Purpose of Shemittah

Exegetical Approaches

This page has not yet undergone editorial review

Overview

When delving into the purpose of the commandments related to the Sabbatical Year, many commentators focus on either the account in Vayikra or those in Shemot and Devarim, and reinterpret one text in light of the other. Thus, many understand from Vayikra 25 that Shemittah comes to teach the people about the sovereignty of Hashem and to trust in Him to provide for their needs.  In contrast, Tzeror HaMor and others, drawing on Shemot 23, interpret all the laws as serving to promote social welfare and equality.  The Rambam offers a third possibility, that the law is utilitarian, offering practical advice as to how to best care for the land.  As none of these possibilities are mutually exclusive, it is possible that all three reasons together explain the commandment.

Recognition of Hashem

The Shemittah year reminds the nation of God's sovereignty and providence, makes them aware of their dependence upon Him, and requires a display of faith in Hashem.

Sources:Sifra25:426:34About the Sifra Vayikra, Bavli SanhedrinSanhedrin 39aAbout the Bavli, Ibn EzraLong Commentary Shemot 20:8Devarim 31:10Short Commentary Shemot 31:13About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorVayikra 25:2Devarim 31:10About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, RambanVayikra 25:2About R. Moshe b. Nachman, Sefer HaChinnukhSefer HaChinnukh Mitzvah 84 (69), Akeidat YitzchakVayikra 69About R. Yitzchak Arama, AbarbanelVayikra 25:2-7About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, Keli YekarVayikra 25:2About R. Shelomo Ephraim Lunshitz, R. S"R HirschShemot 23:10-11About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch,¹ R. D"Z HoffmannVayikra 25:1-2About R. David Zvi Hoffmann

"שַׁבָּת לַה'‏" – This position is grounded in the verses in Vayikra 25 which describe the Sabbatical Year as a Shabbat for Hashem specifically.²

Comparison to Shabbat – Many of these commentators³ point to the numerous parallels between the description of the Shemittah year and Shabbat, concluding that both serve as a reminder that Hashem created the world⁴ and that He is sovereign over it⁵ and all mankind:

• Name – Both Shabbat Bereshit and the Shemittah year are referred to as a  "Shabbat".⁶
• Cycles of seven – Each of Shabbat and Shemittah revolve around cycles of seven, in which the first six units of time are devoted to labor (particularly, working the land) and the seventh to abstaining from it.
• Rest for all – Both commandments emphasize the resting of the "slave and maidservant".
• Extra on the sixth – Shadal notes that just as the Israelites received a double portion of manna on the sixth day of the week in anticipation of Shabbat, so too Hashem promises that the land will produce enough in the sixth year⁷ to sustain the nation through the Shemittah year.⁸
• Juxtaposition – In Shemot 23, the two commandments follow one another, reinforcing their connection.

Break from work – All of these sources suggest that refraining from tilling the land leads to a recognition of Hashem.  They differ, though, in the their understanding of the process:

• Time for Torah study – Ibn Ezra and R. Yosef Bekhor Shor⁹ emphasize that the break from work serves a practical function, giving people the time to delve into Hashem's Torah and devote themselves to Him.¹⁰
• Dependence on Hashem – According to the Sefer HaChinnukh, the Akeidat Yitzchak, and the Keli Yekar, the lack of work teaches that it is not by man's strength alone that he succeeds, but rather due to God.  To abstain from sowing requires extraordinary trust in Hashem, and deepens one's dependence upon and faith in Him.¹¹
• Land belongs to Hashem – The Keli Yekar and R. Hirsch points out that in refraining from work, people in effect relinquish their ownership on the land.  This helps them recognize that they are mere renters from their "landlord", Hashem.¹² Abarbanel similarly suggests that in imitating God's resting, we proclaim Him as Creator and owner of all.  R. D"Z Hoffmann adds that the knowledge that the land belongs to Hashem should bring the nation to an awareness of the land's holiness and the proper conduct that such holiness requires.
• Slaves to Hashem, not the land – The Sefer HaChinnukh and Akeidat Yitzchak assert that the Sabbatical Year is meant to prevent materialism and becoming enslaved to the land and work.  Life should not be spent in pursuit of riches, but rather striving to follow the will of Hashem.

