Shemini Atzeret

Visible layers

SHEMINI ATZERET

The following reading speaks of many mitzvot—mostly those that have to be fulfilled at a designated time and place and some mitzvot related to the festivals.

Kohen

Hebrew

עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר אֵת כָּל־
תְּבוּאַת זַרְעֶךָ הַיֹּצֵא הַשָּׂדֶה
שָׁנָה שָׁנָה: וְאָכַלְתָּ לִפְנֵי |
יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־
יִבְחַר לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם מַעְשַׂר
דְּגָנְךָ תִּירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ וּבְכֹרֹת
בְּקָרְךָ וְצֹאנֶךָ לְמַעַן תִּלְמַד
לְיִרְאָה אֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ כָּל־
הַיָּמִים: וְכִי־יִרְבֶּה מִמְּךָ הַדֶּרֶךְ
כִּי לֹא תוּכַל שְׂאֵתוֹ כִּי־יִרְחַק
מִמְּךָ הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר
יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לָשׂוּם שְׁמוֹ
שָׁם כִּי יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ:
וְנָתַתָּה בַּכָּסֶף וְצַרְתָּ הַכֶּסֶף
בְּיָדְךָ וְהָלַכְתָּ אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם
אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בּוֹ:
וְנָתַתָּה הַכֶּסֶף בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־
תְּאַוֶּה נַפְשְׁךָ בַּבָּקָר וּבַצֹּאן
וּבַיַּיִן וּבַשֵּׁכָר וּבְכֹל אֲשֶׁר
תִּשְׁאָלְךָ נַפְשֶׁךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ שָּׁם
לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְשָׂמַחְתָּ
אַתָּה וּבֵיתֶךָ: וְהַלֵּוִי אֲשֶׁר־
בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ לֹא תַעַזְבֶנּוּ כִּי אֵין
לוֹ חֵלֶק וְנַחֲלָה עִמָּךְ: מִקְצֵה |
שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים תּוֹצִיא אֶת־כָּל־
מַעְשַׂר תְּבוּאָתְךָ בַּשָּׁנָה הַהִוא
וְהִנַּחְתָּ בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ: וּבָא הַלֵּוִי
כִּי אֵין־לוֹ חֵלֶק וְנַחֲלָה עִמָּךְ
וְהַגֵּר וְהַיָּתוֹם וְהָאַלְמָנָה אֲשֶׁר

Sephardi

Aser te'aser et kol-
tevuat zar'acha hayotzei hasadeh
shanah shanah: V'achalta lifnei |
Adonai Elohecha bamakom asher-
yivchar l'shaken shemo sham ma'asar
degancha tiroshcha v'yitzharecha uvchorot
bekarcha vetzoncha lema'an tilmad
l'yir'ah et-Adonai Elohecha kol-
hayamim: Vechi-yirbeh mimcha haderech
ki lo tuchal se'eto ki-yirchak
mimcha hamakom asher yivchar
Adonai Elohecha lasum shemo
sham ki yevarechecha Adonai Elohecha:
V'natatah bakesef vetzarta hakesef
b'yadcha v'halachta el-hamakom
asher yivchar Adonai Elohecha bo:
V'natatah hakesef b'chol asher-
te'aveh nafshecha babakar uvatzon
uvayayin uvashshechar uvchol asher
tish'alecha nafshecha v'achalta sham
lifnei Adonai Elohecha v'samachta
atah uveitecha: V'halevi asher-
bish'arecha lo ta'azvenu ki ein
lo chelek v'nachalah imach: Mik'tzeh |
shalosh shanim totzi et-kol-
ma'asar t'vuatcha bashanah hahi
vehinachta bish'arecha: Uva halevi
ki ein-lo chelek v'nachalah imach
v'hager v'hayatom v'ha'almanah asher

