VaYikra 27: The Oral Torah derives its basic laws from the Written Torah.
The Kotzker Rebbe explains that after reading the terrifying curses contained earlier in parshas Bechokosai and seeing how they have tragically been fulfilled throughout history, Jews may begin to lose belief in their value and self-worth. As a nation, we have been persecuted more than any other people throughout the ages. Such intense national suffering could easily cause a person to give up hope.
In order to counter this mistaken conclusion, the section outlining the painful times which will befall the Jewish people is immediately followed by the section dealing with the laws of Arachin. This section details how much a person is required to donate if he chooses to dedicate the “value” of himself or another Jew to the Temple. This juxtaposition comes to remind us that even in the darkest times, after enduring the most inhumane suffering fathomable, although we may not be accorded respect by our oppressors, our intrinsic worth in HaShem’s eyes are eternal and unchanging.
Voluntary donations not required but provided by a desire to give.
אלהם: includes a woman and a convert.
בערכך נפשות: to exclude attempt to value a dead person; also only evaluate an entire person and not part of a person.
א: וידבר ה' אל משה לאמר
ב: דבר אל בני ישראל ואמרת אלהם איש כי יפלא נדר בערכך נפשת לה '
Arachin are based on a fixed valuation of a person:
- Verse 3-4: values from 20 to 60 years
- Verse 5: values for 5 to 20 years
- Verse 6: values from one month to 5 years
- Verse 7: values above 60 years old
(Erchin 19a) “An old man is not very useful while an old woman brings blessing into the home (she is still useful). (See Chizkuni)
Pirkei Avos (5:25) states that a male between 5 years and 20 years enters Torah study on different levels, assessing spiritual milestones at a higher rate.
ג: והיה ערכך הזכר מבן עשרים שנה ועד בן ששים שנה והיה ערכך חמשים שקל כסף בשקל הקדש
ד: ואם נקבה הוא והיה ערכך שלשים שקל
ה: ואם מבן חמש שנים ועד בן עשרים שנה והיה ערכך הזכר עשרים שקלים ולנקבה עשרת שקלים
ו: ואם מבן חדש ועד בן חמש שנים והיה ערכך הזכר חמשה שקלים כסף ולנקבה ערכך שלשת שקלים כסף
ז: ואם מבן ששים שנה ומעלה אם זכר והיה ערכך חמשה עשר שקל ולנקבה עשרה שקלים
RATIOS
AGE GROUPMENWOMENRATIOONE MONTH – 5 YEARS5 SHEKELS3 SHEKELS5:35 YEARS – 20 YEARS20 SHEKELS10 SHEKELS2:120 YEARS – 60 YEARS50 SHEKELS30 SHEKELS5:360 YEARS AND OVER15 SHEKELS10 SHEKELS3:2The verse teaches that if the vower can not afford to pay the entire erech that he undertook, the Kohen (i.e. the Temple treasurer) evaluates his means to raise some amount and reduces the debt accordingly (but not affect one’s livelihood).
The leniency accorded to one who does not have the ability to pay applies only to one who makes an erech vow and not to one who makes a general vow of worth.
ח: ואם מך הוא מערכך והעמידו לפני הכהן והעריך אתו הכהן על פי אשר תשיג יד הנדר יעריכנו הכהן
By contrast to vowing the value of a person, an animal can be donated as a Korban (which is a level than a general donation). Therefore, portion of the animal can be evaluated and donated.
ט: ואם בהמה אשר יקריבו ממנה קרבן לה' כל אשר יתן ממנו לה' יהיה קדש
Temurah takes effect in three cases of substitution:
- “good for (currently) bad”; Unblemished chullin for kodashim that are currently blemished but were unblemished when consecrated;
- “bad for (currently) good”; blemished chullin for unblemished kodashim;
- “bad for (initially) good”; blemished chullin for kodashim that are currently blemished but were unblemished when consecrated.
Fourth possible case “good for good” unblemished chullin for unblemished kodashim is learned by logic or from the word “good” בהמה בהמה one can effect temurah by substituting an entire animal for another an entire animal (not limbs and not non-animals, such as a bird or a minchah); repetition also teaches any number of animals can be substituted for any number of animals.
תמורתו word in singular indicates that the temurah of a consecrated animal becomes kodesh but cannot create a second temurah.
י: לא יחליפנו ולא ימיר אתו טוב ברע או רע בטוב ואם המר ימיר בהמה בבהמה והיה הוא ותמורתו יהיה קדש
This verse states that animals of a kosher species that becomes blemished, then the impurity prevents being eaten. (verse 27 discusses impure (non-kosher) animals): Why then use the word טמאה? Includes a dead animal which is always in the state of tumah.
