The only parashah in the Torah whose name refers directly to Mount Sinai is BeHar (בְּהַר), which simply means “on [or in] the mountain,” as the opening words indicate: “God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, speak to the Israelites and you shall say to them: When you come to the land that I am giving you, the land shall rest a Sabbath to God.”[1]
To understand the connection between the reference to Mount Sinai and the mitzvah to give the land its rest—a Shabbat to God—we begin by considering the deep connection between the name of the parashah, Behar (בְּהַר) and “light” (אוֹר). First, the numerical value of both words is 207.[2] More deeply, in Hebrew, there are thirteen synonyms for light,[3] one of which is written identically to Behar, but pronounced Bohar (בֹּהַר). Like the Thirteen Measures of Compassion,[4] the thirteen synonyms of light represent channels of Divine compassion and love emanating from the Almighty Above and flowing down to the physical world and mankind below. The word “love” (אהבה), ahavah, also equals 13.
Note that five of the synonyms of light end with the syllable har, the same as our parashah’s name, BeHar, which means “mountain.” The association of light to the image of a mountain is of course connected to receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai, the ultimate revelation of God’s light and will to humanity.
The Light of Shabbat
Another hint that is relevant to our contemplation of our parashah’s name, Behar, relates to the numerical value of the word “Shabbat” (שַׁבָּת), which is 702, the exact inverse of the numerical value of “light” (אוֹר), which is 207.[5] The Hebrew word for light also has the same numerical value as the Hebrew word for Ein Sof, “the infinite” (אֵין סוֹף). This web of connections, linking the words Shabbat, light and the infinite teaches us that God’s infinite light is most accessible to those experiencing Shabbat. By connecting to Shabbat’s spiritual dimension, we can bask in God’s infinite light, which although constantly accessible in potential, is most accessible on the holy Shabbat.
Significantly, the connection between light and Shabbat is symbolized by Jewish women lighting Shabbat candles to ceremonially usher in the day of rest. Both light and Shabbat awaken the same associations of holiness, spirituality, and joy. Just as God’s infinite Presence was revealed at the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, so too God’s infinite light is highly-concentrated in Shabbat’s finite and detailed laws.
The Soul of the Land of Israel
We return now to the opening verses of parashat BeHar: “And God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, speak to the Israelites and you shall say to them: When you come to the land that I am giving you, the land shall rest a Shabbat to God.” The Sabbatical Year, the Shemitah, is a Shabbat for the land; just as the weekly Shabbat gives the Jewish people a rest from the six days of work, so too the Land of Israel deserves to rest every seventh year. Shabbat is a day of rest not only for the body, but for the soul as well. In fact, the Zohar calls Shabbat “a day of the soul.”[6]
One of the secrets of the Sabbatical year when we give the Land of Israel a year of rest every seven years, similar to a Shabbat, implies that the land also requires its Shabbat, its rest, because it too possesses a certain level of soul.[7] Just as human beings and animals need to refrain from work and rest on Shabbat, the Land of Israel is granted the opportunity to rest every seven years. This raises thought-provoking questions about what it means for the land to rest and to have a level of soul. How can we attribute rest to something inanimate like the earth? This suggests that the concept of rest applies not only to living beings but also to those elements from the mineral world.
Furthermore, the Sabbatical year highlights the special bond between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. The people of Israel are referred to as Adam, as in the statement, “And you [Israel] are called Adam,”[8] while the root word for soil or earth is adamah, a feminine word and concept closely related to Adam. This alludes to a deep relationship of love between the people of Israel—the groom—and the land—the bride.
The idea of the physical earth having a soul invites us to develop a deep appreciation for the living essence within the land, beyond its vegetation. It encourages us to recognize the profound affinity between ourselves and the earth, acknowledging that the land, too, possesses a certain level of life force or soul. By observing the laws of Shemitah and granting the land its rest, we align ourselves with the natural rhythms of creation and honor the living consciousness embedded within the earth.