English

You shall separate and give to a Levite a tenth of the entire crop of your plantings, and then you will separate an additional tenth of the crop, which you will bring to Jerusalem. Each year, you shall give the tenths of the crop that the field produced in that year. You will bring the second tenth before the Lord, your God, in Jerusalem, the place He will choose to rest His name. There you will eat the tenth of your grain, your wine, and your oil. You will also bring to Jerusalem the firstborn of your cattle and your flock and give them to a Kohen. God commands you to bring the tenth of your crop to Jerusalem so that you will learn from the many Torah scholars who are there and so that they will inspire you to fear the Lord, your God, at all times. If the journey to Jerusalem—the place upon which the Lord, your God, will choose to place His Name upon it—will be too long and too far for you to be able to carry all of the produce you need to bring there, because the Lord, your God, will bless you with an abundance, then, you shall exchange this produce for money by selling it. Then wrap the money in your hand, and go to Jerusalem, the place that the Lord, your God, will choose. And in Jerusalem, you will buy with that money whichever food your soul may desire—cattle, flock, fresh wine, aged wine, or whichever other food or drink your soul may desire. You shall eat your purchases there in Jerusalem before the Lord, your God, and you shall rejoice—you and your household. Do not forsake the Levite who dwells in your cities, for he has neither a portion in the spoils of war nor inheritance of the land together with you; be sure to give him the first tenth of your crop as you have been commanded to do. There is a continuous seven-year cycle, called the "shmittah cycle." If you have failed to give the tenth of your crop to a Levite and/or to separate a tenth to be eaten in Jerusalem in the first and second year of the shmittah cycle, or in the fourth and fifth year of the cycle, then at the end of the third and sixth year, respectively, you shall take out all the tithes of your produce; you may not delay any longer. In addition, in the third and sixth year of the cycle, you shall not bring the second tithe to Jerusalem to eat there; rather, you shall leave it in your cities and distribute the produce to the poor. The Levite—because he has no portion or inheritance of the land together with you—shall come to collect the first tithe of your produce, and the converts, the orphan, the widow, and any poor

Hebrew

בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ וְאָכְלוּ וְשָׂבֵעוּ לְמַעַן
יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל־
מַעֲשֵׂה יָדְךָ אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה:

Sephardi

bish'arecha ve'achlu vesave'u lema'an
yevarechecha Adonai Elohecha bechol-
ma'aseh yad'cha asher ta'aseh:

English

people who dwell in your city will come and take your second tithe in the third and sixth year of the shmittah cycle. They will eat and be satisfied. Do this so that the Lord, your God, will continue to bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.

On Shabbat: Levi

Hebrew

מִקֵּץ שֶׁבַע־שָׁנִים
תַּעֲשֶׂה שְׁמִטָּה: וְזֶה דְּבַר
הַשְּׁמִטָּה שָׁמוֹט כָּל־בַּעַל
מַשֵּׁה יָדוֹ אֲשֶׁר יַשֶּׁה בְּרֵעֵהוּ
לֹא־יִגֹּשׂ אֶת־רֵעֵהוּ וְאֶת־אָחִיו
כִּי־קָרָא שְׁמִטָּה לַיהוָה: אֶת־
הַנָּכְרִי תִּגֹּשׂ וַאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה לְךָ
אֶת־אָחִיךָ תַּשְׁמֵט יָדֶךָ: אֶפֶס
כִּי לֹא יִהְיֶה־בְּךָ אֶבְיוֹן כִּי־בָרֵךְ
יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן־לְךָ נַחֲלָה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ:
רַק אִם־שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע בְּקוֹל
יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לִשְׁמֹר לַעֲשׂוֹת
אֶת־כָּל־הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר
אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם: כִּי־יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ בֵּרַכְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר־
לָךְ וְהַעֲבַטְתָּ גּוֹיִם רַבִּים
וְאַתָּה לֹא תַעֲבֹט וּמָשַׁלְתָּ
בְּגוֹיִם רַבִּים וּבְךָ לֹא יִמְשֹׁלוּ:
כִּי־יִהְיֶה בְךָ אֶבְיוֹן מֵאַחַד
אַחֶיךָ בְּאַחַד שְׁעָרֶיךָ בְּאַרְצְךָ
אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ לֹא
תְאַמֵּץ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ וְלֹא תִקְפֹּץ
אֶת־יָדְךָ מֵאָחִיךָ הָאֶבְיוֹן:
כִּי־פָתֹחַ תִּפְתַּח אֶת־יָדְךָ לוֹ
וְהַעֲבֵט תַּעֲבִיטֶנּוּ דֵּי מַחְסֹרוֹ
אֲשֶׁר יֶחְסַר לוֹ: הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן־
יִהְיֶה דָבָר עִם־לְבָבְךָ בְלִיַּעַל
לֵאמֹר קָרְבָה שְׁנַת־הַשֶּׁבַע

