Duration of the Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce/2

Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce

Exegetical Approaches

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Three Full Years

Hashem is promising a blessing that the produce from the sixth year will feed the nation for three full years. This position subdivides regarding the situation spoken of in the verses:

Shemittah Followed by Yovel

The verses are speaking only of the special case of the seventh Sabbatical Year which is immediately followed by the Jubilee Year.  Since in this scenario there are two consecutive years in which sowing is prohibited, Hashem is reassuring the people that the harvest of the sixth year will sustain them for three full years.

Sources:Sifra Vayikra #225:20-22About the Sifra Vayikra, Ibn EzraVayikra 25:20-22About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorVayikra 25:20-22About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, RambanVayikra 25:20About R. Moshe b. Nachman, AbarbanelVayikra 25About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, R. N"H Wessely in the BiurVayikra 25About the Biur (Netivot HaShalom)

Context – This reading is supported by the location of these verses in the middle of a discussion of laws related to the Jubilee year, rather than (as might have been anticipated) after the laws of Shemittah.

"וְעָשָׂת אֶת הַתְּבוּאָה לִשְׁלֹשׁ הַשָּׁנִים" – This position can understand the phrase "לִשְׁלֹשׁ הַשָּׁנִים" simply, to mean a period of 36 months. In the sixth year enough produce will be harvested to nourish the people for three years.¹

"עַד הַשָּׁנָה הַתְּשִׁיעִת... תֹּאכְלוּ יָשָׁן" – According to this position, this verse means that the old grain will be eaten through (עד ועד בכלל) the ninth year.²

Exceptional Case – R. Hoffmann questions this position, claiming that it is odd that the Torah would be concerned only with the exceptional case of Shemittah followed by a Jubilee Year rather than the worries brought by every Shemittah year.  Abarbanel, however, claims that there is no need to discuss the regular scenario since there might be many years when there is a crop failure which necessitates one year's harvest to subsist for two.  Thus, it is specifically the severe scenario that the verses must address.

"מַה נֹּאכַל בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת" – It is unclear why the nation should be questioning "מַה נֹּאכַל בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת" since they should have sufficient food for the seventh year from the previous year's crops;³ it is only in the eighth year that food might be scarce. Commentators offer several possible re-readings of the verse:

• Ramban and Abarbanel suggest to rearrange the order of the verse (לסרס המקרא) so that it reads, "And if you say in the seventh year, "what shall we eat [in the eighth year]".
• Abarbanel alternatively suggests to repunctuate the verse, putting a pause after the words, "מַה נֹּאכַל" rather than after "בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת".‎⁴ As such, the verse reads, "If you say, 'What shall we eat? [After all] in the seventh year we may not sow or harvest!?'"
• R. Wessely, instead, suggests that the people are asking, "how will we eat [in peace] in the seventh year knowing that we won't be sowing or gathering [for the next year]?

"וּזְרַעְתֶּם אֵת הַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁמִינִת" – This phrase is difficult for this position as it suggests that the people will be sowing in the eighth year, while these sources maintain that the eighth year is a Jubilee year when this is forbidden:

• This position might assert that the Jubilee year is not counted among the years of the Shemittah cycle, and thus, the eighth year of the verse refers to the year after Yovel.
• Abarbanel, instead, suggests that the phrase is attached to the previous verse and means that due to the blessing, it will be as if you planted in the eighth year.
• R"Y Bekhor Shor, Ramban,⁵ and R. Wessely claim that in reality the verses are addressing both the regular scenario and the more exceptional Yovel year.  The phrase "וּזְרַעְתֶּם אֵת הַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁמִינִת" goes back to a normal cycle in which sowing is permitted in the eighth year.⁶

Every Shemittah

The Sabbatical year begins in Nisan, during the harvest season.  As a result, any crops planted in the sixth year cannot be harvested in the seventh year, and additionally no crops can be planted in the seventh year. Thus, every Shemittah cycle results in two years without a harvest, and the harvest of the sixth year must sustain the nation for three full years.