Produce free for the taking – This position focuses less on this aspect of Shemittah, but could find in it many of the lessons mentioned above.  In leaving one's produce for all to partake, one remembers that it is God rather than man who owns everything.  By sharing with all, one is also forced to suffice with less and not succumb to materialistic desires. Finally, in relinquishing one's crops and in sharing them equally with the poor, one recognizes that all of mankind is equally dependent on Hashem for sustenance.

Forgiving of loans – This approach might suggest that the canceling of all loans further highlights that all of one's possessions ultimately belong to Hashem.¹³

Punishment of exile

• Ramban asserts that in not observing Shemittah one is in effect denying that Hashem created the world.  Denying such a fundamental belief deserves harsh punishment.¹⁴
• The choice of exile specifically might be seen as a measure for measure punishment.  If man assumes that he, rather than God, is the true owner of the land, he needs to be expelled from it in order to learn his proper place.
• R. D"Z Hoffmann adds that the holiness of Hashem's land requires its inhabitants to lead similarly holy lives. The land cannot bear a corrupt society, and thus as soon as the people begin to disdain the laws of Shemittah it will spit them out.
• Due to the difficulties inherent in their observance,¹⁵ Shemittah and Yovel in effect serve as a litmus test of whether the nation believes in Hashem and is observing His commandments.

Blessing of the sixth year – While most commentators assume that the blessing involves increased production in the sixth year (see Nature of the Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce), the Keli Yekar suggests that the same quantity is harvested as in a regular year, and the blessing is rather that the produce lasts for an extra year.  According to him, observing Shemittah is an even more demanding test of faith, as the nation does not even receive and see a double portion beforehand, but must totally trust that Hashem will make the regular produce of the sixth year go further.  This, he suggests, is similar to the test of the manna in which the Children of Israel could not save for the long term, but needed to have faith that Hashem would continue to provide for them.

Relationship to the Jubilee Year – This position suggests that the Jubilee Year, like Shemittah, brings the nation to recognition of Hashem.¹⁶  Land is returned to original owners not simply for social concerns, but to teach the nation that all land really belongs to Hashem ("כִּי לִי הָאָרֶץ").  The Keli Yekar adds that having two years in a row in which one must abstain from working the land provides one of the greatest lessons in trusting Hashem.

Parallel Commandments – Many other commandments have been understood to have a similar purpose. For instance, the bringing of first fruits and animals reinforces that all belongs to Hashem, while sitting in Sukkot reminds the people of God's constant providence during the wilderness years.¹⁷

Social Justice

The commandment comes to teach people to have mercy on those who are less fortunate and to emphasize the equality of all mankind before Hashem.

Sources:RashiVayikra 25:2,6About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, Rambam #1Moreh Nevukhim 3:39About R. Moshe b. Maimon, Tzeror HaMorTzeror HaMor Vayikra 25About R. Avraham Saba (Tzeror HaMor), ShadalVayikra 25:2About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto, R. S"R HirschShemot 23:10-11About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch¹⁸

"וְאָכְלוּ אֶבְיֹנֵי עַמֶּךָ" – This position focuses on the sharing of one's produce with the poor and needy, as emphasized in Shemot 23.

Context – The verses that precede the commandment in Shemot similarly highlight the less fortunate, adjuring one not to oppress the foreigner.

Break from work

• Lesson in empathy – R"A Saba suggests that normally the wealthy are complacent in the knowledge that they are well provided for, and rarely think of those who do not share this security.  In the Shemittah year, when the rich are forced to abstain from working the land, they learn what it feels like to worry about providing for their families.  This teaches them to empathize with the poor and to care for them, not only during the Shemittah year, but all the time.¹⁹
• Equalizer – Shadal points to the equalizing aspect of having both rich and poor together refrain from work. When everyone rests together, the lines that separate the classes are blurred.

Produce free for the taking

• Equate rich and poor – Shadal asserts that by forsaking one's produce, the socio-economic differences between rich and poor are reduced.  For one year, all have the same rights to the crops in the field and all go together to collect their food. 
• Help the poor with dignity – R. Hirsch suggests that the Shemittah year allows the poor to obtain food with dignity.  They are normally at the mercy of those wealthier than they, but now they can partake of produce without having to beg for it.

Forgiving of loans – The forgiving of loans plays the same equalizing role in an industrial society that forsaking of crops does in an agricultural one.  In addition, in a sabbatical year, where the poor might be harder hit than the rich, cancellation of loans might be particularly helpful.

