Right now, as you are reading this, there are a segment of Israelis who are doing something you might consider insane.
Right now, in Israel, there are a significant number of farmers and other agriculture workers who, in complete denial of all business and financial know-how, have set down their tools and are, quite literally, having a Sabbatical.
These are not necessarily people with the financial resources to withstand a year’s loss of income. These are not necessarily people who are at a stage in life where a Sabbatical is needed. These people have stopped working for a year because of the Mitzvah (written towards the beginning of this week’s Sedra) of Shemitah.
The laws of Shemitah require a farmer to leave his field fallow and unfarmed every 7 years. He must watch on as anyone and everyone are allowed to help themselves to his produce. This Hebrew year, 5775, is a Shemitah year, and hence all over Israel there are farmers scrupulously observing this Mitzvah.
As mentioned previously, some – if not all – readers will undoubtedly regard this as foolish, irresponsible and frankly insane. Many of these farmers have dependants. Many do not have back-up plans. How can they do this?
When we start thinking a little deeper, and look at the explanations and reasons given by the Torah and the Rabbis for this Mitzvah, we might change our view somewhat. The character trait which lies at the base of the observance of Shemitah is called Bitachon, trust. Interestingly enough, this word in Modern Hebrew has come to mean “security”. In fact, trust is actually the only security we really have. We all know people in the past few financially difficult years who have seen their assets drastically reduced. Often this has happened extremely quickly, and often through no fault of the person himself. In truth, there is no way to achieve absolute financial security. The reality is, that ultimately all financial growth and decline has its source in Heaven. He has endless ways and means to either increase or decrease our earnings, and nothing we can do can get in the way of His plans.
The Mitzvah of Shemitah is the ultimate reminder of this. G-d is issuing a challenge; it is as if He is saying: Show me you believe in me! Can we listen to the word of our Provider by resting from work, safe in the knowledge that it is G-d Himself who will see to our needs? Are we able to let go of our need to be in control of our lives, are we willing to admit that we are powerless to control our own fate?
It’s no surprise that the observers of Shemitah are said by the Sages to have “great strength”. It takes a huge amount of spiritual strength and resolution to put one’s trust firmly in the hands of G-d, to go a whole year without working. Yet the message of Shemitah is not limited to Israeli farmers. Are we so confident in our own abilities that we forget about the role that G-d plays? Are we able to draw on some inner great strength to realise that we are not in control? This question plays itself out so many times in a person’s daily routine. Do we think that our livelihood depends on just answering that email when our kids or spouses could really do with our attention? Will we resort to questionable practices in a bid to ensure our financial stability, forgetting that G-d – who hates that sort of thing – is the actual provider of our finances? And can we do the ultimate show of Bitachon, and hang up our work tools for 1 year in 7 – or, more relevantly, for 1 day of the week?
Can you?
Good Shabbos, Dovi