Weekly Letter: The Mitzvah of Shmitta

In his letter, the Rebbe explains the mitzvah of shmitta, the sabbatical year – as a testimony to G-d as the Creator and master and as a common denominator of the holy and the mundane.

By the Grace of G-d

First day of the week,

P’ b’Har b’Chukosai, 5726

Greeting and Blessing:

(excerpt of a letter)

Just as Shabbos, the seventh day, is elevated above all the days of the week and is sanctified unto G-d, so is Shemittah, the seventh year, distinguished from all the other years and sanctified unto G-d.

And just as Shabbos testifies to the fact that G-d is the Creator of the world, Who created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, the holy Shabbos, and this recurs every week, inasmuch as G-d’s creation of the world is continuous, as explained in many sources and especially in chassidus, so also has the year of Shemittah  been consecrated as testimony to the fact that G-d is the Master of the world. 

The meaning of the above in the daily life, is as follows:

In the personal life of a Jew there are times when the spiritual is expressed prominently and intensely, as is reflected in Jewish life in the synagogue and in the bais medrash, in the yeshivah or similar educational institutions; a life permeated with Torah and yiras Shomayim – a Shabbos unto G-d. 

From this he may erroneously infer that at times – at home in domestic affairs, in the street and in business affairs – it is not important to emphasize the unto G-d aspect. 

Likewise, the cessation of work in the field and letting the soil lie fallow during the year of Shemittah, may at first glance appear to be a natural means of improving the fertility of the soil, to yield more and better produce. Yet the Torah expressly states that his rest period should be observed onto G-d – only because it is a mitzvah of G-d and is to be consecrated to G-d.

The year of Shemittah reminds us and emphasizes, just as does the Shabbos of Creation, that in Jewish life all incidents and particulars in the daily routine, even the so-called material and earthly things – such as eating and drinking and matters of parnosso – must be unto G-d: the eating must be unto G-d, the drinking unto G-d, working and business unto G-d; indeed all aspects of the day-to-day  life of a Jew must be permeated with sanctity and light which attach the Jew to G-d.

                                                 With blessing,