Sources:Karaite opinion cited by Ibn EzraVayikra 25:20-22About R. Avraham ibn Ezra⁷

New Year – According to the Karaites, there is only one New Year,⁸ in Nisan, as proven from the verse "הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים רִאשׁוֹן הוּא לָכֶם לְחׇדְשֵׁי הַשָּׁנָה".  As such, both Shemittah and Yovel begin then.  Ibn EzraVayikra 25:9About R. Avraham ibn Ezra questions this approach from several verses:

• He points out that Sukkot is referred to as coming "בְּצֵאת הַשָּׁנָה",‎⁹‎ suggesting that Tishrei (and not Nisan) marks the change from one year to the next. The Karaites might respond that the verse refers to the end of an agricultural year, but not a ritual one. 
• Ibn Ezra further notes that the shofar blast that marks the Jubilee year is blown after Yom HaKippurim, suggesting that the year begins in Tishrei.
• Finally, he points to the order of the nation's words "הֵן לֹא נִזְרָע וְלֹא נֶאֱסֹף" to prove that in the Sabbatical year planting precedes sowing, in contrast to the claims of the Karaites.

"מַה נֹּאכַל בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת" – Asking about scarcity of food in the seventh year is logical according to this approach.  Already from the beginning of the seventh year the people have nothing to eat since they never had a chance to harvest any food planted in the sixth year.¹⁰ It is even possible that the nation would not plant crops in the sixth year knowing that it would be prohibited to reap them in the seventh year.¹¹

"לֹא נֶאֱסֹף אֶת תְּבוּאָתֵנוּ" – The Karaites point to the word "תְּבוּאָתֵנוּ" (referring to planted rather than wild grains) as support that the Shemittah year begins at harvest time.  Only according to this position can the people speak of not being able to gather from the planted crops of previous season.  According to everyone else, no one had sown in the first half of the year, so the verse should have instead used the term "ספיח," which refers to that which grows on its own in the wild.¹²

"וְצִוִּיתִי אֶת בִּרְכָתִי לָכֶם בַּשָּׁנָה הַשִּׁשִּׁית" – According to this position, although it is food from the fifth year which will sustain the nation, Hashem refers to this as a blessing of the sixth year since it is first in the sixth year that the food is gathered.

"וְעָשָׂת אֶת הַתְּבוּאָה לִשְׁלֹשׁ הַשָּׁנִים" –

Since there are two years in which there is no harvesting, food must last for three years. Moreover, the language of "שְׁלֹשׁ הַשָּׁנִים" with a definite article makes sense since the verse refers not just to 36 months but to three full years of the Shemittah cycle.

"וּזְרַעְתֶּם אֵת הַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁמִינִת" – This verse presents no problem for this position, as crops are planted in the second half of the eighth year.

"עַד הַשָּׁנָה הַתְּשִׁיעִת... תֹּאכְלוּ יָשָׁן" – This verse, too, is easily understood since only in the ninth year are the crops from the eighth year harvested.¹³

Economic difficulties – According to this approach, in every Shemittah cycle the command imposes huge economic stress on the people, as there are two full years with nothing to reap.  Cases in which Yovel follows Shemittah would be almost unbearably difficult, with three harvest-free years.  Many might find it difficult that Hashem would obligate such difficult commandments.

Context – This approach does not explain why these verses interrupt a series of laws that relate to the Jubilee year rather than being placed amidst the discussion of the Shemittah year.

Parts of Three Years

Hashem is reassuring the nation that the crops planted in the beginning of the sixth year will suffice to nourish them for a two year period, or one more year than usual.  This twenty-four month period extends across parts of three different years of the Shemittah cycle and thus overlaps with the second half of the sixth year, the entire seventh year, and the first half of the eighth year.