Sephardi

Miketz sheva-shanim
ta'aseh sh'mitah: V'zeh devar
hash'mitah shamot kol-ba'al
masheh yado asher yasheh bere'ehu
lo-yigos et-re'ehu ve'et-achiv
ki-kara sh'mitah la-Adonai: Et-
hanachri tigos va'asher yihyeh lecha
et-achicha tashmet yadecha: Efes
ki lo yihyeh-becha evyon ki-barech
yevarechecha Adonai ba'aretz asher Adonai
Elohecha noten-lecha nachalah lerishtah:
Rak im-shamoa tishma b'kol
Adonai Elohecha lishmor la'asot
et-kol-hamitzvah hazot asher
anochi metzav'cha hayom: Ki-Adonai
Elohecha berach'cha ka'asher diber-
lach veha'avateta goyim rabim
ve'atah lo ta'avot umashalta
begoyim rabim uvecha lo yimsholu:
Ki-yihyeh vecha evyon me'achad
achecha b'achad she'arecha be'artzecha
asher-Adonai Elohecha noten lach lo
te'ametz et-levavecha v'lo tikpotz
et-yadcha me'achicha ha'evyon:
Ki-patoach tiftach et-yadcha lo
veha'avet ta'avitenu dei machsoro
asher yechsar lo: Hishamer lecha pen-
yihyeh davar im-levavecha beliya'al
leimor karvah shenat-hasheva

English

At the end of the seventh year of the shmittah cycle, you shall grant a release of all debt and no longer demand repayment. This is the law of the release: every person who has lent to his fellow and is waiting to be repaid, should release and pardon the debt. He shall not claim the loan from his fellow or brother, for this year has been declared a year of releasing debt before the Lord. You may claim your loan from the gentile, but any loan payment that is owed to you by your brother—your fellow Jew, your hand shall release. However, this may not be needed, for there will be no destitute people amongst you, for the Lord will surely bless you in the land that the Lord, your God, will give you as an inheritance for you to take possession of. There will be no destitute among you only if you listen and continue to listen to the voice of the Lord, your God, to be careful to do all of the commandments that I command you today. For the Lord, your God, has blessed you, as He has spoken to you: You will lend to many nations, but you will not have any need to borrow from them. You will rule over many nations, and other nations will not rule over you. If, however, you don't heed God's commandments, and as a result there will be a destitute person amongst you, from one of your fellow Jewish brethren in one of your cities, in your land that the Lord, your God, gives you, you shall not harden your heart nor tighten your hand to withhold from helping your destitute brother. For you will surely open your generous hand to him to give him what he needs, and if he doesn't want to accept it as a gift, you will surely lend to him enough to satisfy his needs—whatever he is lacking. Be careful, lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, "The seventh year of the cycle, the year of shmittah, is approaching, and I will be obligated to release all loans," and you will look badly upon your destitute brother, and you will not give him a loan for fear of not being repaid. He will then cry out to the Lord against you because you refused to give him a loan, and it will be a sin for you. Do not withhold your help; rather, you shall surely give him however much he needs, and do not let your heart feel bad when you give him, for it is because you give happily that the Lord, your God, will continue to bless you in all your work and in all you set out to do. For as long as you don't heed God's commandments, there will never cease to be destitute people