Bahar 5774
This week’s parshah begins with a detailed discussion of the mitzvah of shemittah, but just before that comes an introductory verse: “And Hashem spoke to Moshe at Mount Sinai, saying [speak to the children of Israel…].” This verse is unique in that here, the Torah stresses that the following verses were said at Har Sinai. Why only here is location being stressed? Wasn’t every mitzvah taught at Har Sinai?
Rashi answers that this is to teach that just as shemittah was taught in all its details at Har Sinai, so too the details of all the mitzvos were explained there in full.
Only a question remains: Why was this lesson (that the mitzvos were taught at Sinai not merely in a general sense but rather with all their halachic intricacies) brought out specifically through the mitzvah of shemittah?
And even if you’ll say that this lesson had to be taught through some mitzvah, still—whyshemittah? Such a fundamental point should naturally be attached to a more central mitzvah like one of the Ten Commandments. Why was it attached to shemittah, a mitzvah that appears only once in seven years?
The Sefas Emess asks this question, and answers that the mitzvah of shemittah teaches us complete trust in Hashem, and thereby serves as a hakdama to all the mitzvos.
Of all the mitzvos, no mitzvah forces a Jew to develop trust in Hashem the way shemittahdoes. For a farmer to leave his livelihood for an entire year — even today this poses a difficulty, despite the fact that today, many other forms of work exist. In olden days, Eretz Yisrael was an agrarian society and nevertheless, each man let his fields lie fallow, even though he had no way of knowing how he would survive for the next two years. This inculcated bitachon to such an extent that in Vayikra Rabba 1:1 shomrei shemittah are compared to malachim, able to fulfill Hashem’s command without any thought of themselves, says the Sefas Emess.
In fact, the connection between shemittah and Har Sinai goes much deeper. Shemittah literally takes a Jew back to those glorious moments of our history when the entire nation stood at Har Sinai and declared together “naaseh venishma!” Naaseh venishma was an expression of national resolve that irrespective of the challenge, no matter how impossible it looks, we will fulfill Hashem’s will.
So too every Jew, standing on his own field at the onset of shemittah, declares “I am going to fulfill this mitzvah, come what may—I have no way to predict the challenges that will face me, but I am hereby accepting upon myself to trust completely in Hashem.”
This, continues the Sefas Emess, is a hakdama to kabalas ol mitzvos. The Jew must learn to adopt the perspective of the Medrash that indeed, I am a malach, which can be translated as a “messenger” of Hashem. Whatever Hashem’s will is, that’s what I do, with full bitachon that Hashem will guide me through whatever challenges may loom dauntingly before me.
Of note is that built into the mitzvos of shemittah is recognition of the fact that the entire nation cannot remain at a level of doing no hishtadlus for an indefinite period of time.Shemittah is an obligation that comes at 7-year intervals to remind every single Jew that this is his true madreiga. It supplies the chizuk to keep him at the level of Naaseh Venishma. Even after the farmer returns to the world of hishtadlus, he will remember that his role in life is to be a messenger of Hashem, fulfilling His will with the same bitachon he demonstrated during that unique shemittah year.
What about us, though, who are not farmers? We too live in a world of hishtadlus and must be ever-vigilant in verifying that what we deem as “necessary” hishtadlus is not in fact time and money that should really be devoted to avodas Hashem. Each person, each family should make this honest assessment, preferably with a Rav who knows their matzav. And even after making such an assessment, even if we feel that we’ve “maxed out” spiritually, each of us has a need every so often for that extra boost of bitachon that a farmer gets from the shemittah year. Perhaps we can take off here and there even more time for learning, perhaps a week in a Yarchei Kalla, or a summer back in yeshiva…?
We see from the above that bitachon is not just an important element to work on, but rather the foundation of all the Torah. As Chovas Halevavos states, bitachon is “what a person needs the most for service of Hashem.” The Chovas Halevavos adds that bitachon gives a Jew themenuchas hanefesh to be able to perform mitzvos properly. A person who is beset by anxiety over his finances, his health, his safety, etc. does not have the energy and emotional strength to devote himself fully to Torah and mitzvos. With bitachon, however, he is able to keep the proper perspective on his responsibilities to himself and others without neglecting his role as a Jew. Successful fulfillment of shemittah bestows to a Jew this menuchas hanefesh, which then enhances his fulfillment of all mitzvos.
Harav Zelig Pliskin notes that once, a successful businessman tried to expand his business but ended up losing so much money that he lost not only his business but much of his health, physically and emotionally. Unused to failure, unaccustomed to poverty, at one point he collapsed on the street and woke up in the hospital.
Many friends came to give him chizuk, and all their visits were appreciated, but one person shared a few words with him that changed his life.
“Stop blaming yourself,” he said. “Don’t think that what happened is something you did on your own. Hashem was with you. He was with you, he’s with you now, and He’ll be there for you in the future, too. Rely on Him.”
Years later the businessman would recall: “That was the first time in my life I ever felt truemenuchas hanefesh…”
He slowly began rebuilding his life and his business, and began devoting time for things he had always put off as “luxuries.” He began allotting more time for learning and davening, and found that even though he was not earning as he was before, he could put aside more money for charitable causes. After all, this business was not on his shoulders alone. Hashem was with him.
“You have a partner,” he made sure to remind himself.”Rely on Him.”
May we be zoche to fulfill Hashem’s will with full bitachon, knowing He will help us!