Sources:Sifra Vayikra #125:20-22About the Sifra Vayikra, RashiVayikra 25:20-22About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, Ralbag #2Vayikra 25:20-22About R. Levi b. Gershom,¹⁴ ShadalVayikra 25:21-22About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto, Hoil MosheVayikra 25:21About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi, R. David Zvi HoffmannVayikra 25:20-22About R. David Zvi Hoffmann

"וְעָשָׂת אֶת הַתְּבוּאָה לִשְׁלֹשׁ הַשָּׁנִים" – These sources understand the phrase "שְׁלֹשׁ הַשָּׁנִים" to refer to three years of the Shemittah cycle (hence the definite article).  Even though the produce will only feed the people for 24 months, these are spread across three years.¹⁵

"עַד הַשָּׁנָה הַתְּשִׁיעִת" – This verse is difficult for these sources since they claim that already in the second half of the eighth year the nation can eat from the new harvest:¹⁶ 

• Rashi explains that even though some crops can be eaten earlier, until Sukkot of the ninth year there is still some produce that has not yet been brought into the house.¹⁷
• NetzivVayikra 25:20-22About R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, instead, suggests that the verse is saying that even though it is not necessary, enough crops will grow to last until the ninth year.¹⁸ 
• Ralbag, in contrast, claims that this part of the verse refers to a year in which Yovel follows Shemittah, in which case the old grains must sustain the nation through the ninth year.¹⁹ Abarbanel questions this splitting of the verses, writing, "איך יפרשהו לשעורין חלק לשמטה וחלק ביובל?"

Context – Abarbanel questions why, according to this approach, the verses do not follow the discussion of Shemittah but rather interrupt the unit relating to Yovel.

Most common case – According to this approach, the Torah decided to focus on the most common scenario, a regular Sabbatical year, rather than the more exceptional case of the Jubilee year.  Even though the latter might be more worrisome, it only occurs once every 50 years.

"מַה נֹּאכַל בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת" – This position might say that the people are questioning not what they will eat the entire year, but what they will eat in the second half of the seventh year, by which point they would normally be harvesting the food grown the season before.

"וּזְרַעְתֶּם אֵת הַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁמִינִת" – This verse does not present any problems for this position as it maintains that the people do begin to sow in the eighth year.²⁰

Two Plus One

Hashem is promising that the produce from the sixth year will provide food for two full years as well as the seeds needed to sow the land for the third year.

Sources:RashbamVayikra 25:20-22About R. Shemuel b. Meir,²¹ HaKetav VeHaKabbalahVayikra 25:21About R. Yaakov Mecklenburg

"וְעָשָׂת אֶת הַתְּבוּאָה לִשְׁלֹשׁ הַשָּׁנִים" – These sources read  "לִשְׁלֹשׁ הַשָּׁנִים" to refer to three full years.  Even though the crops only need to suffice for two years to feed the nation, they must also be used for planting in the third year.  As such, they provide for three years.

"וּזְרַעְתֶּם אֵת הַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁמִינִת" – This statement comes to highlight the extent of the blessing, that there will be not only enough to eat but also sufficient grains be able to plant them in the eighth year.

"וַאֲכַלְתֶּם מִן הַתְּבוּאָה יָשָׁן" – This position would likely reread the word "וַאֲכַלְתֶּם" in this verse to mean "and you shall subsist" from the old grain (since by harvest time they no longer need to eat of it.)  Alternatively, it could understand the verse to mean that you shall eat from [what grows from the seeds] of the old grain.

"עַד הַשָּׁנָה הַתְּשִׁיעִת" – These sources understand this to mean until (not through) the ninth year and that the verse is saying that first in the ninth year will the people plant from new grains.

Context – The context of Yovel is difficult for this position.

Common case – This position would say that the Torah preferred to focus on the regular scenario that occurs every Sabbatical year, rather than the unique case of a Jubilee year which rarely affected an individual.

"מַה נֹּאכַל בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת" – This position could explain like Ramban above that the words of the verse should be reordered to read, "And if you say in the seventh year, "what shall we eat [in the eighth year]".

¹ This position could say that the three years of produce refers to that eaten in the second half of the sixth year, the entire seventh and eighth years, and the first half of the ninth.  Most of these sources, however, imply that the three years refer to the entire seventh, eighth and ninth years.  R. Wesseley explains that even though the harvest season begins earlier, the food of the sixth year is first brought into the house during Sukkot of the seventh year, and thus, first eaten then.  The advantage of this reading is that it explains the use of the definite article in the phrase "לִשְׁלֹשׁ הַשָּׁנִים".  Food is provided not just for three years = 36 months, but for the three years of the shemittah cycle.

