פרשת בהר

This week’s פרשה speaks about the מצוה of observing the שמיטה (sabbatical) year. The שמיטה year is according to the תורה, every seventh year Jewish farmers need to halt production on their fields and vineyards and leave it bare for one year.

Just imagine, your boss comes up to you and tells you that he has noticed you are the hardest and most reliable worker in the company and he has chosen you to head up the company’s newest department. Obviously you would be ecstatic (as you should be, this position is giving you a giant pay raise and you have the ability to create it the way you want it). So you come to your first day of work and you begin to create it. You have to work really hard, work the long hours, and give up your free time in order to get it off the ground.

Fast forward a few years and you are doing great. Business is going extremely well, you are raking in the money and you are doing great work and putting out incredible products.

One day, your boss (the CEO) comes over to you at the annual meeting and says “I have decided that I want to test your loyalty to me and the rest of the company so I want you to shut down your branch for the next year, I mean I want it COMPLETELY CLOSED.” I don’t know about you, but I would not be too thrilled about it, but he is the boss so, what can you do.

A year later you come back to the office and find out that since you shut down business a year ago, not only is demand off the charts, but your boss gives you a raise for the sole reason of you trusting him.

This is exactly what happens to the Jews during שמיטה. ה' tells us that we need to stop production on our fields and let them lay barren the whole year. Now why would a God want us to do this? One answer that I can think of is that, ה' is not doing it for himself. He knows that if we work the land year in and year out like the goyim that somewhere down the line we are going to forget that he is the “CEO” and the land is NOT really ours and that everything is a gift from God. Without ה' we would have nothing, therefore ה' gives us this ability to remind ourselves every seven that he is the ultimate owner of everything and if we “follow his lead”, we will be successful whether it be in farming or in any aspect of life.

Have a Great Shabbos

Yoni Spigelman