Shmitta and Faith

Shavua Tov. Today we learned the importance of the Mitzva of שמיטה, the observance of the Sabbatical year and the requirement to leave the land fallow. In פרקי אבות it’s written that Galut comes to the Jewish people for four sins: murder, immorality, idol worship, and the violation of Shmitta. Shmitta was chosen as an example of the law given on Mount Sinai. This is because, it may require more faith than most of the Mitzvot of the Torah. We put our absolute faith in Hashem that He will provide us with a livelihood, even though we do not work the land. The Netivot Shalom says that we demonstrate this faith every single week when we observe Shabbat. On a smaller scale, we put our faith in Hashem by not working one day a week. It’s all about faith as the Prophet חבקוק says, צדיק באמונתו יחיה, that a righteous person shall live by his faith.