BH
Every seventh year, it is forbidden to plow and harvest the land as usual. Instead, the land is left hefker, meaning free for all. Everyone is allowed to eat from the produce, and you are not allowed to act like a ba’al habayit (landowner). As Rashi explains, during the sabbatical year, you should not behave as if you own the land or have any advantage over others regarding its produce.
The purpose of this is to remind every Jew that the land is not theirs. You work the land for six years, and the seventh year is meant to remind you that everything belongs to Hashem, and you are dependent on Him. The famous question then arises: what do you eat during this year? Hashem answers, “veTziviti et birchati,” meaning “I will command my blessing in the sixth year,” ensuring an abundance of produce to cover even the seventh year.
Rashi also points out that during the Jubilee year, the 50th year, which is also a sabbatical, the sixth year must produce enough for both the seventh year (the 49th year of the seven-year cycle) and the 50th year, the Jubilee. The Torah, along with Rashi’s commentary, emphasizes the severe punishment for not keeping the laws of Shemittah. Rashi explains that because the Jews did not observe Shemittah, they were exiled from the land. The 70 years of exile between the first destruction and the rebuilding of the second temple were a punishment for the 70 Shemittah years not observed over 490 years.
This raises two questions. First, why didn’t the Jews observe Shemittah? Second, why is the punishment for not observing it so severe? Galut (exile) is the consequence of not observing Shemittah. There are other mitzvahs in the Torah that do not result in exile if not observed, yet for Shemittah, the punishment is clearly exile. Why is the failure to let the land rest on the seventh year considered so severe that it results in exile?
We need to look at things in perspective. Imagine a Jew working for six years, plowing the land of Israel. This law applies only in Eretz Yisroel, highlighting the greatness of the land and its produce. The fruits of the Holy Land possess a unique dimension of holiness, power, and energy. This special status is reflected in the blessings for the seven fruits of the Holy Land. The brachot for wine, grapes, figs, dates, pomegranates, and olives from Eretz Yisroel have a different ending, acknowledging their special status.
The sabbatical cycle of six years leading to the seventh, and ultimately the Jubilee, underscores the distinctiveness of working the land in the Holy Land. The aim is to absorb a level of spirituality unavailable in the diaspora, reaching endless levels of holiness. Eretz Yisroel is exceptionally special. The Tcheriner Rav, Rav Nachman Goldstein, a prominent Breslover and disciple of Reb Noson, wrote a commentary on Likutey Moharan called Zimrat Ha'Aretz. In his commentary on Lesson 24, he explains that the Holy Land is a place where a Jew can connect to the Infinite Light more effectively than anywhere else.
When Jews work the land and consume its produce, the spirituality and energy generated are meant to elevate them to the highest levels of spirituality, enabling them to perceive the Infinite Light. However, as Rebbe Nachman teaches in Lesson 24, reaching the highest levels of spirituality involves a process. This process includes a momentum of spiritual ascent followed by a setback, referred to as “batash”.
When a person is pushed backward and accepts it properly, they build the capacity to receive the light. This is a crucial life lesson: to advance spiritually, one must face setbacks and know how to accept them with joy (simcha). This pushback provides a glimpse of what lies beyond. If you accept the process with simcha, you become capable of receiving the light.
In the sabbatical cycle, you have six years of working the land, developing produce, and connecting to the spiritual dimension within the Holy Land and its fruit. However, to truly experience that spiritual light, you must observe the seventh year. The seventh year means no more work; you have to stop and learn patience. This was a significant test for the Jews during the time of the first temple.
Imagine the immense energy, light, and holiness present during the first temple period. It’s puzzling how Jews of such high stature could fail to observe Shemittah for 70 cycles—seven times 70 years. How could they not keep Shemittah?
The issue was that after six years of reaping and harvesting the Holy Land’s crops, the spiritual high was so intense that it was challenging to stop in the seventh year. The high from those six years made it incredibly difficult to stop and do nothing. Imagine being on a roll, experiencing a high, and then being told to stop. People naturally resist stopping when they are on a roll.
This difficulty persists in today’s society. People are constantly on the go, overexerted, and overly nervous. They don’t know how to relax, calm down, and wait to reach the next level. The seventh year teaches the importance of stopping and not harvesting the land. If you don’t stop, you’ll eventually crash.
To understand why not observing Shemittah results in such a severe punishment like exile, we need to consider the process. The normal procedure in the Holy Land involves working the land for six years and stopping in the seventh year to absorb the Infinite Light contained within Eretz Yisroel. If you can’t follow this process, you don’t deserve to be in the Holy Land. The land will spit you out because its holiness is meant for those willing to meet the conditions to access the Infinite Light. If you fail to do so, you are expelled from the land.
