Parashat Behar talks about Shemitah.
The Torah tells us: ושבתה הארץ שבת לה׳
The land should take a sabbatical, a Shabbat for Hashem
Rashi asks, what does it mean “A Shabbat for Hashem?”, and he answers that it’s “Just like Shabbat Bereshit”; in other words, that the Shemitah year is for Hashem’s sake just as Shabbat is for Hashem’s sake.
Ramban asks why Rashi singles out Shabbat to be more for the sake of Hashem than any other holiday or Yom Tov, (aside from the obvious day 7, year 7 likeness to Shemitah)
Rav Yerucham Levovitz answers, based on a Ra’avad, in his sefer Baale Nefesh.
This is a rule for the entire Torah, he says:
Why did G-d give us mitzvot ?
למען ידע אדם כי יש לו בורא המשל אליו
So that man should know he has a Creator that’s in control of him.
G-d gave us so much that we can easily forget that Hashem is the boss, that He is in charge. Therefore G-d surrounded us with activities to remind us.
Everything in the Torah is a reminder. He explains one by one:
When we get married - we have laws of how to deal with our wives because our wives are a gift from Hashem.
When we plow the field- there are laws about which animals can plow together. When we plant, we have laws about not planting certain fruits together.
When we are cutting the crops we have laws about that.
If we drop something, we have to give to the poor.
Every step of the way, we have laws in the field to constantly remind us that Hashem is in charge.
In fact, our Rabbis say that one of the reasons we have less Emunah these days is because we don’t live in an agricultural society and so we have don’t have as many reminders that Hashem is in control. Farmers had reminders built in.
But we have laws off the field too:
Your Hugo Boss suit isn’t yours- it’s Hashem’s. He says make sure there’s no Shaatnez. Our garments need tzizit.
If you have a first born donkey- it’s not yours. You must redeem it. Other first born animals have to be redeemed as well.
You had a child? It’s Hashem’s. You must do a Milah. And on and on...
That’s the entire. Torah.
The Gemarah says זרעים אלו אמונה
A farmer, involved in planting, that’s emunah, because a farmer has to constantly look up to Hashem.
Today when we aren’t farmers, we have other reminders: if someone approaches us for Sedaka, it’s a reminder that it’s Hashem’s money.
But the fundamental reminder, that is still left. That is Shabbat, says Rav Yerucham.
זה ענין עצמו הוא שבת קודש
We might not have fields or farms but we have Shabbat.
And Shabbat says, whatever you’re involved in, זה לה׳ it’s for Hashem. It doesn’t mean it’s for the sake of G-d. If it did, than what Ramban asked would be right. All the holidays are for the sake of G-d. What it means, says Rav Yerucham, is that it’s a day to remind you that your life is not yours. Your life, your kids it’s all for Hashem. It’s all G-d. שבת לה׳
And Shemitah is a reminder too. Every seven years you have the reminder that you’re not the boss.
And then every 49 years we hit the restart button with Yovel, the 50th year. The land reverts to what it was when they first entered Eretz Yisrael.
(Yovel is Jubilee in English: the Y and J are interchangeable just like Yosef/Joseph) Rashi says a Yovel is a horn. When it was blown every 50 years, all fields went back to the original owner, all property reverted back to the original owner and all slaves were freed. A sale wasn’t a sale. It was a 50 year rental. It was another reminder that nothing is permanent. Hashem is in control. Every 50 years we had to start again.
We don’t have that have reminder anymore so it’s harder, but we still have Shabbat.
Rav Yerucham says, on Shabbat, there’s no work, no activity...in order to remind us,
בטל אתה.... You are annulled
ובטל כוחך... And your abilities are annulled. The only One in charge is Hashem. It’s a powerful lesson.
There’s aMidrash that says מה ענין השמיתה עצל הר סיני?
Why is Shemitah mentioned in connection with Har Sinai? Because this is the fundamental of the entire Torah.
The takeaway is, Shabbat + Shemittah = I’m not in control