Purpose of Shemittah/2

Purpose of Shemittah

Exegetical Approaches

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Recognition of God

The Shemittah year reminds the nation of God's sovereignty and providence, and makes them aware of their dependence upon Him.

Sources:Sifra Vayikra26:34About 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, Akeidat YitzchakVayikra 69About R. Yitzchak Arama, AbarbanelVayikra 25:2-7About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, R. S"R HirschShemot 23:10-11About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch

"שַׁבָּת לַי"י" – This position draws on the verses in Vayikra which describe the year as a Shabbat for Hashem.¹

Comparison to Shabbat – Many of these commentators² point to the abundant parallels between the description of the Shemittah year and Shabbat, concluding that both serve as a reminder that Hashem created the world and that He is sovereign over it and all mankind:

• Name - Both Shabbat Bereshit and the Shemittah year are referred to as a  "shabbat".
• Cycles of seven – Each of Shabbat and Semittah revolve around cycles of seven, in which 6 units of time are devoted to work and the seventh to abstaining therefrom.
• Rest for all – By both commandments the verses emphasize the resting of the "slave and maidservant".
• Juxtaposition – In Shemot 23, the two commanments follow one another, reinforcing the connection between the two.

Break from work

Forsaking of produce

Context

Punishment of exile

Parallel Commandments

Social Justice

The commandment comes to teach people to have mercy on those less fortunate than themselves and to emphasize the equality of all mankind.

Sources:RashiVayikra 25:2,6About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, Rambam #2Moreh Nevukhim 3:39About R. Moshe b. Maimon, R. Avraham SabaTzeror 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 Hirsch

For the Land

Shemittah focuses on man's relationship to the land, rather than to God or the others around him.  It either serves a practical function in keeping the land healthy and able to bear fruit or highhlights the holiness of the land.

¹ As the terminology cannot be coming to say that God somehow needs the sabbatical year, it must be emphasizing that the commandment is integrally connected to recognizing God.

² See 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 a feeling of social equality rather than how they teach about God's role as creator.