Divine Life Force
The implications of the land possessing life force alerts us to the fact that nothing can exist without a constant flow of Divine energy animating it. If God were to interrupt or withdraw this flow of energy, everything, from the tiniest atom to the vastness of galaxies, would simply cease to exist. This understanding is encapsulated in our morning prayers, when we acknowledge the Holy Blessed One as the sole Creator of all things in the heavens, earth, and waters, and as the Giver of life to all.
Ultimately all things have life in the sense that they possess the necessary conditions for their continued existence. Even in seemingly inanimate objects like stones, there is a dynamic movement of molecular energy, a hidden vitality that science is only beginning to grapple with. This notion of “life” extends beyond traditional boundaries and encompasses a level of sentience present in all aspects of creation.
This is especially seen in the following words recited daily in the morning prayers: “It is You alone, God, You have made the heavens, the most exalted heavens, and all their host, the earth and everything upon it, the seas and everything in them, and You give them all life.”[9]
Space, Time and Consciousness
When taken one step further, we see that physicality hides an inner essence of spirituality. According to science, matter is pure energy, and ultimately energy is the light of Divinity infusing every point of space and time. This realization is tangibly felt at the Giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. The Torah describes Mount Sinai as being on fire and full of smoke. The Hebrew word for “smoking [mountain]”[10] (עָשֵׁן), is comprised of three Hebrew letters, which form an acronym for the various dimensions of reality described by Sefer Yetzirah.[11] The letter ayin (ע) represents the Hebrew word for “world” or “space” (עוֹלָם), olam; the letter shin (ש) represents the Hebrew word for “year” or “time” (שָׁנָה), shanah,; the letter nun (ן) represents the Hebrew word for “soul” or “consciousness” (נֶפֶשׁ), nefesh, a dimension, according to the Sefer Yetzirah, as real as the other physical dimensions.
This unity of space, time, and consciousness was tangibly experienced by the people: “And all the people saw the sounds of the thunder and the lightning and the sound of the shofar and the mountain smoking.”[12] Rashi comments that all the people were able to see that which is normally heard, something which cannot ordinarily happen. In the context of what is being discussed here, the Giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai represents God revealing (among many other things) that the physical mountain in its very essence is energy, or spiritual light. It is important to note that according to all opinions, the Torah was given on Shabbat.
The Holy Land
From giving the Land of Israel its due rest every seven years, we come to understand the sanctity and light imbued in the land itself, and by extension, all physicality. This is one of the greatest secrets of the holiness of the Land of Israel. This holiness is more than a concept: the land itself—the mountains, trees, stones, rivers and the fields—is in its very essence holy and spiritual. This is why the produce of the Land of Israel during the Sabbatical year is considered to have a special holiness and must by Jewish law be treated as such.
Ultimate Unity
In summary, we see profound connections between Mount Sinai and what occurred there on Shabbat and the concept and reality of light. The Torah which was given on the mountain of Sinai is itself referred to as light: “For a mitzvah is a candle, and the Torah is light."[13] Thus, there exists a deep and essential synergy between the infinite light of God as revealed in the Torah and the physical, material world that God has created. Shabbat is the ladder connecting heaven and earth, God and Jew, physicality and spirituality, body and soul. The light of Shabbat in time and the light of Shabbat in space, represented by the Sabbatical year, reveal the ultimate oneness and unity of all reality.
- Leviticus 26:1-2.
- V’Shavta Haaretz p.6.
- Amudeha Shevah p.193. The thirteen synonyms are in Hebrew: אוֹר בֹּהַר זֹהַר נֹהַר נֹגַהּ צֹהַר זִיו חַשְׁמַל יָקָר בֹּהַק זָרַח הַלֵּל טֹהַר.
- Exodus 34:6-7.
[5]. V’Shavta Haaretz p.6.
[6]. 2:205b.
[7]. Veshavta Ha’aretz, p.8.
[9]. Nehemiah 9:6.
[10]. Exodus 19:18
[11]. The concept of World/Olam, Time/Shana, Soul/Nefesh is found throughout chapters 4-6 in Sefer Yetzirah.
[12]. Exodus 20:15.
[13]. Proverbs 6:23.
