Nature of the Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce/1/en
Nature of the Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce
Introduction
Why All the Fuss?
Vayikra 25 is devoted entirely to the laws of Shemittah and Yovel. Hashem anticipates that the prohibitions against sowing and reaping will cause anxiety among the people, so He reassures them that the crops of the sixth year will nourish them for three years:
(כ) וְכִי תֹאמְרוּ מַה נֹּאכַל בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת הֵן לֹא נִזְרָע וְלֹא נֶאֱסֹף אֶת תְּבוּאָתֵנוּ. (כא) וְצִוִּיתִי אֶת בִּרְכָתִי לָכֶם בַּשָּׁנָה הַשִּׁשִּׁית וְעָשָׂת אֶת הַתְּבוּאָה לִשְׁלֹשׁ הַשָּׁנִים.
(20) And if ye shall say: 'What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we may not sow, nor gather our crops';
(21) then I will command My blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth produce for the three years.
This blessing, however, makes the reader question their entire conception of Shemittah. If a farmer receives a three-fold blessing of grain before Shemittah begins, what is so daunting about the mitzvah? Why is there any fear at all that the people would not observe it?1 Though Shemittah is often spoken of as a big test of the people's faith, what belief is required if your sustenance is already laid out for you to see!
Blessings as Reward?
Often, we think of Hashem's blessings in Tanakh as rewards for observance. Thus, the long list of blessings in Vayikra 26 and Devarim 28 are all contingent on keeping Hashem's commandments. Avraham is told that because he was willing to sacrifice Yitzchak, "בָרֵךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ". Kings are promised dynasties, but only if they follow in Hashem's ways. The blessing in our verse stands in stark contrast, as it is given before, not after, observance. Moreover, it is a response not to a show of faith, but to a lack thereof! Why is this blessing unique? What does it teach about the goal of blessings in general?
Additional Questions
The above verses also raise several textual questions whose answers might bear on the above issues:
- "וְכִי תֹאמְרוּ" – Who is asking "what shall we eat"? Is this a question asked by the Generation of the Wilderness upon receiving the laws, or by the people living in Israel during each Shemittah cycle?
- "מַה נֹּאכַל בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת" – This question seems to be somewhat imprecise. In the seventh year, the people should have few concerns about food since, as every year, they could eat of the previous season's harvest. Should they not instead be questioning what to eat in the eighth year?
- Evaluating the concern – Hashem simply allays the people's anxieties, without passing judgement over whether they are appropriate or not. How, though, should the people's questioning be viewed? Is their concern a natural and valid one, or should it be understood negatively as an expression of lack of faith, and thus as an unwarranted complaint?
