Deuteronomy-Chap-15
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corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye
shall NOT ADD
TO THE WORD which I command
you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT,
that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem,
which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy
4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
The word of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) in Deuteronomy chapter 15 presents a revolutionary
social blueprint centred on the concept of Release. It addresses the
tension between economic reality and the ideals of a covenant community. The
chapter outlines how a nation should handle ‘debt’, ‘poverty’, and ‘servitude’,
ensuring that the cycle of hardship does not become a permanent trap for any
individual. It transitions from the release of funds to the release of people,
emphasizing a heart of generosity over legalistic calculation.
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Below is the Torah Text
& under the verses are the ‘Explanations’ for
Deuteronomy Chapter 15: (JPS-1917 version of the Torah).
1. “At the end of every seven years
thou shalt make a release. 2. And this is the manner of the release:
every creditor shall release that which he hath lent unto his neighbour; he
shall not exact it of his neighbour and his brother; because יְהוָה - the LORD’s release hath been proclaimed’.
Explanation: The “Shemitah” (Release) requires a
total cancellation of personal debts every seven years. The text defines the borrower
as a “brother”, reminding the lender that human relationships and communal
stability take precedence over financial gain.
3. ‘Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it; but whatsoever of thine is with thy
brother thy hand shall release. 4. Howbeit there shall be no needy among
you, since יְהוָה - the LORD will surely bless thee in the land which יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - The LORD thy Eloheicha giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, 5. if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - The LORD thy Eloheicha,
to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day’.
Explanation: The law distinguishes between a fellow citizen (brother) and a
foreigner who is likely a transient trader. Verse 4 sets a high ideal: if the
community follows these laws, poverty could be virtually eliminated through the
collective cycle of release and Divine blessing.
6. ‘For יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - The LORD thy Eloheicha
will bless thee, as He promised thee; and thou shalt lend unto many nations,
but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but they
shall not rule over thee’.
Explanation: Obedience leads to economic sovereignty. The nation is envisioned
as a global lender rather than a debtor, maintaining independence through its
unique social laws.
7. ‘If there be with thee a poor man,
one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates in thy land which יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy
hand from thy needy brother; 8. but thou shalt
surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his
need in that which he wanteth’.
Explanation: The text shifts from the law to the heart. It warns against
the internal impulse to ignore suffering. The command is to provide “sufficient
for his need”, not just a bare minimum, but what is required to restore his
dignity.
9. ‘Beware that there be not a base
thought in thy heart, saying: ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at
hand’; and thine eye be evil against thy needy brother, and thou give him
nought; and he cry unto יְהוָה - the LORD against thee, and it be sin in thee. 10. Thou shalt
surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha will bless thee in all thy work,
and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto’.
Explanation: This addresses the “fiscal loophole”. One might refuse to lend if
the Year of Release is near, knowing the debt will be cancelled. The Torah
labels this refusal a “base thought” (or “Belial”), commanding a cheerful heart
in giving despite the looming cancellation.
11. ‘For the poor shall never cease out
of the land; therefore I command thee, saying: ‘Thou shalt surely open thy hand
unto thy brother, to thy needy, and to thy poor, in thy land’.
Explanation: While verse 4 said there could be no poor, verse 11
acknowledges the reality of human society: poverty will exist. Therefore, the
commandment to be generous is permanent and perpetual.
12. ‘If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a
Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, he shall serve thee six years; and in the
seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. 13. And when thou lettest him go free from thee, thou shalt not let him go
empty; 14. thou shalt furnish him liberally out
of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy wine-press; of
that wherewith יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - The LORD thy Eloheicha
hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him’.
Explanation: Debt-servitude is limited to six years. Crucially, the “release”
is not just freedom, but a “severance package”. The owner must share their
bounty so the formerly enslaved person has the capital to start a new, independent
life.
15. ‘And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the
Explanation: The motivation for this radical generosity is historical memory.
The Israelites must treat their servants with dignity because they themselves
were once at the mercy of a master who did not grant release.
16. ‘And it shall be, if he say unto
thee: ‘I will not go out from thee’; because he loveth
thee and thy house, seeing he is well with thee; 17. then
thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear and into the door, and he
shall be thy bondman for ever. And also unto thy maid-servant thou shalt do
likewise’.
Explanation: If a servant chooses to stay due to a bond of love and security, a
public ritual (the ear piercing at the door) marks their transition to
permanent status. It emphasizes that freedom is the default, and staying is a
personal choice.
18. ‘It shall not seem hard unto thee,
when thou lettest him go free from thee; for to the
double of the hire of a hireling hath he served thee six years; and יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - The LORD thy Eloheicha
will bless thee in all that thou doest’.
Explanation: The master is told not to feel resentful. A servant is more
profitable than a day-labourer (who only works specific hours), so the master
has already benefited greatly from those six years of service.
19. ‘All the firstling males that are
born of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ
- the LORD thy Eloheicha; thou shalt do no work with the
firstling of thy ox, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep. 20. Before יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - The LORD thy Eloheicha
shalt thou eat it year by year in the place which יְהוָה - the LORD shall choose, thou and thy household’.
Explanation: The firstborn of the livestock belongs to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim. This acts as a regular reminder that all
wealth and life come from the Divine, preventing the “owner” from becoming
arrogant.
21. ‘And if there be any blemish
therein, as if it be lame or blind, any ill blemish
whatsoever, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - The LORD thy Eloheicha.
22. Thou shalt eat it within thy gates; the unclean and the clean may
eat it alike, as the gazelle, and as the hart. 23. Only thou shalt not
eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it out upon the ground as water’.
Explanation: Only the best is fit for a sacred offering. If an animal is
blemished, it loses its “sacred” sacrificial status and becomes ordinary food.
Even then, the fundamental law of the blood, the respect for the life-force
must be observed by pouring it out.
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My Closing
Message:
Deuteronomy
15 teaches us that a society’s health is measured by how it treats its most
vulnerable members. The “Release” is more than a financial regulation; it is a
spiritual exercise in trust. By letting go of debts and providing for the
needy, the individual acknowledges that their wealth is a gift, not a right.
The text challenges us to look past the “logic” of profit and loss to see the
“brother” or “sister” behind the debt!
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