In this week’s parsha we are introduced to a mitzvah that is unique to the land of Israel, the mitzvah of "Shmitta." "When you come to the land that I am giving you, the land must be given a rest period, a Sabbath to G-d.
For six years you may plant your fields, prune your vineyards, and harvest your crops, but the seventh year is a Sabbath of Sabbaths for the land. It is G-d’s Sabbath during which you may not plant your fields, nor prune your vineyards. (Vayikra 25:2-5).
The sabbatical year of Shmitta is called a "Shabbat," and indeed, just as Shabbat is a day of rest after six weekdays, Shmitta is a year of rest after six years of work. But the physical need for rest cannot be the only commonality between Shabbat and Shmitta. In biblical Hebrew a name is more than an arbitrary word tagged on for convenience. It is the spiritual description and definition of the object. If the Torah calls Shmitta a “Shabbat” then Shmitta and Shabbat must share a common meaning and purpose. Indeed, Shabbat and Shmitta both inspire faith. They remind us that G-d created this world and it is He who blesses us with life. Shabbat and Shmitta offer us an opportunity to express our faith in G-d in a very real way. It is far wiser to take some time off to appreciate G-d and count our blessings than to live like an obsessed workaholic that has forgotten who the real provider is.
No matter where in the world you are, the seventh day of the week is Shabbat. Shmitta, however, exists only in the land of Israel. The Holy Land is G-d's palace and life there demands a higher level of G-d-consciousness. Israel was therefore designed by G-d to provide us with the sabbatical year, a time to focus on the Creator and His Torah. It is an extra year of "Shabbat" for the Jew in Israel - a gift of the land to its people.
The mitzvah of Shmitta is followed by the mitzvah of Yovel, the Jubilee year. "You shall count seven sabbatical years, that is, seven times seven. The period of the seven sabbatical cycles shall thus be 49 years … You shall sanctify the fiftieth year, declaring in the land an emancipation [of slaves] for the entire populace. This is your jubilee year, when each man shall return to his hereditary property and to his family" (25:8,10). The Talmud makes a drasha (a reading of the text based on tradition): "‘declaring in the land an emancipation [of slaves] for the entire populace’, [that is,] at a time when the entire populace is there" (Erchin 32b). In other words, the Jubilee year will only go into effect if the Jewish people are living in the land of Israel. If they are not, then there is no Yovel. The Rambam (Maimonides 1135-1204), along with the majority of commentators, understands that this is true for the previously stated mitzvah of Shmitta as well. There is no sabbatical year if the Jewish people are not dwelling in Israel (Laws of Shmitta and Yovel 10:8-9). This is understood to mean a majority of the world Jewish population. Unfortunately, at present, only about a third of the world’s Jews reside in Israel. (Although it is true that there is no biblical mitzvah of Shmitta today, there is a rabbinic decree obligating the observance of Shmitta even in the absence of the majority of the Jewish people.)
It turns out that as much as the Jew needs Israel, Israel needs the Jew. The Jewish soul thirsts for the Shabbat of Shmitta that only the land of Israel can provide, but the land can only generate the laws of Shmitta when the Jews are there. It is a true symbiotic relationship. On Friday nights we sing in the Kabbalat Shabbat service, "Come my beloved to greet the bride, let us welcome the presence of Shabbat." Shabbat is our bride, the queen of the Jewish nation. Very poetic, but what does it mean? It means that our relationship with the Shabbat is like a good marriage. We are in love, and we depend on each other. Shabbat brings out the best in us. We can't imagine life without it.
The same can be said about the relationship between the Jew and his land. The spiritual reality is that we were made for each other. When together, the Jew elevates the land and the land elevates the Jew. May we merit to see peace in Israel and a complete return of G-d’s Presence and the Jewish people to their land. Amen.
