Difference between revisions of "Nature of the Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce/2"
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<point><b>Shemittah as a test of faith</b> – According to this approach, observing Shemittah is an extremely demanding test of faith, as the nation does not receive and see a double portion beforehand, but must totally trust that Hashem will make the regular produce of the sixth year go further. See <a href="Purpose of Shemittah" data-aht="page">Purpose of Shemittah</a> for other ways in which the commandment leads to recognition of and belief in Hashem.</point> | <point><b>Shemittah as a test of faith</b> – According to this approach, observing Shemittah is an extremely demanding test of faith, as the nation does not receive and see a double portion beforehand, but must totally trust that Hashem will make the regular produce of the sixth year go further. See <a href="Purpose of Shemittah" data-aht="page">Purpose of Shemittah</a> for other ways in which the commandment leads to recognition of and belief in Hashem.</point> | ||
<point><b>Parallel to manna</b> – The Keli Yekar compares the mitzvah of Shemittah to the test of the manna in which the Children of Israel could not save for the long term, but needed to have faith daily that Hashem would continue to provide for them.</point> | <point><b>Parallel to manna</b> – The Keli Yekar compares the mitzvah of Shemittah to the test of the manna in which the Children of Israel could not save for the long term, but needed to have faith daily that Hashem would continue to provide for them.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>Purpose of blessings</b> – This approach could say that the blessing was limited to those who observed Shemittah.  | + | <point><b>Purpose of blessings</b> – This approach could say that the blessing was limited to those who observed Shemittah.  While their grains were supernaturally satisfying, the crops of people who did not keep the laws might not have lasted longer than normal.   If so, the blessing acted as a reward.</point> |
<point><b>"וְכִי תֹאמְרוּ" – Who will ask?</b> The Keli Yekar assumes that Hashem is anticipating the anxieties of those living in Israel when the Shemittah year approached.  Since the sixth year's harvest was not noticeably different than previous years, the people would naturally be concerned how they would survive in subsequent years.</point> | <point><b>"וְכִי תֹאמְרוּ" – Who will ask?</b> The Keli Yekar assumes that Hashem is anticipating the anxieties of those living in Israel when the Shemittah year approached.  Since the sixth year's harvest was not noticeably different than previous years, the people would naturally be concerned how they would survive in subsequent years.</point> | ||
<point><b>"מַה נֹּאכַל בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת"</b> – The Keli Yekar offers two ways to understand why the people question the lack of food in the seventh rather than eighth year:<fn>Since the food from the sixth year should have sufficed for the seventh, as it did every year, the people should have only been concerned about the lack of food in the year following Shemittah.</fn><br/> | <point><b>"מַה נֹּאכַל בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת"</b> – The Keli Yekar offers two ways to understand why the people question the lack of food in the seventh rather than eighth year:<fn>Since the food from the sixth year should have sufficed for the seventh, as it did every year, the people should have only been concerned about the lack of food in the year following Shemittah.</fn><br/> | ||
<ul> | <ul> | ||
− | <li>Ramban suggests to understand the verse as if its order was rearranged (מקרא מסורס) so that it reads: "And if you will say in the seventh year: 'What shall we eat [in subsequent years]'." The Keli Yekar points out that Ramban's reading of the verse only works if one assumes that the blessing was hidden and related not to the quantity of the food but how long it was to last.  Otherwise by the seventh year people would already know that they were cared for and never come to question.</li> | + | <li>He brings <multilink><a href="RambanVayikra25-20" data-aht="source">Ramban </a><a href="RambanVayikra25-20" data-aht="source">Vayikra 25:20</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe b. Nachman</a></multilink>who suggests to understand the verse as if its order was rearranged (מקרא מסורס) so that it reads: "And if you will say in the seventh year: 'What shall we eat [in subsequent years]'." The Keli Yekar points out that Ramban's reading of the verse only works if one assumes that the blessing was hidden and related not to the quantity of the food but how long it was to last.  Otherwise by the seventh year people would already know that they were cared for and never come to question.</li> |
− | <li>Alternatively, the Keli Yekar suggests that | + | <li>Alternatively, the Keli Yekar suggests that actually the people really are concerned about the seventh year itself.  Knowing that they cannot plant and would have nothing saved for the next year, would make it difficult to feel satisfied even when they are eating food in the seventh year (אינו דומה מי שיש לו פת בסלו למי שאין לו).<fn>Cf. <multilink><a href="BiurVayikra25" data-aht="source">R. Wessely</a><a href="BiurVayikra25" data-aht="source">Vayikra 25</a><a href="Biur (Netivot HaShalom)" data-aht="parshan">About the Biur (Netivot HaShalom)</a></multilink> who similarly posits that the people are asking: "How will we eat [with peace of mind] in the seventh year, knowing that we will neither sow nor gather [in the seventh year for subsequent years]?</fn> </li> |
</ul></point> | </ul></point> | ||
