Shemittah, Exile, & Redemption: A Deeper Look at a Timeless Connection

There is a profound link between observing the mitzvah (commandment) of Shemittah—the Sabbatical year—and the Jewish people's experience of exile and eventual redemption. Throughout classical sources, our sages emphasize that neglecting this unique mitzvah has national consequences, while its observance has the power to hasten the ultimate redemption.

Abarbanel: The Land Itself Cries Out

The 15th-century Torah commentator Don Isaac Abarbanel provides a striking interpretation of a well-known verse:

"I will remember My covenant with Yaakov, and also My covenant with Yitzchak, and also My covenant with Avraham, and I will remember the land" (Vayikra 26:42).

The Abarbanel explains that although the merit of the Avot (Patriarchs) is great and remembered by Hashem, so too is Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel) remembered — and that this is not always to our benefit. The land itself, he writes, stands before Hashem and cries out over our failure to observe the laws of Shemittah, the violation of its sacred rest. Thus, even as the merits of our ancestors are recalled, the sins against the land delay redemption.

As the Torah continues:

"Then the land will be appeased for its Sabbaths while it is desolate from them ... until they will gain appeasement for their sin."

This teaches that exile continues until the Jewish People returns to Hashem in teshuvah me’ahavah—repentance out of love. When the people’s sins are transformed into merits, only then can redemption fully blossom.

Midrash Tanchuma: A Warning from God to Moses

In Midrash Tanchuma, God tells Moshe Rabbeinu directly:

“Do you want them [i.e., the Jewish People] not to be exiled? Warn them about the Shemittah and Jubilee years.”

Here we see Shemittah framed not just as agricultural laws but as a safeguard against exile. The message is simple: failure to let the land rest leads to national consequences.

Midrash Aggadah: The Gift of the Land

The Midrash Aggadah elaborates:

“Come and see how beloved the Jewish People is to Hashem. He gave them a desirable land … Hashem said: ‘Plant for six years and let the seventh rest in order that you will know the land is Mine.’”

This reflects the deep symbolism of Shemittah—our testimony that Hashem owns the land. The verse "When you come to the land that I am giving you" (Vayikra 25:2) emphasizes that the land is not gained through human effort alone — “not by your sword, nor by your bow” — but as a Divine gift. But when the people failed to observe Shemittah and Yovel (the Jubilee year, which comes every 50th year), they forfeited their rights to the land and were exiled, fulfilling the verse:

“All the days of its desolation it will rest.”

Our disobedience led not only to exile but to the loss of countless spiritual and material blessings, and this state of affairs will continue until Hashem returns His spirit to the Holy Land and Jerusalem is reestablished as a source of praise in the world.

Midrash Tehillim: A Land Under Divine Watch

On the verse from Tehillim (Psalms 85:2), "You have favored Your land, O Lord; You have returned the captivity of Yaakov," the Midrash Tehillim explains:

“A land that Hashem your God cares for; His eyes are always upon it.”

God constantly gazes upon the Land of Israel, awaiting the moment when the Jewish People will fulfill all the laws related to it. This includes giving proper tithes (ma’aser), and observing Shemittah and Yovel. When these mitzvot are fulfilled, the land’s actions are considered favorable before God, and the redemption begins to stir.

Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz: Shemittah for the Nation and All Generations

Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l, a former Rosh Yeshivah of the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem, powerfully emphasized:

“This mitzvah was not commanded only to individuals or for a specific time. It was given to the entire community and for all generations. Because of the fact that this mitzvah was not observed, we were punished and exiled from our land. Through observing it, we will merit to be redeemed again, may it be speedily in our days, Amen.”

His words highlight the fact that Shemittah is not merely an agricultural or symbolic practice. It’s a national responsibility, tied to the very rhythm of exile and redemption.

Conclusion: Shemittah as a Spiritual Compass

In the American-Jewish experience, far removed from a direct agricultural connection to the Land of Israel, it can be easy to view Shemittah as a distant or archaic mitzvah. But as these powerful sources reveal, Shemittah is a spiritual barometer for the nation. Its observance signals our recognition of Divine ownership, our humility before Hashem, and our readiness for redemption.

As Jews committed to the Torah, deepening our understanding of Shemittah — through supporting its observance, studying its laws, and appreciating its national significance — can bring us one step closer to the Geulah.