Pastoral Shemitah Messages

Although it may be necessary later in the day to engage in “mundane” activities, the essence and purpose of these things are—to attain a “Sabbath unto G‑d.”

The Torah indicates that the year of Shemittah should influence the Jew to a lasting cessation and rest from all that is “earthly” and coarse; that he must become more spiritual and refined.

The Shemittah year emphasizes the concept that although the Creator has given the earth to man, for food and use, he must remember that the real and permanent proprietor is G‑d,

It is expected of every Jew, man or woman, young or old, that he (or she) bring in “Shabbosdikeit” (the spirit of Shabbos) into all his toil, including also the mundane activities; to bring in spirituality and holiness also in the ordinary and mundane activities of the daily life, until they are thoroughly permeated with the spirit of Shabbos.

Every day we have the Sabbatical elements—prayer, Torah study, mitzvot—and the mundane aspects. Are these two elements of the day mutually exclusive?

Although Shemittah is primarily connected with the holiness of the land of Israel, where the laws of Shemittah are in force, it has been explained on many occasions that a Jew, wherever he is, is expected in his everyday life, especially in his spiritual life, to transform his environment—his home as well as his surroundings—into a (spiritual) “Land of Israel.”