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Why did Jews consistently fail to observe shemitah despite receiving three years of produce in advance? The issue isn't financial but psychological - humans define themselves through their work and choices. Even selling naturally growing fruits during shemitah maintains one's identity as a landowner, contradicting the year's purpose of recognizing God's ownership.
Rabbi Zweig addresses several perplexing questions about the mitzvah (מצוה) of shemitah (sabbatical year). First, why does the Torah (תורה) specifically mention 'behar Sinai' in connection with shemitah when all mitzvos were given at Sinai? Second, why did the Jewish people consistently fail to observe shemitah throughout history, leading to the 70-year Babylonian exile corresponding to the neglected sabbatical cycles? Most puzzling is that the Torah promises three years of produce in the sixth year to sustain people through shemitah - if they're paid in advance, what's the difficulty in observance? The Gemara (גמרא) in Kiddushin reveals that the punishment sequence for violating shemitah laws begins not with working the land, but with selling the fruits that grow naturally during the sabbatical year (peiros shemitah). This seems minor compared to actual agricultural work, yet it triggers a cascade of punishments: selling movable property, real estate, houses, borrowing with interest, and ultimately being sold into slavery.
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Why does 'Im bechukosai telechu' refer to Torah toiling rather than simply observing statutes? The shiur develops a yesod distinguishing two aspects of Torah SheBaal Peh: amelut baTorah (self-nullifying toil) connected to Rachamim, and creative Torah insights connected to Din. This explains why Bechukosai's tochacha differs from Ki Savo's and why each is read before different yamim tovim.
How long must Hashem tolerate the Jewish people's rebellious behavior? A Midrash compares this to the halachic question of carrying a child holding muktze on Shabbos. The analysis reveals that rejecting Eretz Yisrael represents a deeper spiritual corruption than individual acts of avoda zara.
Kiddushin (litany of punishments), Sanhedrin (adam l'amal yulad), Parshas Behar
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How does failure to toil in Torah study ultimately lead to denying God's existence? The tochacha's seven-stage progression reveals that only genuine Torah effort provides authentic connection to eternal reality, while material accomplishment offers mere illusion. When people lose this spiritual grounding, they become repelled even by Shemitah's promise of blessing, preferring physical struggle to confronting their inner emptiness.
What did Dovid mean when he reduced the 613 mitzvos to twelve principles? The Gemara reveals that mitzvos have two dimensions: fulfilling the obligation and achieving personal completion (hashlomah). Dovid identified twelve core principles that encapsulate the essential character development aspect of all mitzvos.