יא: ואם כל בהמה טמאה אשר לא יקריבו ממנה קרבן לה' והעמיד את הבהמה לפני הכהן:
When any person (other than the one who consecrated the animal) wishes to redeem the animal, then a Kohen evaluates the animal.
יב: והעריך הכהן אתה בין טוב ובין רע כערכך הכהן כן יהיה
If the one who consecrated the animal, now wishes to redeem the animal, then must add a “fifth” to its valuation.
יג: ואם גאל יגאלנה ויסף חמישתו על ערכך
In our common usage, when we refer to adding a fifth, we mean adding 20% more. However, the Rabbis explain that when the Torah uses the concept of a “fifth”, they mean a different concept, מלבר (from the outside), meaning a “fifth” from the final result. Thus, one takes the original amount, divides it into 4 parts, and then, adds a “fifth” part. If one has 4 items, and needs to add a “fifth”, one would add an additional item, making a total of 5. The added amount is a “fifth” of the result (or 25% of the original).
When Yovel was in force, if one wanted to redeem an ancestral field that he consecrated to the Temple, would value the field based on the Torah's set price of 50 shekel of silver for the area of "the sowing of a homer of barley" (and not the prevailing prices of real estate). 50 Shekels is the business capital required for a person’s livelihood; barley is the lowest-valued item of human consumption.
יד: אם משנת היבל יקדיש שדהו כערכך יקום
טז: ואם משדה אחזתו יקדיש איש לה' והיה ערכך לפי זרעו זרע חמר שערים בחמשים שקל כסף
The Torah draws a distinction between a field consecrated from the Yovel year (משנת) which is redeemed at the full 50-sela valuation; and one consecrated after the Yovel (אחר היובל) in verse 18, which is redeemed at a proportionally reduced price. (וחשב על פי השנים) The Torah implies that the time left until Yovel must be reckoned in terms of complete years.
יז: אם משנת היבל יקדיש שדהו כערכך יקום
יח :ואם אחר היבל יקדיש שדהו וחשב לו הכהן את הכסף על פי השנים הנותרת עד שנת היבל ונגרע מערכך
אחזתו (his ancestral home) does not mean the original consecrator (as the simple reading of the verse) but to the Kohen’s own ancestral field inherited from his father. Thus, the verse means that the Kohen shall redeem his own ancestral home but another person’s ancestral field that the Kohen redeemed shall not be his to keep, but should be divided among the Kohanim of that Mishmar.
יט: ואם גאל יגאל את השדה המקדיש אתו ויסף חמשית כסף ערכך עליו וקם לו
כ: ואם לא יגאל את השדה ואם מכר את השדה לאיש אחר לא יגאל עוד
כא: והיה השדה בצאתו ביבל קדש לה' כשדה החרם לכהן תהיה אחזתו
The chomer (or kor) is a measure of volume equivalent to 30 seah (approximately 67-120 gallons). The space in which this volume of barley seed can be planted is known as a beis kor, which is equal to the area of 75,000 square amos. The Torah gives the size of the Courtyard of the Mishkan (50X100 amos, or 5,000 square amos). The Sages determined that this area was fit for sowing two seah of barley seed (Eruvin 23b). Since a kor equals 30 seah the area needed for sowing a kor is 15 X 5000 amos or 75,000 square amos (equivalent to between 4.2 to 6.3 acres).
Redemption value is determined only by the price in that place and at that time, even if the object would fetch a higher price at a later date and/or at another place.
כב: ואם את שדה מקנתו אשר לא משדה אחזתו יקדיש לה'
כג: וחשב לו הכהן את מכסת הערכך עד שנת היבל ונתן את הערכך ביום ההוא קדש לה'
כד: בשנת היובל ישוב השדה לאשר קנהו מאתו לאשר לו אחזת הארץ
Every valuation is paid in holy shekel and a shekel is the minimum. A full shekel = 4 zuz = 20 maneh (or twenty Geirah of the Torah).
כה: וכל ערכך יהיה בשקל הקדש עשרים גרה יהיה השקל
For other valuations (such as an animal or a house) the Torah does not make a reference to shekels; therefore a minimum for such other valuations can be as little as a Perutah (768 perutos in a shekel).
The word הוא indicates a limitation. A Bechor (first-born animal) can be offered as a Korban’ but not it’s Temurah (substitution). This is unlike other Temuros that can be offered as a Korban.
כו: אך בכור אשר יבכר לה ' בבהמה לא יקדיש איש אתו אם שור אם שה לה' הוא:
