This Shabbat in Parshat Bahar, we read about a situation where someone was once financially stable, someone was once financially strong and has fallen into economic depression and he has to serve as ancestral homeland. He has to sell himself as a slave.
The Torah tells us the obligation of his immediate family or his extended family to come financially and to help him out and to redeem him and bring back his property back to its proper owner.
At the same time, many times in life, when people ask us for a favor, we always give a very spiritual answer. “Don’t worry about it. God will help. Everything will turn out okay. Hashem provides. He sustains and maintains.”
The Torah tells us when you see brother falling, don’t give him speeches about how God will help. והחזקת בו take out your checkbook and help him. Put your hand deep into your pocket and give him what you have.
It’s amazing how the Jewish people have been there for each other and have stepped up to provide, whether it’s physical needs, emotional needs, financial needs, for the soldiers, for the orphans and for the widows.
We should be privileged this Shabbat to be there for each other, to be able to help each other. And God willing when God sees how we are here for each other, we’re there to strengthen each other, Hashem will strengthen us and, God willing, redeem us and take us out from our exile and bring the great, great redemption.
Shabbat shalom.
