Shmita as a continuation of the revelation at Sinai
A person who is not subjugated to Torah - but to his possessions and his wealth - can not observe the mitzvah of shemita, whilst he still feels that he is the master of his fields.
Parashat Behar opens, by relating that:(25:1-4)
‘Hashem spoke to Moshe on Har Sinai, saying: Speak to Bnei Israel and say to them: When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall observe a Shabbat rest for Hashem. For six years you may sow your field and for six years you may prune your vineyard; and you may gather in its crop.
‘But the seventh year shall be a complete rest for the land, a Shabbat for Hashem; your field you shall not sow and your vineyard you shall not prune.’
Rashi brings the Torat Kohanim, which asks, on the words:’On Har Sinai’: What does the subject of shemit have to do with Har Sinai?
Were not all the mitzvot stated from Sinai?’
They answer: This teaches that just as with shemita, its general principles and its finer details were all stated from Sinai, likewise all of them were stated - their general principles with their finer details, from Sinai.
Sforno expounds on this matter: We do not find regarding any mitzvah, mention of the place where the commandment was given, except where some novelty occurred then, at that place.
However, here it expounded that when Hashem said at Sinai ‘the seventh year shall be a year of shemita, and you shall leave its produce and your poor people shall eat it’ ( Parashat Mishpatim 23:11 ), He expounded to Moshe then, all the laws of the shemita, this to teach regarding the rest of the mitzvot, that though at Sinai , in the case of a few of them, the Torah’s words were few, they were on fact expounded widely and fully.
The teaching of our Sages here - as Rashi brought - was applicable to all the mitzvot, that they were said at Sinai, with their principles and their details.
Moshe mentioned this here, because he thought that they would shortly enter the land, and therefore warned specifically about the shemita of the land, as, should they transgress this mitzvah, the punishment was exile from it - as it says in our Parasha ( 26:34 ):’And the land will then want its shabbatot’.
Rav Gedalia Schorr offers a different answer, as to the specific link between the mitzvah of shemita, and the revelation at Har Sinai: The midrashim teach that the words of Psalms ( 103:20 ):’Bless the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones, who do His bidding, obeying the voice of His word’, relate both to those who observe the mitzvah of shemita, and to those who stood at Sinai, and preceded their acceptance ‘to do’, to their acceptance ‘to hear’, declaring :’All that Hashem says, we shall do and we shall hear’.
They merited being called ‘mighty ones’, as their declaration required ‘silence’ - meaning silencing all their bodily desires, and strengthening the power of their souls, this being akin to the ‘silence’ of the bodily desires, required to accept in equanimity in the shemita year, seeing their fields idle, and its produce free to all.
The same quality was required at the revelation on Sinai - when the Torah was accepted - as, for the whole-hearted acceptance of the Torah, Bnei Israel had to nullify all their desires, and completely subjugate themselves to Hashem’s Will.
Similarly - as the midrashim state - ‘ Is there s greater man of strength, than one sees his field abandoned, with its crops, and its produce consumed by all, and overcomes his inclination, and remains silent?’
This silence is not a forced silence - meaning ‘unwilling’ - but one in complete equanimity, having no doubts or questions, in complete trust that he will not lack from his abstinence - but that, instead, Hashem will, as He promised, ‘command His blessing’, that the fields will be blessed.
We can now answer the question we posed at the outset: What does the subject of shemita have to do with Har Sinai? Shemita is a continuation of the revelation of Har Sinai: To silence all other desires, and to subjugate ourselves to serving Hashem.
‘This also explains the Rashi - that it teaches about all the mitzvot - as all mitzvot require this ‘strength’, and offering of self, for their fulfillment in all their details - the power to do so derives from Sinai, and is given its ‘own’ mitzvah : shemita, on which all mitzvot are
Rav Yosef Salant also expounds on our subject, bringing our midrashim, and comments: From the teachings of our Sages in these midrashim, we learn that the observance of the mitzvah of shemita is very difficult for human beings, requiring extraordinary bravery, so much so, that those who observe it are called - in the Midrashiim - :’angels, mighty ones’, because it is beyond the ordinary strength of men.
