Weekly Sidra: Yitro (Jetro)
Torah Portion: Shemot / Exodus 21:1-24:18
Haftorah: Yermiyahu / Jeremiah 34:8-22, 23:25-26

These are the rules that you shall set before them: 2 when you acquire a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years; in the seventh year he shall go free, without payment. (Shemot 21:1-2)

This week’s reading deals with many rulings including how to treat a slave. The seventh year was called the Shemita (Hebrew: שמיטה ‎, literally "release"), also called the Sabbatical Year. An aspect of Shemita concerns debts and loans. When the Shemita year ends, personal debts which are due during that year are considered nullified and forgiven.

Many people do not find much relevance to this passage because we cannot relate to slavery in our modern day concept.  I think it is important to note that slavery in biblical times was not the same as the slavery that many equate with the slavery which led to the American Civil War.

However, I think that this passage has a message which we need to hear.  Many of us have slaves in our lives that we need to set free.  In Haftarah portion we read that “Everyone, officials and people, who had entered into the covenant, agreed to set their male and female slaves free and not keep them enslaved any longer; they complied and let them go. 11 But afterward they turned about and brought back the men and women they had set free, and forced them into slavery again.” (Yeremiyahu 34:10-11)  Afterwards, God tells them that because they sinned God would release them “to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine; and I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.” (17b)

How does this relate to us today?  In Yochanan (John) 8:34 Yeshua answered them, "Yes, indeed! I tell you that everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin.

Let me use a simple example to illustrate my point.  Somehow, your neighbour wrecks your car.  You get an estimate for the damage from a repair shop for $500 dollars.  Your neighbour apologizes and pays you the money to get it fixed.

Afterwards, you find it will cost you another $500 extra.  Do you go back to your neighbour?  He has already paid the debt that he owes.  By going back we are constantly holding him accountable for everything wrong with the car.  Thereby, we are enslaving him always for whatever is wrong with the car.

We too can become slaves to bitterness, anger and resentment.  This is especially true by not letting go of things that happened to us long ago.   Do you have unresolved anger towards someone?  Are you still enslaving someone for past sins?  Are you enslaving yourself with guilt or bitterness?

It is time for us to for us to stop enslaving ourselves and others.  It is time for us to proclaim a Shemita year of release.