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Shmitta and Har Sinai

By: SFW Students & Alumna
Rachel Fox (SFW '08)

      The first commandment given in this week’s parsha is the commandment to observe Shemittah. Moshe is told to relay this commandment to Bnei Yisroel while standing at Har Sinai. There is a famous Rashi on this pasuk, which asks “What is the matter of Shemittah doing at Har Sinai? Were not all of the commandments stated at Har Sinai?” Rashi answers, we learn from this that just as Shemittah and all of its rules were given at Har Sinai, so too the rest of the mitzvoth and all of their rules were given at Har Sinai.

      Rav Gedaliah Schorr, in his sefer Ohr Gedalyahu, gives a deeper insight as to why Shemittah was singled out in conjunction with Har Sinai. The Midrash Rabbah (Vayikra 1:1) brings the pasuk from Tehillim (103:20), “The mighty in strength who do His bidding.” The midrash explains to us that the mighty people in the pasuk are those who keep the laws of Shemittah. Rav Schorr asks on this pasuk, why are those who keep the laws of Shemittah considered mighty? They are merely doing what is required of them by the letter of the law. He answers that these people are different; they are keeping the laws of Shemittah, watching their fields go unattended, with a feeling of menucha, of relaxation! They are not worried about their source of income, they have complete faith in Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

      In Pirkei Avot (1:17) we are told that there is nothing better for the body than silence. The Sfas Emes on this mishnah explains that this silence means silencing the needs of the body in order to allow the needs of the neshama (the soul) to be met. We see that the themes of the mitzvah of Shemittah are themes of spiritual strength and the strength that it takes to silence our physical desires (gevurah v’shtikah).

      The same type of spiritual gevurah was necessary for Bnei Yisroel’s acceptance of the Torah. Bnei Yisroel had to silence all of their outside drives and give themselves over to the Torah. This is apparent when Bnei Yisroel declare “Na’aseh V’Nishmah.” First we will do, and then we will listen. It follows that Shemittah is simply a continuation of the same themes present at Matan Torah.

      In addition, there is an idea that every mitzvah has its own unique quality. This quality can be applied to every other mitzvah in the Torah. For example – matzah on Pesach. The theme there is ‘zerizus’, vigilance or speed. The matzah must be made quickly or it will turn to chametz. The quality of zerizus should be applied to each and every mitzvah. Mitzvot should be done as soon as the opportunity presents itself. As we already stated, the theme of Shemittah is the strength of Har Sinai, the silencing of physicality. This strength must be used in order to fulfill the rest of the mitzvot as well. We must be moser nefesh to keep all the rules and details that apply to each of the mitzvot. The language of Rashi is now clarified “Just as with Shemittah its general rules and details were given at Sinai, so too with all of the other commandments, their general rules and details were given at Sinai.” At Har Sinai, through the mitzvah of Shemittah, we were given the strength, the gevurah, to be able to keep all of the detailed halachot.

      When Adam HaRishon was in the Garden of Eden before the sin, it is written that he was placed there “L’avdah u’leshomrah,” to work it and to guard it. The Zohar on this pasuk interoperates the working and guarding not in relation to the land, but in relation to fulfilling the commandments. To work is to fulfill the positive commandments, and to safeguard is to keep the negative commandments. After the sin it is written “So Hashem … banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the soil from which he was taken” (Bereishit 3:23). The work which man is now responsible for is physical working of the land.

      “For man is born to toil…”(Job 5:7). Man was created for this purpose alone – but what kind of toil is the pasuk referring to? Before the sin it is referring to fulfilling the mitzvot, and after the sin it is referring to working the land. The Sfas Emes writes that when there are times during which we are prohibited from performing physical work, our purpose in this world reverts to the work required of Adam in the pre-sin Gan Eden, “L’avdah u’leshomrah” through the fulfillment of the commandments. The two times where this phenomenon takes places is on Shabbos and the Shemittah year. An additional proof for this concept is found in Midrash Rabbah (Bereishit 16:5) where we see Shabbos is compared to Gan Eden, where the work was solely spiritual. We also find that in the pesukim pertaining to Shemittah, it is called a shabbos of the land. Rav Schorr therefore asserts that what the concept of Shabbos is in time, Shemittah is in place.

      In a gemara in mesechet shabbos (146a) it is written that when Bnei Yisroel were at Har Sinai “pisku zuhamatan”, all the residue of sin that had been built up over time was removed. They reverted to the status of before the sin of Adam. It follows that the next 40 years in the desert were spent with Hashem providing them with all of their physical needs (manna etc). Their focus was entirely “L’avdah u’leshamrah”, to occupy themselves with the mitzvot.

      It is extremely appropriate that we had the zechut of having our year in Eretz Israel during a Shanat Shemittah. Thanks to our parents and SFW providing us with all of our needs, we had the opportunity to feel what the Shanat Shemittah is all about, to experience Shabbos in time and in place, and fully occupy ourselves with Torah and mitzvot. We only hope that our studies this year allow us to improve our avodat Hashem and be a source of nachat to each of our families, and to the SFW family at large.