This, then, raises the question: How does the Torah impose this onerous mitzvah, on Jews, an obligation which seems beyond human ability - does not the gemara say: (Avoda Zara 3:2 ) 'Hashem does not make בטרוניא: severe demands, on His creations’?
The truth is, is we read in Mishlei: (16: 11)’Honest scales and balances belong to Hashem’ and, in the Mitzvot He commanded, He weighed and determined that the Jew had the strength and bravery to be able to observe the mitzvah of shemita, as He did with all the other motzvot.
In addition to being able, from themselves, to observe this mitzvah, Hashem prepared them, by bringing them to Har Sinai, where they were purified in the six days they camped there - from Rosh Chodesh Sivan, till the giving of the Torah on the sixth Sivan - till they truly ascended to being as ‘angels’ - as the midrash describes them.
In this elevated period, they merited to ‘see’ the majesty of Hashem, removing any doubts they might have had.
This can be seen by their preceding accepting ‘to do’, before ‘hearing’, which is impossible - literally understood - but clearly the sanctity of the revelation at Har Sinai , enabled them, from themselves, to attain the Torah and the mitzvot, ‘before hearing them’.
At this exalted level - of being spiritually like angels - they had no difficulty to observe the mitzvah of shemita.
This is why the Midrash, described those who observe the mitzvah of shemita, as ‘angels’, - and - as the midrash there adds - they were, in this respect, like Bnei Israel at the Mount Sinai revelation.
The gemara ( Shabbat 146:1 ) teaches that the exalted level attained at that revelation, was not only for that time, but endured for all generations, as the Torah states: that revelation was so that Awe of Hashem will be with us,,’on those who are here today, and on those who are not here’.
Therefore, in our Parasha, when the Torah came to give the mitzvah of shemita - which only men ‘of strength’ could observe - to the entire congregation, not merely to the select few, it preceded the mitzvah, by stating that it was given at Har Sinai, to allude that Bnei Israel, who stood at Har Sinai, had been purified and elevated from that revelation.
The Torah adjures us ( Devarim 4:9-10):’Do not forget the things that your eyes saw, lest they move from from your heart all the days of your life, and you shall make them known to your sons and the sons of your sons, the day that you stood before Hashem your G-d in Choreb..’
The Ramban and the Ba’al Halachot Gdolot count this as one of the 613 Mitzvot.
Therefore, since that awesome event at Sinai is always before our eyes, and in our hearts, it surely awakens in us the strength and bravery to which Bnei Israel ascended at Har Sinai, and this gives us the ability to fulfill all the mitzvot - including the mitzvah of shemita.
This, in turn, fills us with pure emunah in divine providence, in Hashem’s protection, and bracha to our nation - and the confidence that there is no barrier to Hashem providing all our needs.
We can therefore fulfil the mitzvah of shemita with joy and a heart full of gratitude.
Rav David Hofstedter adds:’The mention of mitzvat shemita at Har Sinai, more than is said about other mitzvot, is surprising - as the Torat Kohanim wondered, and answered’ - as we brought - ‘just as the principles and details of it were said from Sinai, so, too, all of the principles and details of all the mitzvot, are from Sinai’.
Thus, the mention that mitzvat shemita was given from Har Sinai, was to teach on all the mitzvot, that their principles and their details were given at Sinai.
We are still left to wonder, what is so special about this mitzvah, that it should have been chosen to teach this fundament - it could have been taught on every other mitzvah!
Indeed, we find that that there is a similarity and connection between the observance of mitzvat shemita, and the level of Bnei Israel, at the stand at Har Sinai as the midrash which we brought, says - ‘both merit the praise of the Psalm, to be called brave men of strength’.
Further, we need to understand, in what way did those who observe shemita, merit to be called ‘brave men of strength’ ? Is there something that not many mitzvot which require physical bravery - and others which require bravery of the spirit - have, and, if it is because shemita obliges observance for an entire year, there are mitzvot which bind man for his whole life - such as honoring one’s parents, and not stealing - and we do not find that those who observe them, are called by this accolade.
The answer may be that our Sages - in our midrash - came to teach us a new understanding of ‘bravery’.
We are used to thinking, that bravery refers to ‘strength’ - be it physical or of the character - but it appears that this is not the case : bravery means מסירות נפש : ‘offering up one’s soul’, meaning: that the person does not only rely on his physical strength, and also not on the resources of his soul, to succeed, but ‘offers up his soul’, on a matter.
