Great Geula
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Fascinating Insights—The Sefer (in English)
Great Geula
There are many parallels
between Yovel and Shavuos.
1) We are taught in regard to
Yovel וקראתם דרור בארץ,[1]
proclaim freedom throughout the land. Similarly, in regard to Torah (Shavuos)
the Mishna saysאין לך בן חורין אלא מי שעוסק בתלמוד
תורה,
there is no one as free as one who engages in the study of Torah.[2]
Furthermore, the Ramban teaches us that Shavuos is the conclusion from Pesach—זמן חרותנו.
2) Concerning Yovel we are
told וספרת,[3]
you should count seven cycles of Shemita years. This is just as we do in the
days that lead up to Shavuos—Sefira—as it says וספרתם
לכם.[4]
3) Yovel is the 50th
year just as Shavuos is the 50th day from the start of Sefira.
4) The Shofar heralds in
Yovel. Likewise, at Matan Torah the Shofar was blown.[5]
Furthermore, the term used for Shofar there is Yovel as it says במשך היובל, upon an extended blast of the Shofar.[6]
5) Yovel is the idea of
returning to the source. This is seen by a field and slaves as it saysושבתם איש אל אחזתו ואיש אל משפחתו תשובו,[7]
you shall return each man to his ancestral heritage and you shall return each
man to his family. This is just as when one throws an object up, it must come
down—gravity. We see the same at Matan Torah since we went back to our source
since we died twice as it says נפשי יצאה בדברו. The Krias Hatorah on
Shavuos is from Parshas Yisro, a convert—returning to the source.[8]
Moreover, on Shavuos we read Rus who also converted. She came back to the
source and as it says השבה משדי מואב, who returned from the fields of Moav.[9]
Additionally, מואב yields a sum of 49 referring to the 49
levels of impurity and that is what we work on by Sefira. Rus comes to בית לחם יהודה. Observing its initials
we see it spells[10]
יבל.[11]
בית לחם is the source of Moshiach as we say in Lecha Dodi על יד בן ישי בית הלחמי, through Yishai, the Bethlehemite. Thus it says או דדו או בן דדו יגאלנו[12] (the simple meaning is in
regard to a Jew owned by a non-Jew, his uncle or his cousin should redeem him)
as דדו consists of the same letters as דוד. בן דדו rearranged
spells בן דוד.[13]
Every Jew has Geula as it
says לבלתי ידח ממנו נדח, no one be banished from him.[14]
This is the meaning in גאולה תהיה לו[15] as each Jew will have
his Geula. The first letters of י-ה-ו-ה ושבו בנים לגבולם spell יובל as it is the idea of
getting back to the source.[16]
It says לי בני
ישראל, the children of Israel are servants to me, in regard to Yovel.
Noticing its initials, we see it again spells יובל since on Yovel we go
back to the source, Hashem, as we areעבדי ה'.[17]
Similarly, by Shavuos we become עבדי ה' and we are no longer עבדי פרעה as this is the conclusion of Pesach where it says שלח את עמי ויעבדוני. The Baal Haturim[18]
points out that the terminology of Geula is mentioned 19 times in Parshas
Behar. These correspond to the 19 Brachos in Shemoneh Esrei.[19]
The Pasuk או דדו או בן דדו יגאלנו (which is the same letters as דוד as we mentioned before)
corresponds to ולירושלים עירך!
Rabbi Alt merited to learn under the tutelage of R’ Mordechai Friedlander
Ztz”l for close to five years. He received Semicha from R’ Zalman Nechemia
Goldberg. Rabbi Alt has written on numerous topics for various websites and
publications. He lives with his wife and family in a suburb of Yerushalayim
where he studies, writes and teaches. The author is passionate about teaching
Jews of all levels of observance.
[1] Vayikra 25:10. דרוד is rooted in the word דר, to dwell since he can
dwell where he wants and is not under the domain of others (Rashi וקראתם).
[2] Avos 6:2.
[3] Vayikra 25:8.
[4] Vayikra 23:15. Actually, it
is called Shavuos—weeks—since it is comprised of the weeks of Sefira that we
improved ourselves.
[5] Shemos 19:13. Shofar is the
source just as קול has no
words. Indeed, the Targum on Shofar is יובלא (See Vayikra 25:10, Rashi s.v. Yovel. Shemos, 19:13, Rashi s.v.
Hayovel and Unkolos there).
[6] Also, Shofar symbolizes
freedom [Thus, שופר is the
same equivalent as ירושלם
(missing a י as it
is spelled this way many times in Nach), 586, since this represents
Yerushalayim in its exile state.] as in תקע בשופר גדול לחרותינו. The
same is with Shavuos as it is also the idea of freedom.
[7] Vayikra 25:10. The Gemara
(Bechoros 55) tells us the Euphrates is the source of the other waters in the
world and another name for it is יובל as it says ועל יובל ישלח שרשיו, spreads out its roots along a brook (Yirmiya 17:8).
[8] A convert has a Jewish
Neshama. It is just lost among the non-Jews and has no rest until the person
becomes Jewish.
[9] Rus 1:22.
[10] Furthermore, Moshiach comes
from Rus.
[11] Yovel is also spelled
missing the ו as in
Vayikra 25:50.
[12] Vayikra 25:49.
[13] See Baal Haturim 25:49.
[14] Shmuel 2,14:14.
[15] Vayikra 25:48. It may take
Gehinom or a Gilgul but every Jew has Geula. The Arizal says even ישו has…after 50,000 Yovels.
[16] Emunas Itecha,
Behar-Bechukosai, תשמח.
[17] Vayikra 25:55, 42.
[18] Vayikra 25:52.
[19] This alludes to the idea to be סומך גאולה לתפלה (Brachos 9b).