clearly laid out: we understand that Ya'akov has received no pay at all during this time, but he has been housed and fed, has married the two daughters, bedded two of the servant-girls, and been treated, not as a slave, but as a kinsman. Lavan acknowledges this in verse 28, including Ya'akov's "ownership" of the women and children; the redundancy discussion is now conducted in terms of sheep and cattle, based on the value of the profit that Lavan has made, surplus to what he might have made without Ya'akov. So Ya'akov wasn't paid with money during his seven years (what would he have spent it on?), but he will "retire" now with its equivalent. The fact that Ya'akov then spends the next few months orchestrating a major cheating of Lavan is secondary to this; as an exemplar of Shemitah this passage could not be clearer.
15:15 VE ZACHARTA KI EVED HAYITAH BE ERETS MITSRAYIM VA YIPHDECHA YHVH ELOHEYCHA AL KEN ANOCHI METSAVCHA ET HA DAVAR HAZEH HAYOM
KJ: And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.
BN: And you shall remember that you were a bondman in the land of Mitsrayim, and YHVH your god redeemed you; therefore I am giving you this instruction to-day.
EVED: Now why does it suddenly get translated as "bondman"?
And of course, when the Ivri slaves were "freed", they too left with vast quantities of gold and silver and jewellery, provided by their Egyptian former masters who were waiting at the roadside to hand it over to them! (Exodus 12:35 ff).
15:15 VE ZACHARTA KI EVED HAYITAH BE ERETS MITSRAYIM VA YIPHDECHA YHVH ELOHEYCHA AL KEN ANOCHI METSAVCHA ET HA DAVAR HAZEH HAYOM
וְזָכַרְתָּ כִּי עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וַיִּפְדְּךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ עַל כֵּן אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה הַיּוֹם
BN: And you shall remember that you were a bondman in the land of Mitsrayim, and YHVH your god redeemed you; therefore I am giving you this instruction to-day.
EVED: Now why does it suddenly get translated as "bondman"?
And of course, when the Ivri slaves were "freed", they too left with vast quantities of gold and silver and jewellery, provided by their Egyptian former masters who were waiting at the roadside to hand it over to them! (Exodus 12:35 ff).
15:16 VE HAYAH KI YOMAR ELEYCHA LO ETSE MEY IMACH KI AHEVCHA VE ET BEITECHA KI TOV LO IMACH
KJ: And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;
BN: And it shall be, if he say to you: I have no wish to leave you; because he likes you and your house, because he has been doing well with you...
15:17 VE LAKACHTA ET HA MARTSEYAH VE NATATAH VE AZNO U VA DELET VE HAYAH LECHA EVED OLAM VE APH LA AMAT'CHA TA'ASEH KEN
KJ: Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.
BN: Then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear and into the door, and he shall be your bondman for ever. And also to your bondwoman shall you do likewise.
Reverse tenure! But also be aware, that this is the origins of the wedding ring - the seal of ownership, pierced through the nose, later slipped on the finger.
My note on Ya'akov and Lavan is somewhat qualified by this verse. Ya'akov had already served one seven-year cycle, and was at the end of his second in Genesis 32; but there is no suggestion in that text of him being unable to renew as many times as he wished, or leave with his redundancy package at the end of any 7-year cycle. So actually this Mosaic law is much less generous to the bondsman (though it may well also have been more generous than whatever had been in place in Egypt).
15:18 LO YIKSHEH VE EYNECHA BE SHALECHACHA OTO CHAPHSHI MEY IMACH KI MI SHENEH SECHAR SACHIR AVADECHA SHESH SHANIM U VERACHECHA YHVH ELOHEYCHA BE CHOL ASHER TA'ASEH
KJ: It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest.
BN: It shall not seem hard to you, when you let him go free from you; for he has been worth the double of the hire of a hireling through the six years that he has served you; and YHVH your god will bless you in all that you do.
SHENEH SECHAR SACHIR: How does that work out to the double of a hireling? Presumably somebody who is hired for wages costs twice as much as someone who works for board and lodging only, which means you could work out precisely what his redundancy pay should be: three meals a day at x shekels per meal, plus laundry and bedding, cleaning, and keep the receipts so that you can keep tabs on it, versus a weekly wage packet of y shekels...no, it is going to be different for every job, every hired person, this one eats rather more, or less, that one helps out with the washing-up so you don't need kitchen staff...
pey break: signifying, as throughout this law-giving section of the book, that we have moved on to the next item.
וְהָיָה כִּי יֹאמַר אֵלֶיךָ לֹא אֵצֵא מֵעִמָּךְ כִּי אֲהֵבְךָ וְאֶת בֵּיתֶךָ כִּי טוֹב לוֹ עִמָּךְ
KJ: And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;
BN: And it shall be, if he say to you: I have no wish to leave you; because he likes you and your house, because he has been doing well with you...
15:17 VE LAKACHTA ET HA MARTSEYAH VE NATATAH VE AZNO U VA DELET VE HAYAH LECHA EVED OLAM VE APH LA AMAT'CHA TA'ASEH KEN
וְלָקַחְתָּ אֶת הַמַּרְצֵעַ וְנָתַתָּה בְאָזְנוֹ וּבַדֶּלֶת וְהָיָה לְךָ עֶבֶד עוֹלָם וְאַף לַאֲמָתְךָ תַּעֲשֶׂה כֵּן
BN: Then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear and into the door, and he shall be your bondman for ever. And also to your bondwoman shall you do likewise.
