English translation — בהר ג

<span>A.</span>

When a Jew has sold himself as a slave to a non-Jew,

the verse says¹

: "Redemption shall be for him; one of his brothers shall redeem him.

Or his uncle or his uncle's son shall redeem him, or from the rest of his flesh etc., or his hand reaches and he is redeemed"; and from this order in the verse — "one of his brothers etc., his uncle or his uncle's son etc., from the rest of his flesh etc." — one learns²

that "the nearest relative takes precedence" — the relative who is closer,

he is first to redeem the slave.

One must understand:

a)

When the one sold to a gentile himself is in a situation of "his hand has attained",

he is then of course "first" before all relatives³

; and since the verse lists the relatives⁴

according to the order of who is first for redemption - then accordingly, first of all should have stood "and his hand has attained and he shall be redeemed",

and only afterwards

(if <b>not </b>his hand has attained)

"one of his brothers etc. or his uncle etc." - why⁵

does "his hand has attained" stand after the redemption of relatives?

b)

Since the verse lists several relatives and in an order of "the closest relative first",

he should have said as the first relative "his father",

who is more closely related even than "his brother"

(as the law⁶

regarding inheritance,

that "the father precedes the brothers")

- and in practice "his father"⁷

is not mentioned at all in the verse?

The same question is asked&lt;sup&gt;8&lt;/sup&gt;

in the portion of Nachalot,

where the verse&lt;sup&gt;9 &lt;/sup&gt;

&lt;span&gt;lists the order of inheritance of relatives: "If a man dies and has no son, you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter ..&lt;/span&gt;

to his brother ..

to his father's brother ..

to his closest relative" — and leaves out "his father",

who comes to inherit &lt;b&gt;before &lt;/b&gt;"his brother" as above?

And it is answered&lt;sup&gt;8&lt;/sup&gt;

that "the way of blessing speaks, and not of those cut off" — the verse does not speak about a case of calamity&lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;,

that the son died during his father's lifetime.

&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;But&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;

Because since these are matters that pertain &lt;b&gt;to halacha&lt;/b&gt;,

it seemingly has no place to leave out&lt;sup&gt;11&lt;/sup&gt;

"his father" because of the fact&lt;sup&gt;12&lt;/sup&gt;

&lt;span&gt; that it is not "the way of blessing"&lt;/span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;

and especially since this gives a possibility to err that the father is not an heir&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;

— is]

In our case, when one speaks <b>not</b> about a situation of "kareisim"¹⁵,

the verse would have needed to say — and immediately at the beginning,

the law that the father is prior to redemption?

One can explain this with the introduction of what Chazal say¹⁶

<span> that the sections of the parshah come "in order,"</span>

they demonstrate the order of descent, may it not happen, that can come through not observing the commandment

(even only — "abakah"¹⁷)

of shevi'is: first it causes that he is "selling his movable property",

and afterwards he goes from descent to descent,

until the ultimate descent,

may it not happen — that he sells himself to a non-Jew,

and further — "<b>to uproot</b> the family of the ger"¹⁸

which means "to the idol itself¹⁹

(to be its priest²⁰

As understood simply,

this is not only a descent in materiality — that he must sell all his possessions etc.,

until selling himself

(and moreover)

to a non-Jew — rather it demonstrates a gradual descent and low state <b>in spirituality</b>²¹.

Why that a Jew should sell himself to a non-Jew,

is this

(a)

contrary to the Torah — one may not sell oneself to a non-Jew²²

and

<span><span>B.</span></span>

(b)

this is a situation that gives a place to a קם״ד "since a great one reveals forbidden relations ..

worships idolatry ..

desecrates Shabbat &lt;b&gt;I am like him&lt;/b&gt;"²³

; and all the more so the selling oneself "to idolatry itself",

which servitude to idolatry itself is the very opposite of "to Me²⁴

the children of Israel are servants"²⁵.

3.

How can a Jew fall so low,

until selling oneself "to idolatry itself"?

It begins with this,

that he has torn himself away and forgotten,

may it not be said,

about his Father in heaven

(and consequently also about the love of the son for his father

(in heaven)

and fear of Him²⁶

etc.)

