DEUT709 At the end of the Shemitah Year release debts owed to you. On the Shemitah Year, in the capital and of Israel, we do not plow, plant or do any other agricultural work (See [[EXOD882]] Exodus 23:11 rest CHINUCH 36). In effect we let go of our mastery over the land. For the same reason, at the close of the Shemitah Year, we relinquish our claim over outstanding debts of loaned money. The mitzvah instills in us the positive traits of graciousness and benevolence, and it teaches us to put all of our trust in Hashem. Having acquired such positive traits, we become worthy to receive His abundant blessings. In addition, the mitzvah helps us to build a strong, iron wall that will keep us away from stealing or coveting anything that belongs to a fellow Jew. We say, “If the Torah tells me that because of a Divine command, I cannot collect my own money that I loaned to a fellow Jew, then certainly I cannot steal or covet what is his, for there I have no legitimate claim whatever.” You will not even think of stealing or coveting.

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DEUT726 Do not refrain from helping the poor. Whenever you have the means and the opportunity, do not hold yourself back from giving charity and performing kindness for unfortunate fellow Jews, and your relatives are your first priority. The Torah commands us not to allow ourselves to be ruled by stinginess. Rather, we must instill into our hearts the positive traits of mercy and benevolence, never worrying that our giving will cause financial loss. Our benevolence towards fellow Jews will bring us blessing from Hashem, and His blessings are much more valuable than any sum of money in our position. See [[EXOD709]] Exodus 22:24 lend CHINUCH 43-4.

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DEUT744 Give charity to the needy. Give to the needy, happily and with a glad heart. One should feel gratified that his money is going to relieve the suffering of an unfortunate fellow Jew. We must help and strengthen the poor in every way possible, so that they have sufficient food and all of their other vital needs. See [[EXOD709]] Exodus 22:24 lend CHINUCH 43-4.

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DEUT770 Do not refrain from lending money at the approach of the Shemitah year. Key concepts: Instill into our hearts positive traits of mercy and benevolence, and distance us from stinginess. Nothing does more to promote these goals than to lend one's money to the poor close to the Shemitah year, knowing full well that the loan might never be repaid. All who know very little about the ways of the Torah realize that when a Jew gives money for such needs, he winds up with more money, and if he refrains from such acts of kindness he only loses. As is known, Hashem judges a person according to his deeds, and He bestows His blessing upon him according to the degree that person is benevolent towards others. If a person acquires the trait of stinginess, it throws up an iron wall between him and blessing from Heaven.

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DEUT815 Do not send away your Jewish servant empty-handed. When the time comes to free a Jewish servant, for you have benefited from his work for six years, do not send him away from you empty handed. Rather, as stipulated in [Deuteronomy 15:14 means CHINUCH 312-3], outfit him with goods and articles that will enable him to make a new start for himself.

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DEUT820 Send your Jewish servant into freedom with means to make a new start. When a Jewish servant goes free after working for us, we must take of our wealth and give it to him so that as he again enters independent life, he has the wherewithal to make a new start. … Key concept is to help us acquire positive and treasured character traits, for thereby we will merit Heaven's blessings. Wanting to bestow good upon His nation, Hashem desires that we show mercy on the Jewish servant who has worked for us. When the servant goes free, we give him of our own wealth, as a matter of charity.

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DEUT842 Appoint judges and law enforcement officers. Obviously, when fear and respect for authority is in the hearts of the masses, our way of life will flourish, for after a person becomes accustomed to fulfilling the Torah out of fear, he eventually will fulfill it with love. Initially, one does what is virtuous and right mainly out of fear of punishment, but having done so for an extended period of time, one’s motivation changes, and one acts as he should out of love for the truth. When we reach this level, Heaven's blessings cling to us. Today, too, although we no longer have judges who have semichah (i.e., “ordination”), every Jewish community is obligated to choose virtuous members of their congregation and authorized them to make important decisions for the sake of fulfilling the Torah and its mitzvos. These individuals are to keep the members of the community from any sort of improper behavior. Vested with the power to force compliance to their decisions, they must take great pains to perfect their own behavior, so that they will serve as shining examples for everyone else. They also must be willing to sacrifice personal pleasures and instead concentrate on benefiting the community, teaching the people to live in peace with one another and always follow the path of truth.

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DEUT878 Hearken to the Jewish courts and to the acknowledged Torah authorities of your generation. Regarding all matters of the Torah, listen to the Bes Din Hagadol and obey their rulings. This applies to decisions that they reach through their own reasoning or through applying the rules that Hashem gave us for deriving information from the Torah text. So, too, if the Bes Din Hagadol teaches us something that involves the secret wisdom of the Torah, we are obligated to accept it and act accordingly. Included in this precept is the obligation on each individual to hearken to the acknowledged Torah authorities of his day. He who fails to do so violates a positive commandment of the Torah and his punishment is very great, for this requirement is a central pillar upon which the Torah depends in every generation. See [[EXOD778]] Exodus 23:2 majority CHINUCH 52-3.

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DEUT879 Do not deviate from the words of the Torah authorities of your generation. People's ideas, outlooks and ways of thinking differ greatly, and the areas of disagreement are countless. Regarding many matters, never will there be a meeting of the minds. Hashem knew that if each individual would be allowed to interpret the Torah according to his way of thinking, the number of disputes would be so great, it would create an impossible situation. For this reason, He commands us to listen to and not swerve from the teachings of our Sages, for they received the true interpretation of the Torah orally and passed it onwards to the next generation, so that it would be preserved. Similarly, He commands us to not swerve from the teachings of the greatest Torah luminaries of each generation, for they possess the true tradition as to what the Torah means, having learned it from their predecessors. When new issues arise and it is necessary to determine the Torah ruling on the matter, these luminaries toil over the questions day and night, drawing upon their deep and expansive knowledge of the Torah and the teachings of their predecessors. Thereby, they arrive at the truth. By accepting their decisions, we will understand and fulfill the Torah properly. If we do otherwise, following our own weak minds and relying upon our sparse knowledge of the Torah, we will dismally fail on every front. In fact, say our Sages, even if the leading Torah scholars of the generation say that left is right and right is left, we are forbidden to deviate from their teachings, or even if they are mistaken about any particular issue, it is counter-productive to dispute them. Better to adhere to their mistaken ruling in one matter and leave the entire Torah to them to interpret as they see it. Better that than to leave each individual to interpret the Torah as he sees it, for that scenario would spell immediate ruin for our whole way of life. The task of determining the true meaning of the Torah must be left to our nation's wise men. In addition, when they meet to decide such matters, they are commanded to follow the decision of the majority.

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DEUT891 Appoint a Jewish king over yourselves. Key concept is the benefit that accrues to the nation when one man rules and manages national affairs. (See Deuteronomy 17:15 non-Jewish CHINUCH 323. Without a king, the people are much less able to live in peace and harmony with one another.

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