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The Return of Shemitta:
A New Era in Jewish History
Rabbi Dr. Yosef Bronstein
The ideal the degree of mitzvot ha’teluyot ba’Aretz
that we can fulfill in our current state.
he Jewish people and the Land These mitzvot will deepen our connec-
of Israel have a symbiotic rela- tion to the Land and breathe new life
tionship. The mission of the into our souls. Slowly, with time, we
TJewish people is to create a will regain faith in ourselves, the Land
G-d-infused society in which wherever and, most importantly, in the beauty
we turn – be it agriculture, business,
culture or politics – we see and experi- and splendor of a life connected to G-d
that results from the People–Land con-
ence G-d. The desire and ability to live A wedding in Gush Etzion (PHOTO: DONI COHEN)
all of life in the pleasantness of G-d’s nection (Orot HaTechiyah, chapter 33). If
presence is innate to the Jewish soul. severed our people from our land and we allow these mitzvot to impact us, G-d
However, this inner nature can only both suffered as a result. Our people will grant us the ability to fulfill even
be actualized when the Jewish people could no longer infuse the mundane more of these land-oriented mitzvot
are in their natural place – the Land world with sanctity and retreated to (Igrot HaRe’iyah, letter 208).
of Israel. “The land impacts the people to the oases of the synagogue and study Simultaneously, we must delve deeply
reveal their inner characteristic of desiring hall. Correspondingly, the Land of into the laws of the Land. Throughout
a life completely infused with divinity.” Israel hid its uniqueness. Controlled the long exile, when the spiritual con-
by one foreign invader after another,
Similarly, the Land of Israel is a phys- it remained desolate for close to two nection between the People and the
ical land that brims with the Divine millennia. Land was sublimated, the laws of the
Presence. Even in its natural state, Land and its produce were a neglected
the Land itself is holy and wherever Writing in 1909, Rav Kook posited that topic of study. Now, however, as we
one turns in it, one is close to G-d (Orot his generation was the beginning of feel a renewed connection to Eretz
HaTechiyah, chapter 28). But this sanc- an historical pivot. The Jewish people Yisrael, we must actively deepen our
tity can only be experienced when the were experiencing a powerful yearn- relationship with the Land through the
Jewish people are present and living ing for the land, and for the first time study of its laws. In addition to being
righteously in the Land. “The people since the Roman exile, were beginning practically important, studying these
impact the Land such that the seed of G-d to return to the Land en-masse. Before laws will deepen our awareness of the
can be revealed.” their eyes, the Land was responding Land’s holiness and help us actualize
to the presence of its children and the Torah’s ultimate vision (Introduction
The synthesis of the Jewish people and agriculture was beginning to flourish
the Land is apparent during the Shem- to Mishpat Kohen).
itta year when the Land experiences a once again. Though we have made great strides
“Shabbat to G-d,” and His active owner- But Rav Kook understood that this was in the ensuing century, Rav Kook’s
ship of the Land is clear to all. All food only the beginning of a process. The message still rings true today. We are
that grows in G-d’s land is automatically ideal vision of a G-d-permeated society delighted by the increase in our connec-
imbued with sanctity. People cannot in the Land remained a distant goal. tion to the Land and our ability to keep
engage in competitive commerce nor While Jews felt a deep connection to the mitzvot ha’teluyot ba’Aretz. However,
lord over their fellow Jews as all are the Land, many misinterpreted their we cannot be satisfied with our current
equal before G-d. These values, once souls’ signals and tried to excise G-d situation. We must deepen our connec-
imbibed during the Shemitta year, can and His Torah from the People–Land tion to the Land and its mitzvot until
be drawn into the following six years of relationship. Unfortunately, we are not G-d permeates every corner of the Land
work, creating a Jewish society that is yet able to actualize the full promise of and our lives. May that day come soon!
vibrant, accomplished, and G-dly. Shemitta.
The real Returning to the ideal
This grand vision can only be actual- But this gap between the real and the Rabbi Dr. Yosef Bronstein is a faculty member
ized when the Jewish people dwell in ideal should not lead to despair. Instead, of Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim and
their land. Tragically, the long exile we should joyfully throw ourselves into Yeshiva University.
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