Duration of the Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce/2
Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce
Exegetical Approaches
Three Full Years
The produce from the sixth year would last the nation for three full years. This position divides regarding the situation spoken of in the verses:
Shemittah Followed by Yovel
The verses speak of the Jubilee Year. In such a case, there are two consecutive years in which sowing is prohibited, and so Hashem promises that the food from the sixth year will sustain the people for the second half of the sixth year, the seventh and eighth years, and the first part of the ninth year.
Every Shemittah
The verses speak of every shemittah year. Since the Shemittah cylce begins in Nissan
Parts of Three Years
The crops planted in the beginning of the sixth year will suffice to feed the nation during the second half of the sixth year, the entire seventh year, and the first half of the eighth year. Altogether they will provide nourishment for 24 month, spread out between three years.