And in the language of the verse²⁷

: A son honors a father etc. and if I am a father, where is My honor etc.

And in the language of Chassidus - by him it is not

(in revelation)

the aspect of his "&lt;b&gt;father&lt;/b&gt;" - his &lt;b&gt;wisdom&lt;/b&gt;&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;

that is in the soul.

As the Alter Rebbe explains at length in Tanya&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;,

that the reason why a Jew can transgress the supernal will,

is because his wisdom that is in the soul - the faith in G-d which is above intellect and comprehension&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;

- is "in the aspect of sleep",

and consequently he does not hear that through every transgression,

even a light transgression,

he becomes separated "to the ultimate separation from His unity and Oneness, blessed be He"&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;.

would³¹

he would hear that through the transgression one becomes separated from "His unity and Oneness, blessed be He" exactly as through idolatry,

he would have withstood the temptation with the same intensity — as he and every Jew

(even the lowest of the low and sinners of Israel)

are ready to sacrifice themselves for the sanctity of G‑d "without³²

any intellect and contemplation,

only as if it is something utterly impossible to deny the one G‑d."

And based on this, the reason is understood

(inner)

why "his father" is not mentioned here nor in the portion of Inheritances: the matter of spiritual death — "the wicked in their lives are called dead"³³,

or more subtly: "one who descends from a level ...

is called dead"³⁴

— stems from the fact that he lacks the remembrance of his Father in heaven,

(the revelation of)

the aspect of wisdom in the soul — "<b>father</b>"; this is in the aspect of sleep,

which "sleep is one-sixtieth of death"³⁵.

When he has the remembrance — then there is "My glory",

when the aspect of wisdom in the soul shines,

then — "and wisdom <b>gives life^,</b>

: it does not allow any death

(spiritual),

not even any fall from his level,

because from the aspect of wisdom in the soul, the service of a Jew is with the full intensity of faith,

above changes.

4.

Just as the situation of one sold to a non-Jew as above is

(in inwardness)

a descent <b>spiritual</b>,

it is understandable that so it is regarding his <b>redemption</b>

- that the Torah says "redemption shall be for him"³⁷,

that his relatives <b>must</b>³⁸

redeem him,

and moreover - "redemption shall be for him"

(also)

in the language of a promise.

Even when the relatives do not redeem him, "he shall go out in the year of the Jubilee etc."³⁹,

and the verse states for this the reason "for to Me the children of Israel are servants⁴⁰

they are My servants"

("My deed first")⁴¹

This means

(in inwardness)

the <b>spiritual</b> redemption from the lowly state in which he finds himself: at the Giving of the Torah, every Jew became a servant of God <b>forever</b> — an essential elevation that no one can take from him⁴².

If even afterwards he does contrary to the will of God,

his connection to evil

(sold to the evil inclination)

is no more than an added thing upon his essential self,

for his essential self

(that which he is a servant of God)

cannot be changed.

And therefore it is certain that "redemption will be for him."

With this is also understandable the connection of the conclusion of the portion to its beginning,

where the verse emphasizes "And God spoke etc. <b>at Mount Sinai</b> etc.": This is⁴³

an introduction to the <b>entirety</b> of the portion: because of that which one comes from Mount Sinai,

when then⁴⁴

was opened the "document of prior [debt]"

(to Me, children of Israel, are servants)

— even after the entire order of descent, may it not be said,

it is <b>certain</b> that "redemption will be for him."

5.

With this one can also explain the reason

(inner)

in Rashi and in the emphasis and lengthiness of Rashi⁴⁵,

that "to uproot

(family of a convert)

" means "the one sold to idolatry itself to be its servant <b>and not for divinity</b> but to chop wood and to draw water"

- which is seemingly not understood: from where does Rashi take that this is "and not for divinity"⁴⁶?

If because of the fact that a Jew may not be a sold to idolatry for divinity - is it not also forbidden to sell oneself "to be its servant"⁴⁷

And even

(only)

to be a sold to a non-Jew,

as above -

Only with this does he guard,

that even such a Jew,

who has fallen so low until the ultimate descent, may G-d forbid,

nevertheless it is not possible that he should sell himself to "other gods" ..

to "gods" because this is a "thing &lt;b&gt;that is absolutely impossible&lt;/b&gt;".

