Taking a Closer Look (Rabbi Dov Kramer)
“And if you’ll say, ‘what will we eat in the seventh year, for we have not seeded nor have we gathered our produce.’ And I (G-d) will command My blessing for you in the sixth year, and it will make [enough] produce [to last] three years” (Vayikra 25:20-21). This promise was made in 2448 (before G-d moved the venue of His communication with Moshe from Mt. Sinai to the Mishkan). This year (5770), a vineyard (Hararei Kedem) won two gold medals and a silver medal at a wine competition; the prize-winning wines were made from grapes grown in the sixth year of the past Shemita cycle, a year (5767) in which the owner (Ariel Ben-Sheetrit) says his vineyard produced three times the usual quantity of grapes (www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/137172). At first glance, this sounds pretty amazing. Having worked in the media for more than two decades, I have a fair amount of skepticism about the accuracy of details in news stories (and I’m not in a position to verify these for myself). Nevertheless, working with the details provided in this story, a few thoughts came to mind.
First of all, the general consensus is that when there is no “Yovel” (Jubilee year) the prohibition against working the land during the seventh year is not a biblical prohibition, but a rabbinic one (see Rambam, Hilchos Shemita v’Yovel 9:2). Does the biblical promise of triple the amount of produce apply even when the obligation to observe Shemita is not a biblical obligation? The Sema (Sefer Meiras Aynaim, the commentary of Rabbi Yehoshua Falk, a student of the Ramuh, on the Choshen Mishpat section of the Shulchan Aruch, 67:2) says that the blessing only applies when the obligation to keep Shemita is biblical, while the Chazon Ish (Shevi’is 18:4) disagrees. (My thanks to Rabbi Micha Berger for pointing me towards these sources). It would be tempting to suggest that since the Chazon Ish lived (for the final decades of his life) in the Land of Israel, the “reality” of whether or not the blessing would be fulfilled was affected by his being the premiere halachic authority in Israel (whereas Rabbi Falk lived in the Ukraine, 300 years earlier), but I am not that bold. The Chazon Ish himself wrote that the blessing is not arbitrary; it either applies to all of the land or to none of it (he describes the blessing as a promise that is only fulfilled if we are worthy of its fulfillment). Interestingly, whether or not the blessing applies nowadays was apparently part of the discussion when determining if “heter mechira” was a viable option. Although the Chazon Ish wrote that we must do all we can through natural means (“hishtadlus”) to ensure that there is enough food to eat during Shemita, and then, after we do all we can, the blessing can occur, he was opposed to the “heter mechira.”
Another factor to keep in mind is what the Torah means by the three-year blessing. If we can’t work the land during the seventh year, there is only one “lost” year of crops, so all the sixth year would need to produce to compensate for the (lost) seventh year is double its normal output, not triple. Rashi (25:21) says that the “three years” do not mean three full years, but parts of three calendar years, i.e. the second half of the sixth year, the entire seventh year, and the first half of the eighth year. The Sifra (Behar 4:6) understands the blessing to have a dual meaning (see Raavad). When it is only the seventh year that needs to be compensated for, the “three years” refers to the parts of the three years that the output of the sixth year must be used for; the actual output is only double its norm. However, since the 50th year (“Yovel”) has the same prohibitions against working the land as the seventh/forty-ninth year, there are two years worth of crops that must be compensated for. In those instances, the sixth/forty-eighth year will produce triple its normal output, enough to cover three full calendar years (corresponding to the “seventh, eighth and ninth” years of the seven year cycle). Being that 5769 was not “Yovel,” and it was only in 5768 that Ben-Sheetrit did not work his vineyard, it is interesting that its output in 5767 was triple its normal output, not double.
On the other hand, had his vineyard produced “only” twice its normal output, would anyone have taken notice? Would Ben-Sheetrit have mentioned it in his acceptance speech, expounding upon Rashi’s commentary to explain how producing double was a fulfillment of the biblical promise? There is much tension in Israel between those that insist that no work be done on the land during Shemita and those that rely on the “heter mechira.” Ben Sheetrit acknowledged that he was under a lot of pressure to not keep Shemita, but decided to keep it anyway. If G-d wanted us to stop and take notice that someone who resisted such pressure was rewarded (there are other unique aspects to his vineyard too), tripling his output was likely much more effective than “just” doubling it.
“[G-d] is standing behind our wall, observing from the windows, glancing through the lattices” (Shir HaShirim 2:9). Even in times of “hester panim,” when G-d’s face is hidden, His involvement with the world and His creations is evident. Even if the biblical blessing only applies when the laws of Shemita are biblically mandated, or apply equally to all of the land (or none of it), blessing Hararei Kedem with a triple output was an effective way of catching our attention.
