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36

May 10 • 2018

jn

he Jewish people are com-
manded to observe a day of rest
every seven days. While many
know about Shabbat, fewer are aware
that the land is supposed to have a
Shabbat as well. What exactly is a
Shabbat for the fields?
In Israel, every seven years is known
as a shemita year, or sabbatical year,
when the land of Israel must lay fal-
low with no Jews allowed
Rabbinate allows every Israeli
to work the fields. In Behar,
farm to register for a sale per-
we learn about the shemita
mit and the Rabbinate “sells”
laws. Our ancestors were
all the land to a non-Jew. At the
forbidden from cultivating
end of the sabbatical year, the
their fields or vineyards.
Rabbinate buys back the land
The land was allowed to
on the farmers’ behalf for a
rest, but the people in Israel
similar amount.
were able to gather and eat
The laws of the sabbatical
Rabbi Jason
whatever the land produced
year may seem like ancient
Miller
on its own.
agricultural rules from the
My first visit to Israel was
Torah, but they continue to be
in 1994, which was a shemita
a very real part of the religious, agri-
year. Unlike many of my friends who
cultural and economic reality in 21st-
planted their own trees in the Jewish
century Israel. Almost 24 years after
homeland, my group of teens were
my first trip to Israel, I still think back
told that we would be unable to plant
to the agricultural lesson I learned
trees because of the sabbatical year.
on that teen tour. The sabbatical year
While we were disappointed that we
forces me to consider the importance
couldn’t physically plant a tree, we
of the land to our survival. The words
were fascinated by this ancient law
of the Birkat Hamazon (Grace After
that was still followed religiously in
Meals) are not about food, but rather
the modern period. We were told how
about the source of our food. We
it is forbidden to perform any agricul-
praise God for the land because we
tural activity, including plowing, plant-
understand that without a fertile land,
ing, pruning or harvesting; and this
the farmers have no crops and then
was a biblical law that had become
we have no sustenance.
a political law in modern Israel. The
We joke that the overarching theme
sabbatical year law we teens found
of all the Jewish holidays is food.
most intriguing was that whatever
While it’s true that our people spend
grew on the land during shemita was
a lot of time focused on the culinary
free for anyone, but especially the
aspects of our faith tradition, plac-
poor who could use that free food.
ing importance on the land is one of
There are some interesting nuances
Judaism’s central ethics. The next time
to the laws of shemita, most nota-
you sit down to a big, delicious meal,
bly that Jews can eat produce that
take a few moments to consider the
is grown on land in Israel owned
role of the land, the farmer and, of
by non-Jewish farmers. This means
course, God. •
that Arab farmers can harvest their
crops and sell their fresh produce to
Rabbi Jason Miller is a local educator and
Jews in Israel. Jews are also allowed
entrepreneur. Ten years ago, he founded
Kosher Michigan (koshermichigan.com), an
to eat produce that was grown in
greenhouses, which has led to a rise in international kosher certification agency. For
more information, see rabbijason.com.
the building of greenhouses to grow
vegetables during the sabbatical year.
Additionally, produce that was culti-
vated on land outside of Israel can be
CONVERSATIONS
consumed during the sabbatical year.
Have you ever sourced your own food
The sabbatical year also causes Jews
from a farm? Why do you think the
in Israel to perform some legal acro-
farm-to-table movement has become
batics sort of like what we’re familiar
so popular? What are ways you can
with before Passover when we arrange
help your children or grandchildren
for our chametz ( forbidden leavened
understand the importance of mod-
products) to be sold to a non-Jew.
ern-day farming to our survival?
Prior to the shemita year, Israel’s Chief

Parshat Behar-
Bechukotei: Leviticus
25:1-27:34; Jeremiah
16:19-17:14.