'Offering up one’s soul’ is superior to physical strength, as one who relies on his strength - his bravery is not complete, as he is not able to rely on his strength, except where he knows that he is sure to defeat his opponent.
Where he is unsure of this, he is likely to be filled with trepidation, and avoids the battle.
On the other hand, one who goes out to battle, even though he is unsure of his ability to triumph, yet is prepared to offer up his soul, for success - he is the true brave one, as he is prepared to fight beyond his physical strength, and even when the chances of his success do not appear certain - his bravery is complete.
This level of bravery - in the submissiveness to Hashem’s mitzvot - we find in the mitzvah of shemita. There are many mitzvot which require great will power - such as overcoming one’s natural disinclination, and giving away one’s money to tzedaka, which certainly requires great spiritual strength - yet does not yet require ‘offering up one’s soul’, as the person knows that he still has money remaining.
However, one who observes the mitzvah of shemita, and ‘abandons’ the source of his livelihood, despite not knowing how he will then sustain his family, and worries that their lot may be starvation, yet despite this he offers his whole future, to fulfill the mitzvah, truly merits the title of ‘brave one, mighty men of strength’, that our Sages bestow upon him.’
This quality of bravery, as our Sages said - in the midrash - also belongs to Bnei Israel, who declared: ’All that Hashem says, we shall do and we shall hear’ - as they, too, offered up their souls, as, when they made this acceptance, they did not know what Hashem might command of them, in the future, and whether they would be able to perform that which they would be commanded.
Despite this, they did not let this thought sway them, but offered up their souls, and accepted without reservation, to do all that Hashem would demand of them, as long as they merit ‘to hear’ His demands.
The bravery they displayed at that time - by their acceptance - was akin to the bravery of those who observed shemita:’the men of mighty strength, performing His word’, who also attained this super level of bravery.’
Rav Eliezer Shlezinger adds:’We can now answer the question that Rashi posed from our Sages, as to why, at the outset, our Parasha mentions Har Sinai with regard to the mitzvah of shemita: because one who is subjugated to Har Sinai, meaning: the Torah which was given at Sinai, is also the one who can observe the mitzvah of shemita.
This, because submitting oneself to Torah, removes any other yoke, and one who feels that he is not the master of his possessions - but that all truly belongs to Hashem - is also the one who is able to observe the mitzvah of shemita, in all its detail.
A person who is not subjugated to Torah - but to his possessions and his wealth - can not observe the mitzvah of shemita, whilst he still feels that he is the master of his fields.
How will he abandon them suddenly to all and any who take ‘his’ - he surely cannot ‘give up’ his possessions.
This is why the Torah mentions specifically in the mitzvah of shemita, Har sinai.
The Ktav Sofer brings the wondrous insight of his father, the Chatam Sofer, as to the deeper purport of the mitzvah of shemita, expounding: Through the mitzvah of shemita, it can seen by all that Torah is from Above - not the product of Moshe’s musings - as how is it possible to promise, and for the land to produce three years of crops, which is totally beyond the natural realm - clearly, proof that Torah is from Above.
Rav Moshe Feinstein similarly comments: Har Sinai is said regarding the mitzvah of shemita, because it is a mitzvah where one cannot come to err like the unbelievers, as it is only regarding Hashem that it is relevant to promise, that though they do not sow their fields, it will nevertheless increase its strength, from the blessing it received, to give crops for three years.
A parting gem, from the Ben Ish Hai: The reason that Har Sinai is unusually mentioned in connection with the mitzvah of shemita, over other mitzvot, is because from Har Sinai we learn that ‘less’ is a reason for ‘more’.
This, as our Sages say:’Why was Har Sinai chosen for the giving of the Torah? - because it was the lowest of all mountains.
From this we learn also concerning shemita, that ‘less’ is the reason for ‘more’, as ‘the less’: the abandoning of his fields, and not sowing it, seemingly lessening his wealth, brings great blessing, as these lands in those years, when he sows them, yields double crops.
This was ‘at Har Sinai’, that one’s ‘less’ is the reason for his ‘more’ - this was worthy to say, concerning the shemita.
Todah Rabba A7: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/408791
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