Shmitah and the Perspective of Unity: From Individual to Nation

Full Summary

Rabbi Zweig addresses a perplexing question: why were the Jewish people exiled for not observing the Sabbatical year (Shmitah) when it should have been the easiest mitzvah (מצוה) to fulfill? The Torah (תורה) promises that in the sixth year, Hashem (ה׳) provides enough food for three years, essentially paying in advance. If people already received triple the income, why would they worry about not working in the seventh year? The Rabbi proposes that the real issue wasn't working the fields during Shmitah, but rather begrudging others the right to take from their property. During the seventh year, landowners must allow others to enter their fields and take produce freely. This reflects a deeper human condition - the difficulty of seeing others benefit from what we consider ours, even when it costs us nothing. Using the Mishnah (משנה)'s concepts of ayin tova (good eye) and ayin ra (bad eye), Rabbi Zweig explains these aren't about intelligence or perception, but about character traits. A person with a good eye is genuinely happy with others' success and willing to share, while someone with a bad eye begrudges others their achievements and resents giving anything away. This creates a fundamental divide in how people approach relationships and community. The Rabbi connects this to the death of Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 students, who died because "they did not give proper respect to one another." He suggests the Talmud (תלמוד) deliberately describes them as "12,000 pairs" rather than 24,000 individuals because each student viewed his study partnership as a complete unit, creating an us-versus-them mentality rather than seeing themselves as part of a larger whole. The solution requires a fundamental shift in self-perception. Instead of viewing ourselves as independent units competing with others, we must see ourselves as integral parts of the Jewish people as a corporate entity. This perspective change transforms emotions entirely - when others succeed, we share in that success because we're all part of the same entity. Rabbi Zweig illustrates this with the Mishnah's teaching that it's better to be the tail of a lion than the head of a fox - if you define yourself as part of something greater, being a smaller part of something magnificent is preferable to leading something insignificant. The Rabbi explains that crying (tears - 'dema' in Hebrew) represents this transformation. Breaking down the word as 'dam ayin' (blood of the eye), he suggests tears represent the heart bleeding through the eyes - an emotional opening that allows us to connect with others' experiences. The pathology of desire (eye sees, heart wants, body acts) becomes transformed into empathy when the heart 'bleeds' for others. The timing of the students' deaths between Pesach (פסח) and Shavuot is crucial because receiving the Torah requires this unified perspective. No individual received the Torah at Sinai - even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, despite their greatness, didn't receive it individually. Only the Jewish people as a collective entity merited receiving the Torah. Without understanding our corporate identity, we cannot truly receive or deserve the Torah. This principle extends to our relationship with the Land of Israel. The land was given to the Jewish people as a nation, not to individuals. When we lose the perspective of being one people and instead see ourselves as separate individuals with loose associations, we lose our claim to the land. Rabbi Zweig suggests this dynamic is playing out today, both in Israel and in how diaspora communities relate to events there. The practical application begins with changing how we interact with those closest to us - neighbors, fellow community members, even those we find difficult. Before writing checks to help distant Jews, we must first transform our relationships with the Jews we encounter daily, learning to genuinely celebrate their successes and share in their struggles as if they were our own.