² See note above that according R. Wesseley the old produce is eaten until the end of the ninth year, since the new grain will only be gathered indoors in Sukkot of the tenth year.  Alternatively, one might say that the verse means into the ninth year, even though by Nissan new grain will be eaten.  See, though, the note below, regarding Ramban's reading of the phrase.

³ Every year people eat of the previous years' harvest.

⁴ He points to the pausal mark of a tipikha under the phrase "מַה נֹּאכַל" as support for this reading.

⁵ Ramban is not explicit but this

⁶ R. Wessely explains that the doubling in the verse of "תֹּאכְלוּ יָשָׁן"/ "וַאֲכַלְתֶּם... יָשָׁן" can be understood if one explains that one phrase refers to a regular Shemittah cycle and the other to a Jubilee year.  Ramban appears to understand the whole verse to refer to the regular cycle, and explains the end phrase "עַד הַשָּׁנָה הַתְּשִׁיעִת" to mean until (not through) the ninth year.  The verse is emphasizing how the nation can feel free to sow normally without trying to quicken the process and harvest earlier since the old food will last until the beginning of the ninth year when the new grain is brought indoors around Sukkot.

⁷ Unfortunately, it is unclear to which Karaites Ibn Ezra refers.  It should be noted that many of the classical Karaite commentators do not take this position, but rather adopt the Rabbinic position that Tishrei serves as the beginning of the Shemittah year.

⁸ Mishna Rosh HaShanah 1:1 which emphasizes how there are four different new years might be reacting to this position.

⁹ See Shemot 23:16 and Shemot 34:22.

¹⁰ According to other approaches, food planted in the sixth year is harvested before the Shemittah cycle, but since this approach sets Shemittah in Nissan, during the harvest season, there is no opportunity to gather food planted in th second half of the sixth year.

¹¹ One might claim that the people's question should have really been, "what will we eat in the seventh and eighth years." This approach might answer that the second year is assumed, even though only the imminent worry is verbalized.

¹² Ibn Ezra responds that the word "תבואה" also includes that which grows on its own in the wild.  Alternatively the people could be using that term since they also mentioned not being able to plant.

¹³ "עַד הַשָּׁנָה" means until the ninth year, and not through the ninth year (עד ולא עד בכלל).

¹⁴ Ralbag also brings the opinion that the verses might refer to a case in which Yovel follows Shemittah.

¹⁵ Crops planted in the first half of the sixth year are eaten in the second half of the sixth year, the entire seventh year, and the first half of the eighth  year.

¹⁶ See Abarbanel who raises this question.

¹⁷ See the Hoil Moshe who points to the grape and olive crops which are only ready at the very end of the year.

¹⁸ That way the people can allow their grains to dry out in their barns without the pressure to eat immediately from the harvest.  See. Ramban in the note above who explains similarly.

¹⁹ Cf. R"Y Bekhor Shor, Ramban and R. Wessely above who also suggest that parts of the unit might refer to a regular Shemittah year and others to a shemittah which is followed by Yovel.

²⁰ Ralbag explains the need to tell us this, suggesting that the verse is trying to emphasize how the produce from the sixth year will suffice not just for eating but also for the next batch of planting.  Cf. Rashbam and HaKetav VeHaKabbalah below.

²¹ This understanding of Rashbam follows the text of his commentary preserved in the original 1705 printing which followed MS Breslau 103.  It is also supported by Rashbam's use of the introductory phrase "לפי הפשט", which comes to indicate that he is differing with Rashi's position, and it is how Prof. Meir Lockshin interprets in the footnotes of both of his editions.
For unclear reasons, D. Rosin assumed that Rashbam's position should match Rashi's.  Thus, in his edition, he incorrectly emended the text by inserting "[ובשמינית]" after the word "ושמינית".  Rosin's proposed emendation also forces a repunctuation of the sentence, effectively transforming Rashbam into Rashi.  Unfortunately, Rosin's mistaken textual emendation has been incorporated by several subsequent editions.