Translation of the commentary of Rabbi Chaim ben Atar (the Ohr HaChaim) on Leviticus 25:25–28: “If your brother becomes impoverished…”
This section alludes to a profound matter and serves as a message to the inhabitants of the world. The phrase “becomes impoverished” (ki yamuch) is similar in meaning to the verse (Ecclesiastes 10:18), “Through sloth the rafters sink in,” which the Sages interpreted (Taanit 7b) to mean: “You have made poor the One about whom it is said (Psalms 104:3), ‘He roofs His upper chambers with water.’” For when those below stray from the path of goodness, the divine influences are withdrawn, and the pillar of holiness becomes impoverished, as the essence depends on those below.
The verse continues, “and he sells part of his ancestral heritage…” This refers to the Mishkan (Tabernacle), the Sanctuary of Testimony, which is called His (Hashem’s) inheritance, wherein He caused His Presence to dwell. Due to our sins, the House was “sold” into the hands of the nations, as the Sages said (Midrash Tehillim 79) in interpreting the verse, “A psalm of Asaph: The nations have come into Your inheritance…” (Psalms 79:1).
The verse teaches that its redemption lies in the hands of a righteous person who is close to Hashem, as it says earlier (Leviticus 10:3), “With those who are close to Me I will be sanctified.” The redemption of his brother’s sale (i.e., the Temple) will come about through such a person. For the Master, blessed be He, refers to the righteous as “brothers,” as it is written (Psalms 122), “For the sake of my brothers and companions…”
The redemption will come when people’s hearts are awakened, and they are told: “Is it good for you to sit outside, exiled from your Father’s table? What joy can life bring you in this world without the exalted fellowship you once had, sitting near the table of your Eternal Father, blessed is He forever?” Then the desires for illusory pleasures will become repulsive in their eyes, and a spiritual yearning will awaken within them—sensed by anyone with a soul of all that lives—until they improve their actions. In this way, Hashem will redeem what was sold.
For this, all the leaders of the land, the great ones of Israel, will ultimately be held accountable. From them, Hashem will seek redress for the humiliation of His downtrodden House.
(Leviticus 25:26)
The verse continues, “And if a man has no redeemer…” The Sages taught (Sanhedrin 93a) that “man” (ish) here refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it says (Exodus 15:3), “Hashem is a man of war.” .” When there is no redeemer, for there is no “man” who takes it to heart, no one to guide or uphold the hand of the Israelite nation to return it to its Father, do not say that, Heaven forbid, that hope is lost.
Rather, “his hand will reach and he will find enough for its redemption.” The Sages said (Sanhedrin 98) that suffering and exile are a means of refining the nation to make it worthy. This is the meaning of “his hand will reach,” alluding to the verse (Deuteronomy 2:15), “The hand of Hashem was against them,” referring to the attribute of Gevurah (Divine strength), which strikes the nation in the bitter exile. And through this, they will eventually reach the means to redeem the House (Temple).
Leviticus 25:27
The verse states, “And he shall calculate…” This refers to the fact that the sale [of the Temple and associated benefits of the Temple] is due to our iniquities, as it says (Isaiah 50:1), “Behold, for your iniquities you were sold.” Iniquity is a debt upon a person, and at the time of tearing up the document [of debt], one must calculate the debt owed and pay off what remains. This is what the verse means by “And he shall calculate the years of its sale” — the years the house remained sold, and it is assessed according to the measure of those years, based on the iniquities of Israel. The excess is returned, following the Sages’ teaching (Yoma 86b) regarding the principles of repentance and its rectification: compensatory repentance. If a person benefited from an intentional sin, he should afflict himself to the extent of the benefit derived from that sin, thereby settling his debt. Similarly, the Master of the Universe will act when the time of redemption approaches. This is the meaning of the Sages’ statement (Sanhedrin 98) that there will be “birth pangs of the Messiah.” Through this, “he shall return to his possession,” meaning it returns to the Holy One, Blessed be He. This also applies to Israel as well, as per the verse (Deuteronomy 30:3), “And Hashem will come back with your captivity.” The Sages (Megillah 29a) note that it does not say “He will bring back”(yashiv) but “He will come back”(v’shav), implying Hashem Himself returns with Israel.
Leviticus 25:28
The verse states, “But if his hand cannot find enough to repay…” This means that if the Master [Hashem] sees that the people lack the strength to endure further birth pangs [of redemption] and their debts [sins] have piled up beyond measure, with no capacity left to bear them, then “what he sold will remain until the Jubilee year,” which is the fixed time for redemption at its appointed time. At that point, “he shall go out in the Jubilee and return to his possession,” for the end of exile is set, even if Israel, Heaven forbid, remains completely wicked.