예레미야 34:11의 인용 해설

The reason that this subject of selling land is written adjacent to the legislation dealing with the laws of Shemittah and Yovel is to warn us that he who fails to observe the former because he begrudges the loss of income during the Shemittah year will find that instead of losing only one year’s income he will become impoverished and have to sell his land so that it will not provide him with any income at all (compare Tanchuma Behar 1). The sages go as far as to say that failure to observe the Shemittah and Yovel laws will eventually reduce the guilty party to having to dispose even of his chattels. They base this on the extraneous words מיד עמיתך, “from the hand of your fellow Jew” (verse 14). Chattels are sold from hand to hand. They view our verses as describing a certain sequence of events. 1) You observe the Shemittah legislation. 2) If you do not, you may have to sell your real estate, i.e. ממכר; 3) if you did not get the message that your economic decline was due to your not observing the Shemittah legislation, you will eventually be in a position where fellow Jews have to buy your chattels so that you will have what to live on. Similar commentaries are offered in connection with the need to sell one’s house. In verse 25 the Torah paints a scenario of someone selling part of his inherited land due to having become impoverished; in verse 29 the Torah already speaks about this someone having to sell his home; if he learned his lesson through having been forced to go begging all well and good. If he did not he may be so reduced (verse 39) that he has to sell his service (take a job he is not free to leave for a given number of years.) If this did not teach him why he is in such reduced circumstances, he may find that a Gentile buys him (his body) compare verse 47-to the end of the portion). Thus far the scenarios painted by the Midrash.
Unfortunately, a review of Jewish history shows that what is described here as a warning actually became the fate of large sections of the Jewish people prior to the destruction of the first Temple. Jeremiah 34,11 is quite explicit on the matter when he chided his countrymen for making a mockery of the temporary freeing of their Jewish slaves, indirectly forcing them into slavery again as they did not help them to establish themselves. Subsequent to that travesty, he told them in the name of the Lord that their punishment would include loss of their land, marching into captivity by those who had not been killed by the Babylonians first, etc. (Compare Chronicles II 36, 17-18).

מסתולל, the reflexive mode of the verb סלל as in סולו סולו דרך הרימו מכשול, “pave, pave a way and remove every obstacle, etc.,” (Isaiah 62,10). Just as the stones are pressed together to remove them as obstacles, so Pharaoh squeezed the Israelites so that they could not offer any resistance. Compare also Jeremiah 34,11 ויכבשום לעבדים ולשפחות, they “compressed” them into becoming male and female slaves. Concerning the grammatical principles underlying the use of the reflexive conjugation mitpael, every time this conjugation appears it has the letter ת preceding the first root letter, except the ones that have that letter at the end instead of at the beginning. Examples of the former are Psalms 94,4 יתאמרו כל פעלי און Words such as יתברך, יתגדל or in Ezekiel 38,23 והתגדלתי והתקדשתי, or Jeremiah 9,23 יתהלל המתהלל, or מתפלל in Exodus 10,2. The author lists a few more examples, showing that all of the letters of the aleph bet except the 7 letters ד'זט ס'ץ ש'ת, follow this pattern. When the first root letter is either a ש or a ת, the letter ת is appended at the end instead of at the beginning. The exception is a word whose root begins with the letter ס. One such example is our verse, the root being סל. The basic meaning is parallel to Numbers 16,13 תסתרר עלינו, where the word תסתורר is derived from the root שר. In examples such as ישתבח, ישתמר or משתכר, all of which have roots beginning with the letter ש, the letter ת signaling the conjugation התפעל is deferred until after the first root letter. In roots commencing with the letter ז or צ, no such letter ת signaling the reflexive conjugation appears at all. Instead, after the letter צ the letter ט is added to show us that we deal with the reflexive conjugation. Well known examples of these constructions are found in Genesis 44,16 נצטדק from the root צדק, and Joshua 9,12 הצטיידנו from the root ציד, provisions. Concerning the words with the first root letter ז, the letter signaling the reflexive conjugation is a ד, as in Daniel 2,9 הזדמנתון. The letters ד-ט-ת, by themselves when they appear at the beginning of the word, do not get an additional letter to indicate that the construction in which they appear is a reflexive conjugation. A prominent example of this is Numbers 7,89 וישמע את הקול מדבר, where the Torah did not write מתדבר. Another such example is Leviticus 21,4 לא יטמא בעל בעמיו, where because the root טמא begins with the letter ט the Torah did not write יתטמא, although the verb is in the reflexive mode, of course. The same is true in Samuel II 22,27 where the word תתפל in the line ועם עקש תתפל, does not have another letter ת at the beginning in order to signal that the verb is in the reflexive mode. [The author illustrated his point with still more examples, but I think he made his point adequately with the examples I have cited. Ed.]

However, since we find that all matters of charity are doubled, You shall surely tithe [Hebrew: aser te’aser], You shall surely give [Hebrew: naton titen], You shall surely open [Hebrew: patoach tiftach], You shall surely lend [Hebrew: ha’avet ta’avitenu], and likewise the reward is doubled as it says He will surely bless you [Hebrew: barech yevarechecha]. Therefore, it appears that all matters of charity are doubled: the giving with the hand, and the appeasement with the mouth, through not letting one’s heart be grieved and giving with a pleasant countenance and a whole heart, and “the poor man does not hear rebuke.” As our Sages said (Berakhot 8a), “One who prays should wait the time it takes to enter through two doorways, etc.” This is to fulfill what is said (Psalms 17:15), I, through righteousness, shall see Your face. From here they learned that before one prays, one should give a coin to charity (Bava Batra 10a). And this is the measure of “two doorways,” as it is written, You shall surely open your hand. That is, the opening of the hand and the opening of the heart, which is mentioned in the preceding verse: You shall not harden your heart nor close your hand. Therefore, all matters of charity are doubled, one with the hand and one with the heart, and for each of these, the Holy One, blessed be He, establishes a separate reward. Thus it says, “He will surely bless you.” And regarding this, our Sages said in the Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, Isaiah 445), “They sinned doubly, etc.” For they sinned regarding charity, which is a doubled matter, as it is written (Ezekiel 16:49), Behold, this was the sin of Sodom, your sister: the hand of the poor and needy she did not strengthen. And they also sinned regarding Sabbaths, as it is written (Ezekiel 22:26), And from My Sabbaths they averted their eyes, for all matters of Sabbath are doubled (Midrash Tehillim 92:1). And they also sinned in the releasing of servants to freedom in the days of Jeremiah (34:11), and it is written about them (Deuteronomy 15:18), For double the wages of a hired servant has your servant worked for you. And this is [the meaning of] “they sinned doubly, etc.”