Freeing of Slaves – R. Yosef Bekhor Shor understands the commandment to free slaves in the seventh year ("וּבַשְּׁבִעִת יֵצֵא לַחָפְשִׁי") to refer to the Sabbatical Year rather than the seventh year after buying the slave.  If so, this granting of freedom promotes another aspect of social equality.

Comparison to Shabbat – Shadal, like many of the commentators above, notes the many parallels between the commandments of Shabbat and Shemittah.²⁰ He asserts that both serve to remind man that all are equal.

Relationship to the Jubilee Year – These commentators view the two commandments as working together and sharing the same goal.  The returning of land and freeing of slaves²¹ in the Jubilee Year also serves to further social equality and care for the unfortunate.²²

Punishment of exile – Exile and destruction as punishment for taking advantage of the poor and enslaved is attested to elsewhere as well.  In Yirmeyahu 34, the prophet tells the nation that they will be killed by sword and plague and be taken to Babylonia for refusing to free their slaves in the seventh year.²³

Capitalism versus socialism – Ze'ev Jabotinsky notes that the seven year Shemittah cycle and the Jubilee Year combine elements of both capitalism and socialism, allowing for checks and balances between the two systems.  For six years a free market economy allows for growth and competition, while the seventh year tries to ensure that the pitfalls of such a system, i.e. big gaps between the rich and poor, are avoided.²⁴

Caring for the Land

Shemittah serves a practical function in keeping the land healthy and capable of bearing fruit.

Sources:PhiloThe Special Laws IV 215About Philo, Rambam #2Moreh Nevukhim 3:39About R. Moshe b. Maimon²⁵

"שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן יִהְיֶה לָאָרֶץ" – This approach emphasizes that Shemittah is a sabbatical year, not for Hashem or the nation, but for the land itself, as expressed in the verses in Vayikra 25 which speak of the year as a "שַׁבָּתוֹן... לָאָרֶץ".

Break from work – The ceasing from work serves a purely utilitarian function, to give the land time to rest and replenish its nutrients so that it can better produce in the future.

Produce free for the taking – This law might be viewed as a practical solution to the lack of food caused by not working the land.  Everyone is entitled to take of the produce that grew, ensuring that all have what to eat.

Forgiving of loans – This law, too, is a practical one.  During the Shemittah year, the poor might be more hard-pressed than usual, and so a special dispensation is made to cancel their loans.

Punishment of exile – The Akeidat Yitzchak, Abarbanel, and the Keli Yekar point out that the many warnings regarding the importance of Shemittah as well as the harsh punishment for its violators argue against the possibility that it was instituted solely for practical reasons.  One would have thought that the land's lack of production itself would have been the offender's punishment rather than exile.

Are Hashem's commandments simply practical advice? This is not the only commandment that has been understood to be instituted for utilitarian purposes. The laws surrounding both kashrut²⁶ and leprosy²⁷ have been connected to promoting health, and the incense offering has been understood as a deodorizer to rid the Tabernacle of the odors of burnt animals and blood.²⁸

¹ R. Hirsch connects this reason with that of social justice below. He maintains that a recognition of Hashem's sovereignty leads to a certain humility. This itself teaches one to care for the other, as one understands that we are all equal before God.

² Since it is difficult to explain that Hashem somehow needs the Sabbatical Year, this verse is construed to be emphasizing that the commandment is integrally connected to recognizing God.

³ See Sifra, Ibn Ezra, Ramban, Akeidat Yitzchak, and Abarbanel.  Cf. Shadal below who also elaborates on the many parallels, but focuses on how they serve to inculcate social equality rather than Hashem's role as creator.

⁴ By Shabbat, the verse says explicitly, "כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה ה' אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ".

⁵ Note, too, Hashem's words in Vayikra 25:23, "כִּי לִי הָאָרֶץ".

⁶ In Vayikra 25, the root "שבת" appears seven times in the context of the Shemittah year.

⁷ See Duration of the Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce for a discussion of whether double or triple quantity is produced in the sixth year.  However, see below that according to the Keli Yekar, the sixth year's produce is not greater in quantity, but rather lasts longer.  This would reduce the power of the parallel to the sixth day and Shabbat of the manna.

⁸ See also the interpretation found in MS Munich 50 which points out that both Shabbat and Shemittah are especially blessed so that observing them will not entail financial loss.

