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Why did Jews consistently fail to observe Shmitah despite God's promise of abundant crops? The shiur argues that people psychologically need to feel they earn their sustenance to maintain identity and self-worth. Shmitah observance requires deriving one's sense of accomplishment from being an ameil b'Torah (תורה) rather than from productive work.
This shiur examines fundamental questions about the mitzvah (מצוה) of Shmitah (leaving the land fallow during the sabbatical year). The primary puzzle is understanding why the Jewish people consistently failed to observe Shmitah despite God's explicit promise that the land would produce abundantly for three years without work. The Rambam (רמב"ם) explains that Shmitah improves the land's productivity, yet historically Jews were exiled for seventy years corresponding to seventy unobserved Shmitah cycles. The Klei Yakar raises several difficulties with the Rambam's agricultural explanation: if Shmitah is merely for land improvement, why is the punishment exile rather than reduced crops? Why does the Torah (תורה) call it "a Sabbath for Hashem (ה׳)" if it's only agricultural? How can the land "rest" during exile when non-Jews will work it?
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Why does the Gemara single out Shemitah as the paradigm for Torah given with complete detail at Sinai? Shemitah tests the deepest level of chesed - ayin tov - allowing others to benefit from one's field when Hashem has already provided compensation, without any sense of being a benefactor. This represents the ultimate emulation of Hashem's joy in our existence despite it 'limiting' His absolute dominion.
Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Parshas Behar 25:1-7, Parshas Bechukosai
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Why does Parshas Bechukosai promise that total Torah dedication will transform agriculture and eliminate death? The shiur argues that 'amelus b'Torah' supported by an entire society can actually reverse Adam's sin and restore creation to its original perfect state. This explains the timing before Shavuos, which is Rosh Hashanah for fruits—the very area where cosmic imperfection began.
