Behar
The passuk says concerning shmitta ושבתה הארץ שבת לה’. The Toras Kohanim brings: just as by Shabbos it says שבת לה’ so too by shmitta it says שבת לה’. What does the passuk want to teach us with שבת לה’?
The Meshech Chochma explains in Parshas Va’eschanan that Shabbos has two ta’amim. One is to let us know that Hashem created the world yesh ma’ayin. Shabbos is a testimony that Hashem created the world. Just as Hashem created the world in six days and rested on Shabbos, so too we do work for six days and rest on Shabbos. Another ta’am is to set aside a day that we should rest from work and learn Torah. This helps us not become totally lost with the gashmiyus of the world and with our surroundings.
Similarly, shmitta has two ta’amim. One- this is a year of refraining from working the fields. During this time one should recognize and testify to the creation of the world. We see this from the passuk that says כי לי הארץ. Hashem is telling us He created everything in the world. Two- one should spend more time learning Torah.
The Meshech Chochma in our parsha says that the kedusha of shmitta is like Shabbos, while the kedusha of yovel is like the Yomim Tovim. The Gemara says that Shabbos is kavuah v’kayma, set in place. Meaning, every seven days no matter what will be Shabbos. So too every seventh year is shmitta. Shmitta is kadosh by itself and has a gezarias melech to not work the land. We don’t need to make it shmitta because it is intrinsically holy. Therefore the passuk says by both שבת לה’. By Yom Tov however, the passuk says מקרא קדש יהיה לכם meaning the Yomim Tovim need to be set in place, by Bais Din being mekadesh the chodesh. If Bais Din says on the 30th day of the month “mekudash” it will be Rosh Chodesh, which will cause Yom Tov to be on its day. So too yovel needs וקדשתם. We need to blow shofar on yovel and send home slaves and return the lands. If we don’t, then one can plow and plant the land on yovel! However with shmitta even if seven years weren’t counted and Yidden fenced up their produce with stones, it is still hefker and is patur from ma’asros.
The Meshech Chochma says shmitta symbolizes the creation of the world as Shabbos does. Yovel symbolizes Yetzias Mitzrayim, which we see by sending home our slaves. We were avadim and Hashem freed us. So too the Yomim Tovim are l’zecher Yetzias Mitzrayim!
May Hashem help us use Shabbos and shmitta to remember Hashem’s creation of the world and spend more time learning His Torah!