The Shemittah, the sabbatical year, and the Jubilee, the 50th year, represent cycles of spiritual development. The number 50 symbolizes the highest level, the Keter. In a seven-year cycle, six years of work lead to a level of development, and the seventh year tests one’s patience and ability to stay put. After completing seven cycles, you reach the 50th year, which is a bigger test requiring waiting for two years to connect to the higher level of Infinite Light found in the 50th gate.
This is the essence of the mitzvah of Shemittah and the reason for its severe punishment if not observed.
This year, after reading the laws of Shemittah on Shabbat Parshat Behar, we observe Lag Ba’Omer, the holy day of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai’s passing. How is Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai connected to the theme of observing and not observing Shemittah?
In the next week’s Parsha, Bechukotai, the punishment for not observing the Jubilee is listed. The verses state that once the Jews are exiled, the land will finally rest for all the Shemittah and Jubilee cycles that were not observed. While the Jews are in exile and the land lies barren and unworked, it can take its needed rest.
After describing the punishments and the exile, Hashem says in Parshat Bechukotai, “V’af gam zot biyotam be’eretz oyveyhem lo me’astim ve’lo ge’altim lechalotam ki ani Hashem elokichem – Even while the Jews are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or become disgusted with them to the point of destroying them, for I am Hashem, their God.”
Hashem assures that despite the Jews being in exile, He will not be disgusted with them. He will not be “ma’us” (disgusted) or “ge’ala” (sickened) by them to the point of deciding to destroy them. Even when the Jews have fallen low, with assimilation and lack of Torah observance, Hashem promises not to destroy them out of disgust.
The word “ge’altim (געלתים),” which means to be really sickened and disgusted by someone, adds up to a gematria of 553. This is incredible: “Shimon ben Yochai” also adds up to 553!
What’s the significance of this? Hashem says that even though the Jews will be in exile and punished for not keeping Shemittah, He won’t destroy them. Why? Because of tzaddikim like Rebbi Shimon ben Yochai, whose gematria matches “ge’altim.” When the attribute of judgment demands justice and the destruction of the Jews, Hashem says, “I won’t destroy them.”
He will not be “ge’altim” (disgusted) to the point of destroying them. This restraint is due to the merit of tzaddikim like Shimon ben Yochai, who counterbalance any disgust Hashem might have. Their merit keeps Hashem, so to speak, in check, preventing the destruction of the Jewish people.
Thus, the power of Shemittah teaches people how to advance spiritually and then how to stop and wait. When people fail to stop and then crash, resulting in exile, punishment, and suffering, what can they do? We have the tzaddikim, like Rebbi Shimon ben Yochai, whose gematria matches “ge’altim.” These tzaddikim counter any disgust and frustration Hashem might feel towards us. Their merit protects us even in exile. Hashem says, “Lo me’astim, lo ge’altim,” He won’t be disgusted and fed up with the Jewish people to the point of destroying them. This is due to the merit of tzaddikim like Rebbi Shimon ben Yochai.
We should strive to learn how to prepare for living in the Holy Land, mastering the Shemittah’s lessons. This involves knowing how to advance—working and harvesting the land—while also knowing how to stop and rest in the seventh year. This concept applies to daily struggles and spiritual highs. When you experience a high and then face a crash or waiting period, you need to avoid a complete breakdown. You’re expected to wait, handle the situation, get back on your feet, and continue.
Most people crash totally because they didn’t advance properly. They forget humility and thankfulness, thinking they are on top of the world, which leads to a loss of perspective and a crash. However, when Hashem grants someone light to advance, they should become even more humble, thanking Hashem and recognizing their undeserving nature. By doing this, they can handle the withdrawal of light and avoid a complete crash. Even if they do fall, it’s momentary. They know how to get up and start fresh.
In the merit of tzaddikim like Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, we should have the ability to handle this light and meet the conditions needed to live in the Holy Land. This will help us perceive the Infinite Light within the Holy Land and become vessels to receive the coming of Mashiach, Amen.
This article also appears on the BRI breslov.org website: https://breslov.org/the-restraint-of-shemittah/
For a video presentation of this article: https://youtu.be/VminCXp-pfU?si=r6SuNZ-A0TRnM9Ox
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To help a family from Jerusalem get to within 4 parasangs of Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai's grave in Meron on Lag BaOmer and mentioning your name there, please follow this link. Tizku LeMitzvot.
Shabbat Shalom
Meir Elkabas
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