Reverse tenure! But also be aware, that this is the origins of the wedding ring - the seal of ownership, pierced through the nose, later slipped on the finger.
My note on Ya'akov and Lavan is somewhat qualified by this verse. Ya'akov had already served one seven-year cycle, and was at the end of his second in Genesis 32; but there is no suggestion in that text of him being unable to renew as many times as he wished, or leave with his redundancy package at the end of any 7-year cycle. So actually this Mosaic law is much less generous to the bondsman (though it may well also have been more generous than whatever had been in place in Egypt).
15:18 LO YIKSHEH VE EYNECHA BE SHALECHACHA OTO CHAPHSHI MEY IMACH KI MI SHENEH SECHAR SACHIR AVADECHA SHESH SHANIM U VERACHECHA YHVH ELOHEYCHA BE CHOL ASHER TA'ASEH
לֹא יִקְשֶׁה בְעֵינֶךָ בְּשַׁלֵּחֲךָ אֹתוֹ חָפְשִׁי מֵעִמָּךְ כִּי מִשְׁנֶה שְׂכַר שָׂכִיר עֲבָדְךָ שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים וּבֵרַכְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה
BN: It shall not seem hard to you, when you let him go free from you; for he has been worth the double of the hire of a hireling through the six years that he has served you; and YHVH your god will bless you in all that you do.
SHENEH SECHAR SACHIR: How does that work out to the double of a hireling? Presumably somebody who is hired for wages costs twice as much as someone who works for board and lodging only, which means you could work out precisely what his redundancy pay should be: three meals a day at x shekels per meal, plus laundry and bedding, cleaning, and keep the receipts so that you can keep tabs on it, versus a weekly wage packet of y shekels...no, it is going to be different for every job, every hired person, this one eats rather more, or less, that one helps out with the washing-up so you don't need kitchen staff...
pey break: signifying, as throughout this law-giving section of the book, that we have moved on to the next item.
15:19 KOL HA BECHOR ASHER YIVALED BI VEKARCHA U VE TSONCHA HA ZACHAR TAKDISH LA YHVH ELOHEYCHA LO TA'AVOD BI VECHOR SHORECHA VE LO TAGOZ BECHOR TSONECHA
כָּל הַבְּכוֹר אֲשֶׁר יִוָּלֵד בִּבְקָרְךָ וּבְצֹאנְךָ הַזָּכָר תַּקְדִּישׁ לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לֹא תַעֲבֹד בִּבְכֹר שׁוֹרֶךָ וְלֹא תָגֹז בְּכוֹר צֹאנֶךָ
BN: All the firstling males that are born of your herd and of your flock you shall sanctify to YHVH your god; you shall do no work with the firstling of your ox, nor shear the firstling of your flock.
Is there a connection between this and the stories of the disinherited first-born (Kayin, Av-Ram, Yishma-El, Esav, Zerach... all of the patriarchal first-borns as it turns out!)?
15:20 LIPHNEY YHVH ELOHEYCHA TOCHLENU SHANAH VE SHANAH BA MAKOM ASHER YIVCHAR YHVH ATAH U VEITECHA
לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ תֹאכְלֶנּוּ שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר יְהוָה אַתָּה וּבֵיתֶךָ
BN: You shall eat it before YHVH your god year by year in the place which YHVH shall choose, you and your household.
15:21 VE CHI YIHEYEH VO MUM, PISEYACH O IVER KOL MUM RA LO TIZBACHENU LA YHVH ELOHEYCHA
וְכִי יִהְיֶה בוֹ מוּם פִּסֵּחַ אוֹ עִוֵּר כֹּל מוּם רָע לֹא תִזְבָּחֶנּוּ לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ
BN: But if there found to be any blemish on it - any lameness, or blindness, any flaw or imperfections whatsoever - you may not sacrifice it to YHVH your god.
Note the word PISEYACH = "lameness"; the same root that yields PESACH, the Passover festival, the limping festival; for which see my notes in the early chapters of Exodus, but in particular Genesis 41:46 (and then note the interesting coincidence, that from there you will end up once again with Ya'akov, in the very same chapter, 32, where we exemplared Shemitah - so the fact that this law follows that law cannot be coincidence, even if I am finding it difficult to work out precisely what that coincidence must be).
15:22 BI SHE'ARECHA TOCHLENU HA TAM'E VE HA TAHOR YACHDAV KA TSEVI VE CHA AYIL
בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ תֹּאכְלֶנּוּ הַטָּמֵא וְהַטָּהוֹר יַחְדָּו כַּצְּבִי וְכָאַיָּל
BN: You shall eat it within your gates; the unclean and the clean may eat it alike, the same as the gazelle, the same as the hart.
A reference back to Deuteronomy 12:15, where this was first established.
15:23 RAK ET DAMO LO TOCHEL AL HA ARETS TISHPECHENU KA MAYIM
רַק אֶת דָּמוֹ לֹא תֹאכֵל עַל הָאָרֶץ תִּשְׁפְּכֶנּוּ כַּמָּיִם
KJ: Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water.
BN: Only you shall not consume its blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.
And yet again that key instruction.
pey break
Copyright © 2021 David Prashker
All rights reserved
The Argaman Press
No comments:
Post a Comment