The last possuk in Behar is a repeat of the verse in
Kedoshim (19:30) את
שבתתי תשמרו ומקדשי תיראו אני ה'. Why does the possuk have to be
repeated? The Ramban understands that
the verse is said specifically in regard to the slave of the gentile to tell us
he is obligated in Shabbot and aliyah laregel and we learn out from there
to all mitzvot. This follows in the path
of Rashi that brings this interpretation from the Torat Kohanim (however, it is
noteworthy that Rashi omits the part of mikdash.)
The Sforno understands that it isn’t just a teaching for a
slave to a gentile, it is a message to the body of Klal Yisroel in exile. Even though Shabbot is a symbol of our
freedom and we are under the jurisdiction of the gentiles, we still must keep
it. The message of מקדשי תיראו is to respect the
shuls and study halls in the exile.
A third approach is set forth by the Even Ezra and Chizkuni
that שבתתי
refers to the שמיטה years and מקדשי
refers to the year of יובל. This interpretation is difficult for why would
יובל
be called מקדש
and why would this be written at the end of the parsha and not immediately
after the laws of shmittah and yovel?
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