Difference between revisions of "Nature of the Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce/2"
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<p>Hashem promised that, in the sixth year, the land would bring forth more grain than usual, enough to sustain the people for thee years.</p> | <p>Hashem promised that, in the sixth year, the land would bring forth more grain than usual, enough to sustain the people for thee years.</p> | ||
<mekorot>Standard interpretation</mekorot> | <mekorot>Standard interpretation</mekorot> | ||
− | <point><b>Shemittah as a | + | <point><b>Shemittah as a test of faith?</b><ul> |
− | + | <li>Since this position assumes that the people are given supplies of food in advance, it views Shemittah not as a test of faith but as a tool to instill it.  The gift of a threefold harvest<fn>The verses speak of sustaining the people for three years, even though a blessing for two years would seem to have sufficed (by then the nation would have been able to eat of the new harvest).  For a variety of approaches as to how to understand this "three year" blessing, see <a href="Duration of the Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce" data-aht="page">Duration of the Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce</a>.</fn> teaches the nation that Hashem always cares for them, leading to dependence on Him.</li> | |
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<li>Alternatively, Shemittah is not primarily about man's relationship with Hashem at all, but is rather about social justice and providing for the poor.  See <a href="Purpose of Shemittah" data-aht="page">Purpose of Shemittah</a> for elaboration on both possibilities.</li> | <li>Alternatively, Shemittah is not primarily about man's relationship with Hashem at all, but is rather about social justice and providing for the poor.  See <a href="Purpose of Shemittah" data-aht="page">Purpose of Shemittah</a> for elaboration on both possibilities.</li> | ||
</ul></point> | </ul></point> | ||
− | <point><b>Purpose of blessings</b> – | + | <point><b>Purpose of blessings</b> – Unlike many other blessings in Tanakh, the blessing of increased produce serves not as a reward for observance, but as a facilitator to ensure it. Recognizing how difficult the commandment would be otherwise, Hashem eased the path to fulfillment. If He had not done so, the mitzvah's goals (in terms of both social justice and dependence on God) would not be realized.<fn>After all, only if people are secure enough in their own sustenance, will they be able to open their fields to the poor.  If people are too worried to let their lands lie fallow, accompanying lessons about dependence on Hashem, or His sovereignty are lost.</fn></point> |
<point><b>Parallel to manna</b> – The double portion of grain is similar to the double portion of manna that fell before Shabbat.  In both cases, needs are provided before the absence is felt, and a blessing is given before, rather than after, the people keep Hashem's commandment.</point> | <point><b>Parallel to manna</b> – The double portion of grain is similar to the double portion of manna that fell before Shabbat.  In both cases, needs are provided before the absence is felt, and a blessing is given before, rather than after, the people keep Hashem's commandment.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>"וְכִי תֹאמְרוּ" – Who will ask?</b> According to this position, it is difficult to imagine that in the middle of the sixth year the nation living in Israel would question, "what shall we eat?".  By that point they would already have seen that their crops had multiplied and that they had enough to sustain themselves.  As such, this approach | + | <point><b>"וְכִי תֹאמְרוּ" – Who will ask?</b> According to this position, it is difficult to imagine that in the middle of the sixth year the nation living in Israel would question, "what shall we eat?".  By that point they would already have seen that their crops had multiplied and that they had enough to sustain themselves.  As such, this approach would instead posit that Hashem is simply preempting a question<fn>According to this, the words "וְכִי תֹאמְרוּ" might be translated as "and if you are to say" or "lest you say...".</fn> that might have been asked by the Generation of the Wilderness upon receiving the laws of Shemittah.<fn>For other cases where Hashem similarly preempts a possible reaction of the people whom He is addressing, see Devarim 7:17 and 18:21.</fn></point> |
<point><b>"מַה נֹּאכַל בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת"</b> – This position could explain why the people are concerned about the seventh rather than eighth year in either of the following ways:<br/> | <point><b>"מַה נֹּאכַל בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת"</b> – This position could explain why the people are concerned about the seventh rather than eighth year in either of the following ways:<br/> | ||
<ul> | <ul> | ||
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</ul></point> | </ul></point> | ||
<point><b>Evaluating the question</b> – This position views the question of "what shall we eat" as a legitimate and natural concern to which Hashem responds by reassuring the people.</point> | <point><b>Evaluating the question</b> – This position views the question of "what shall we eat" as a legitimate and natural concern to which Hashem responds by reassuring the people.</point> | ||
+ | <point><b>Why did the people not observe Shemittah?</b> It is possible that despite being provided for, people were still anxious lest something happened to the stored crop.  Alternatively, greed set in and they simply wanted to reap more.</point> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
<category>Produce Goes Further | <category>Produce Goes Further |
Version as of 13:46, 16 June 2016
Nature of the Pre-Shemittah Blessing of the Produce
Exegetical Approaches
Overview
The various approaches regarding the nature of the blessing promised by Hashem in anticipation of the Shemittah year affect not only how one reads the relevant verses in Vayikra 25, but also how one understands the purpose of Shemittah specifically and the way that blessings work in general.
The standard interpretation assumes that Hashem's blessing is one of quantity. In the sixth year, the people will reap more than usual, so that one year's crop will sustain them through the following years in which there is nothing to harvest. As such, this blessing is unique in that it comes to facilitate observance of Shemittah, rather than to reward it. The Keli Yekar, in contrast, posits that the blessing is one of quality. A normal sized crop will manage to nourish the people for three years. This blessing is less obvious, and makes observance of Shemittah more difficult as it requires more trust. It comes simultaneous to observance, not beforehand.
Finally, Seforno combines the two approaches, claiming that the nature of the blessing changes based on the amount on faith held by the people. When they had great faith, Hashem blessed the quality of the crops, but when they were full of doubts, Hashem blessed the quantity.
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.
- Since this position assumes that the people are given supplies of food in advance, it views Shemittah not as a test of faith but as a tool to instill it. The gift of a threefold harvest1 teaches the nation that Hashem always cares for them, leading to dependence on Him.
- Alternatively, Shemittah is not primarily about man's relationship with Hashem at all, but is rather about social justice and providing for the poor. See Purpose of Shemittah for elaboration on both possibilities.
- It might say, as 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 follow the explanation of Abarbanel who proposes to repunctuate the verse, placing a pause after the words, "מַה נֹּאכַל" rather than after "בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת".5 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 from 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 cites Ramban who suggests that one understand the verse as if its order were 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 is valid only if one assumes that the blessing was hidden and related not to the quantity of the food but to how long it was to last. Otherwise, by the seventh year people would already have known that they were cared for and would have no need to question.
- Alternatively, the Keli Yekar suggests that the people are actually concerned about the seventh year itself. Knowing that they cannot plant, and not seeing anything saved for the next year, would make it difficult to feel satisfied even while they are eating food in the seventh year (אינו דומה מי שיש לו פת בסלו למי שאין לו).7
Dependent on Faith
The blessing differed in accordance 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 that it would suffice.