+ | <point><b>Evaluating the question</b> – This position views the nation's questioning as an understandable and expected reaction.</point> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
<category>Dependent on Faith | <category>Dependent on Faith | ||
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<point><b>Parallel to manna</b> – Seforno compares the qualitative blessing to the manna.  Just as, in the Wilderness, an omer's worth of manna managed to satisfy an adult as easily as it did a child, so too, a small amount of grain would manage to satisfy just as a larger portion would have.</point> | <point><b>Parallel to manna</b> – Seforno compares the qualitative blessing to the manna.  Just as, in the Wilderness, an omer's worth of manna managed to satisfy an adult as easily as it did a child, so too, a small amount of grain would manage to satisfy just as a larger portion would have.</point> | ||
<point><b>"וְכִי תֹאמְרוּ" – Who will ask?</b> As Seforno maintains that Hashem decides what type of blessing to give (quality or quantity of the sixth's year's crops)  based on whether or not the people doubt, he must maintain that the people express their concerns before the crops are reaped in the sixth year.</point> | <point><b>"וְכִי תֹאמְרוּ" – Who will ask?</b> As Seforno maintains that Hashem decides what type of blessing to give (quality or quantity of the sixth's year's crops)  based on whether or not the people doubt, he must maintain that the people express their concerns before the crops are reaped in the sixth year.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>"מַה נֹּאכַל בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת"</b></point> | + | <point><b>"מַה נֹּאכַל בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת"</b> – Seforno could explain like the Minchat Yehuda above, that the people are worried about the second half of the seventh year.<fn>Since, according to this approach, the people are asking about the lack of food already at the beginning of the sixth year, it is natural that they think ahead only to the next year, even if the bigger problem is the lack of food in the eighth year.</fn></point> |
<point><b>Nature of the blessing</b> – It seems that according to Seforno, the qualitative blessing is a reward for faith,<fn>See verse 18 which prefaces the blessing of "וַאֲכַלְתֶּם לָשֹׂבַע" with "וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֶת חֻקֹּתַי", suggesting a causal relationship.</fn> while the quantitative blessing is an incentive to facilitate observance.</point> | <point><b>Nature of the blessing</b> – It seems that according to Seforno, the qualitative blessing is a reward for faith,<fn>See verse 18 which prefaces the blessing of "וַאֲכַלְתֶּם לָשֹׂבַע" with "וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֶת חֻקֹּתַי", suggesting a causal relationship.</fn> while the quantitative blessing is an incentive to facilitate observance.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>Evaluating the question</b> – This position views the question of "what shall we eat" | + | <point><b>Evaluating the question</b> – This position views the question of "what shall we eat" negatively, as betraying a lack of trust. Nonetheless, Hashem, does not consider this as worthy of punishment, but rather as a sign that the people need more concrete proof of Hashem's care.</point> |
</category> | </category> | ||
</approaches> | </approaches> | ||
</page> | </page> | ||
</aht-xml> | </aht-xml> |
Version as of 01:37, 10 June 2016
Nature of the Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce
Exegetical Approaches
Increased Production
Hashem promised that, in the sixth year, the land would bring forth more grain than usual, enough to sustain the people for thee years.
Alternatively, the people in Israel could be question at the beginning of the sixth year before they have seen the results of their sowing.
- It might say, like the Minchat Yehuda, 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.
- Alternatively, it could explain like Abarbanel who proposes to repunctuate the verse, placing a pause after the words, "מַה נֹּאכַל" rather than after "בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת".3 As such, the verse reads: "If you say: 'What shall we eat [in subsequent years]? [After all] in the seventh year we will neither sow nor harvest!?'"
Produce Goes Further
Although the amount harvested in the sixth year would be no different than in any other year, Hashem promised that it would last longer. The same amount of grain would nourish the people for three years instead of the usual one.
- He brings Ramban who suggests to understand the verse as if its order was rearranged (מקרא מסורס) so that it reads: "And if you will say in the seventh year: 'What shall we eat [in subsequent years]'." The Keli Yekar points out that Ramban's reading of the verse only works if one assumes that the blessing was hidden and related not to the quantity of the food but how long it was to last. Otherwise by the seventh year people would already know that they were cared for and never come to question.
- Alternatively, the Keli Yekar suggests that actually the people really are concerned about the seventh year itself. Knowing that they cannot plant and would have nothing saved for the next year, would make it difficult to feel satisfied even when they are eating food in the seventh year (אינו דומה מי שיש לו פת בסלו למי שאין לו).5
Dependent on Faith
The blessing differed in line with the amount of faith held by the people. Hashem promised that if the nation had enough trust, He would ensure that a regular sized harvest would be of such quality that it could nourish the nation for three years. However, if the people had doubts, He would increase the quantity of the harvest so they could see with their own eyes how it would suffice.