“And if you’ll say, ‘what will we eat in the seventh year, for we have not seeded nor have we gathered our produce.’ And I (G-d) will command My blessing for you in the sixth year, and it will make [enough] produce [to last] three years” (Vayikra 25:20-21). This promise was made in 2448 (before G-d moved the venue of His communication with Moshe from Mt. Sinai to the Mishkan). This year (5770), a vineyard (Hararei Kedem) won two gold medals and a silver medal at a wine competition; the prize-winning wines were made from grapes grown in the sixth year of the past Shemita cycle, a year (5767) in which the owner (Ariel Ben-Sheetrit) says his vineyard produced three times the usual quantity of grapes (www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/137172). At first glance, this sounds pretty amazing. Having worked in the media for more than two decades, I have a fair amount of skepticism about the accuracy of details in news stories (and I’m not in a position to verify these for myself). Nevertheless, working with the details provided in this story, a few thoughts came to mind.
First of all, the general consensus is that when there is no “Yovel” (Jubilee year) the prohibition against working the land during the seventh year is not a biblical prohibition, but a rabbinic one (see Rambam, Hilchos Shemita v’Yovel 9:2). Does the biblical promise of triple the amount of produce apply even when the obligation to observe Shemita is not a biblical obligation? The Sema (Sefer Meiras Aynaim, the commentary of Rabbi Yehoshua Falk, a student of the Ramuh, on the Choshen Mishpat section of the Shulchan Aruch, 67:2) says that the blessing only applies when the obligation to keep Shemita is biblical, while the Chazon Ish (Shevi’is 18:4) disagrees. (My thanks to Rabbi Micha Berger for pointing me towards these sources). It would be tempting to suggest that since the Chazon Ish lived (for the final decades of his life) in the Land of Israel, the “reality” of whether or not the blessing would be fulfilled was affected by his being the premiere halachic authority in Israel (whereas Rabbi Falk lived in the Ukraine, 300 years earlier), but I am not that bold. The Chazon Ish himself wrote that the blessing is not arbitrary; it either applies to all of the land or to none of it (he describes the blessing as a promise that is only fulfilled if we are worthy of its fulfillment). Interestingly, whether or not the blessing applies nowadays was apparently part of the discussion when determining if “heter mechira” was a viable option. Although the Chazon Ish wrote that we must do all we can through natural means (“hishtadlus”) to ensure that there is enough food to eat during Shemita, and then, after we do all we can, the blessing can occur, he was opposed to the “heter mechira.”
Another factor to keep in mind is what the Torah means by the three-year blessing. If we can’t work the land during the seventh year, there is only one “lost” year of crops, so all the sixth year would need to produce to compensate for the (lost) seventh year is double its normal output, not triple. Rashi (25:21) says that the “three years” do not mean three full years, but parts of three calendar years, i.e. the second half of the sixth year, the entire seventh year, and the first half of the eighth year. The Sifra (Behar 4:6) understands the blessing to have a dual meaning (see Raavad). When it is only the seventh year that needs to be compensated for, the “three years” refers to the parts of the three years that the output of the sixth year must be used for; the actual output is only double its norm. However, since the 50th year (“Yovel”) has the same prohibitions against working the land as the seventh/forty-ninth year, there are two years worth of crops that must be compensated for. In those instances, the sixth/forty-eighth year will produce triple its normal output, enough to cover three full calendar years (corresponding to the “seventh, eighth and ninth” years of the seven year cycle). Being that 5769 was not “Yovel,” and it was only in 5768 that Ben-Sheetrit did not work his vineyard, it is interesting that its output in 5767 was triple its normal output, not double.
On the other hand, had his vineyard produced “only” twice its normal output, would anyone have taken notice? Would Ben-Sheetrit have mentioned it in his acceptance speech, expounding upon Rashi’s commentary to explain how producing double was a fulfillment of the biblical promise? There is much tension in Israel between those that insist that no work be done on the land during Shemita and those that rely on the “heter mechira.” Ben Sheetrit acknowledged that he was under a lot of pressure to not keep Shemita, but decided to keep it anyway. If G-d wanted us to stop and take notice that someone who resisted such pressure was rewarded (there are other unique aspects to his vineyard too), tripling his output was likely much more effective than “just” doubling it.
“[G-d] is standing behind our wall, observing from the windows, glancing through the lattices” (Shir HaShirim 2:9). Even in times of “hester panim,” when G-d’s face is hidden, His involvement with the world and His creations is evident. Even if the biblical blessing only applies when the laws of Shemita are biblically mandated, or apply equally to all of the land (or none of it), blessing Hararei Kedem with a triple output was an effective way of catching our attention.
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