⁹ R"Y Bekhor Shor is less explicit, but suggests this in his discussion of why the mizvah of "הקהל" takes place in the Shemittah year. As opposed to other commentators, both he and Ibn Ezra maintain that the commandment of "הקהל", in which the entire nation gathers to hear the Torah read, takes place not at the end of the Shemittah year, but at the beginning. This time was chosen specifically because the nation, not allowed to work the land, was available and capable of making the trek to Yerushalayim to learn Torah.

¹⁰ See Netziv Devarim 14:23 who explains the commandment of Ma'aser Sheni as having a similar purpose. He suggests that when individuals bring their tithe of produce to Yerushalayim, by necessity, they stay there for a prolonged period until it is finished. Hashem purposely dictated this so that the people would spend their free time learning in Yerushalayim.

¹¹ See below that the Keli Yekar compares this aspect of Shemittah to the miracle of manna.  Having no food in the wilderness except for manna taught the nation to always look to God as their source of sustenance.  So, too, in the Shemittah year one is forced to rely on Hashem to provide.

¹² See the Sifra and Bavli who similarly explain that Hashem commanded all to abstain from working the land, "שתדעו שהארץ שלי היא".

¹³ According to the Akeidat YItzchak, this also serves to remove one from materialism.

¹⁴ See also the Keli Yekar who explains that not observing Shemittah reflects a lack of faith in Hashem that He will provide.

¹⁵ Especially for a heavily agrarian based society, these mitzvot may be the most difficult of all to observe.

¹⁶ R. D"Z Hoffmann disagrees and maintains that the two commandments have different goals. Shemittah is related to recognition of Hashem's ownership over the land its ensuing holiness, while the Jubilee Year comes to educate man towards humility, that he should never take pride in his own possessions.

¹⁷ The harvest season was likely chosen as the time to commemorate this because the message is particularly pertinent then.  As farmers gather their produce they need to be reminded that it is Hashem who provides for them.
The Omer sacrifice might play a similar role during the reaping season.  It might be a commemoration of the manna, aimed at preventing the nation from attributing their agricultural successes to themselves alone.  See MiMachorat HaShabbat for elaboration.

¹⁸ See above that R. Hirsch also emphasizes how the Sabbatical Year attests to Hashem's ownership of all.

¹⁹ See R. Hirsch similarly. He points out that as man becomes dependent on God in the Shemittah year, he loses some of his self-pride and is thus able to rid himself of heartlessness towards the unfortunate.

²⁰ See the examples listed above.

²¹ See above that R"Y Bekhor Shor assumes that there is a similar freeing of slaves every Shemittah year, making the two institutions very parallel.  According to him, in the Jubilee Year only the slaves that had asked to stay on with their owners beyond their initial tenure are freed. [All others would have been released in the previous year (as that was a Sabbatical year).]

²² Shadal suggests that the relationship between Shemittah and the Jubilee Year can be likened to that between Shabbat and Yom Tov.  In each case there is both a day of rest that comes regularly (once every seven days/years) and additional periods that come at larger intervals.

²³ In Divrei HaYamim II 36:20-21 when explaining the reason for the exile, the narrator alludes to this event, using the exact language found in the curses of Vayikra regarding not observing the Sabbatical Year: עַד רָצְתָה הָאָרֶץ אֶת שַׁבְּתוֹתֶיהָ כׇּל יְמֵי הָשַּׁמָּה.  This would suppors R"Y Bekhor Shor's understanding that freeing of slaves is related to Shemittah specifically.

²⁴ See also R. Alex Israel's article, Utopia, which elaborates on this idea.

²⁵ Rambam does not maintain that this is the sole reason for the commandment and from the larger context of his remarks, appears to prefer the understanding that it serves to help the poor and instill feelings of mercy for the other.

²⁶ See Rashbam and Rambam in Purpose of the Laws of Kashrut.  Regarding these laws, too, Abarbanel attacks such an approach, claiming that it belittles the Torah to the status of a medical textbook: "וחלילה לי מלהאמין כן לפי שאם כן היה ספר תורת האלהים במדרגת ספר קטן מספרי הרפואה... ואין זה דרך תורת האלהים".

²⁷ Ibn Ezra posits that some of the laws of the מצורע were instituted to prevent the spread of the contagious condition.  See Tzara'at for elaboration.

²⁸ See Rambam in Purpose and Placement of the Incense Altar.