Because even before he is redeemed,

he is not in a situation that with him there is, G-d forbid, &lt;b&gt;not &lt;/b&gt;the memory of his Father in heaven; he is only "carried away" and "sleeps"&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt;,

it has not become nullified the aspect of wisdom in the soul - it is only

(as the precise wording of the Tanya)

"in the aspect of &lt;b&gt;sleep&lt;/b&gt;".

when he comes to a "test in the matter of faith in the One G-d",

which&lt;span&gt; touches his innerness of the soul,&lt;/span&gt;

wisdom in the soul,

this causes that she is "awakened from her sleep" and does not allow that he should fail in this test; and moreover: she does not allow even an &lt;b&gt;external &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span&gt;thought, speech or deed&lt;/span&gt;

("without faith in the heart at all")

which is "against faith in the One G-d".

And therefore&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;

And therefore,

it cannot be that a Jew should sell himself to "divinity"

(even to do this "without any faith in the heart at all")

; the lowest descent,

that can be for a Jew when the wisdom in the soul is in the aspect of sleep

(were it not for the matter of choice⁵⁰)

is only to sell oneself "to be a servant to him ..

to hew wood and to draw water".

6.

Since the aspect of memory,

the wisdom⁵¹

in the soul of the one sold to a stranger is in the aspect of sleep,

until he has almost become devoid of mastery over himself — he is subjugated to a foreign master,

until "to the idol itself" — in such a state it is not possible for him to redeem himself by himself,

as the principle⁵²

: "A prisoner cannot release himself from prison";

His redemption must come in a way of arousal from above

(higher than his state),

through that others

(who are not subjugated to the aforementioned)

redeem him.

And therefore is placed first of all the matter of redemption of relatives

— the arousal from below to above to pull him out from his lowly state.

The purpose is however

(not that he should constantly need to come to the arousal from others,

but)

to reveal his innerness,

that he is a servant of God,

as above — that through this his redemption is in a manner that he

(from himself)

is already no longer related to such a descent,

In the manner that this is in physicality,

that the best true help that one can give a poor person,

is to place him in a situation where he no longer needs to come to creatures⁵⁴.

And this is the reason

(inner)

that the end of the verse is "his hand has reached and he is redeemed"⁵⁵

: the purpose of the redemption of relatives is the achievement that he himself should be able to redeem himself <b>by his own power</b>⁵³.

and then also the external powers of the servant,

until he can redeem himself by his own power,

therefore,

the closer the "relative" is to the servant,

it is understood that the more inner will be the influence and effect in the arousal of the servant].

7.

The reason and possibility for the descent is hinted at and emphasized in the beginning of the parshah⁵⁷

- "When you come into the land":

Because of the fact that Jews enter into an inhabited land,

where one must conduct oneself according to the conduct of nature,

"Six years you shall sow your field etc."⁵⁸

Not like in the desert where one was exempt from matters of this world: one ate the bread from heaven — manna,

drank from Miriam's well,

and wore garments that the "clouds of glory would launder etc. and iron etc. their garments grew with them etc."⁵⁹

This gives a place in the descent mentioned above.

Therefore it is also immediately warned at the beginning of the series,

that since one comes with the power of "Har Sinai",

it is a sure thing,

that

(Not only will one <b>oneself</b> remain whole - "redemption will be for him" - but)

one will also effect a clarification and elevation in the "<b>land</b>",

that one makes from the land of Canaan - the land of Israel⁶⁰,

and in the land of Israel until - "and the land shall rest a Sabbath to the Lord"⁵⁷

In place of that which there was a reality of idolatry in Eretz Yisrael

(to which a Jew can sell himself R"L),

becomes "the root of the family of Ger,

as per Tosafos ⁶¹

- "that its end⁶²

is to be uprooted".

There is uprooted the entire matter of idolatry,

and on the contrary - "and the land shall rest a <b>Sabbath to the L‑rd</b>",

one sees revealed how it is "the land is Mine"⁶³.

(From the sicha of Shabbos Parshas Behar-Bechukosai 5723)