{"id":12241,"date":"2026-07-12T00:14:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T21:14:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=12241"},"modified":"2026-08-05T14:40:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T11:40:40","slug":"17-12-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-12-14\/","title":{"rendered":"14. Shemita"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly all Tanna\u2019im agree that about 150 years before the destruction of the First Temple, when the king of Assyria exiled the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe, shemita<\/em> and yovel<\/em> ceased to apply by Torah law. These mitzvot apply by Torah law only when Israel dwells properly in its Land, with the majority of each tribe in its inheritance (Arakhin<\/em> 32b; Peninei Halakha: Shemita Ve-yovel<\/em> 5:4, note 3). Thus, when the Men of the Great Assembly sanctified the Land with respect to shemita<\/em> and yovel<\/em>, the conditions for Torah obligation had not yet been restored. During the Second Temple period, therefore, the Jewish people were obligated to observe them by rabbinic enactment. That sanctification remained effective for the future as well: when Israel returns to its Land, each tribe to its inheritance, shemita<\/em> and yovel<\/em> will again apply by Torah law, without any need to sanctify the Land again.<\/p>\n

Even after the destruction of the Second Temple, the rabbinic obligation to observe shemita<\/em> was not nullified. True, uncertainty emerged regarding which year is the seventh year. In addition, some Rishonim maintain that once the court that sanctified the months and counted the years no longer functioned \u2013 about 300 years after the destruction of the Second Temple \u2013 the obligation of shemita<\/em> ceased as well. According to them, observing shemita<\/em> today is proper only as a pious practice (Razah and Raavad). In practice, however, the overwhelming majority of Rishonim and A\u1e25aronim maintain that even today one must observe shemita<\/em> by rabbinic enactment, following the accepted count transmitted to us (Peninei Halakha: Shemita Ve-yovel<\/em> 5:6\u20137, notes 5\u20136).<\/p>\n

One must observe shemita<\/em> in gevul olei Mitzrayim<\/em> and Syria as well. However, the prohibition of sefi\u1e25im<\/em> \u2013 produce that grew on its own during shemita<\/em> \u2013 was enacted specifically for gevul olei Bavel<\/em>, not for gevul olei Mitzrayim<\/em> or Syria (Rambam, Sefer Mitzvot Gadol<\/em>, Sefer ha-\u1e24inukh<\/em>, and others). Some authorities are even more lenient and maintain that in gevul olei Mitzrayim<\/em> and Syria, shemita<\/em> produce may be eaten even after the time of bi\u2019ur<\/em>. According to another view, produce grown there does not have the sanctity of shemita<\/em> at all. [17]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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[17]<\/a>. The overwhelming majority of authorities maintain that the prohibition against agricultural work during shemita<\/em> applies even in gevul olei Mitzrayim<\/em> and Syria. According to this view, the only distinction between gevul olei Bavel<\/em> and the rest of the Land concerns the prohibition of sefi\u1e25im<\/em> (Rambam, Sefer Mitzvot Gadol<\/em>, Sefer ha-\u1e24inukh<\/em>, Kaftor Va-fera\u1e25<\/em>, Tiferet Yisrael<\/em>, Niv\u1e25ar Mi-kesef<\/em>, Ma\u2019amar Mordekhai<\/em>, Mishpetei Eretz<\/em>, and many others). Among these authorities, some maintain that the law of bi\u2019ur<\/em> does not apply to produce grown there (R. Shimshon of Sens and Ramban). Others maintain that produce grown there does not have the sanctity of shemita<\/em> at all (Mahari\u1e6d, the Vilna Gaon, and Pe\u2019at ha-Shul\u1e25an<\/em>). A few Rishonim maintain that outside gevul olei Bavel<\/em> there is no prohibition against agricultural work during shemita<\/em> \u2013 Rabbeinu Gershom, Rashi, Meiri, \u1e24ullin<\/em> 6b, and Tashbetz<\/em> 3:199. This view, however, was not accepted by the other authorities. For that reason, I did not cite it in Peninei Halakha: Shemita Ve-yovel<\/em> 5:8, note 7.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nearly all Tanna\u2019im agree that about 150 years before the destruction of the First Temple, when the king of Assyria exiled the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe, shemita and yovel ceased to apply by Torah law. These mitzvot apply by Torah law only when Israel dwells properly in its Land, with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[233],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-17-12"],"yoast_head":"\n14. 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