Some time ago, I jokingly wondered to a friend whether G-d is a Communist. After my friend noted his astonishment (to put it mildly) at the comment, I clarified what I meant. Septennially, the Land of Israel effectively becomes ownerless for a period of one year. In Shemittah, one is not permitted to plant, water, or harvest his or her own land. Anybody is free to take of the produce that grows of itself, without fear of being labeled a thief. Only minimal care may be lavished upon the land, to prevent its deterioration.

Of course, G-d is not now nor has He ever been a Communist. However, the lessons of this Sabbatical year for our weltanschauung are profound. “Lashem ha’aretz u’m’lo’ah,” declares the Psalmist — the land and all its fullness belong to the L-rd. In His goodness, He bequeathed to the Jewish people the most wonderful portion on earth, the Land of Israel. And most of the usual rules of ownership apply in that land, except every seventh year, when G-d pinches us awake. He pinches us so that we will know who actually puts our food on the table. With all the worries about the receding water level in Lake Kinneret, about worldwide recession, about droughts or floods — with all these “natural” concerns, ultimately G-d is our source of sustenance.

If this is true for the world in its entirety, how much more does it hold for the Land of Israel, about which the Torah says: “G-d’s eyes are constantly upon it, from the beginning of the year until the end of the year” (Deuteronomy 11:12). Never does G-d, as it were, take His eyes off the Holy Land and its needs. Especially in these times of travail for our brethren in Israel, we must look Above for help.

The preparations to successfully navigate Shemittah are arduous. The article in this issue about Shemittah by the ~’s Israel Representative, Rabbi Aharon Haskel, details the copious amount of work undertaken to guarantee an adequate food supply this year. There are two ways to approach such preparation for a mitzvah. One way is to see it as a cumbersome task, endured because one has no choice. The other is to see it as a challenge and an opportunity. Certainly G-d wants us to approach the Sabbatical year with the latter frame of mind — with the desire not just to get through Shemittah, but to experience it.

The same sentiment applies to Pesach. No holiday requires more physical preparation. We pull out all the stops in a conscientious effort to rid our home of every last bit of chametz. Yet what is our intellectual approach to this cleaning process? Do we dread it, seeing it as a task we must tolerate, or do we perceive an opportunity to put out the red carpet (and clean it!) for the coming of the holiday?

This is a significant matter, because our frame of mind affects how well we accomplish a task. Regardless of the task — whether it is our job, our business, the raising of our children — we can choose to have a good or a bad attitude about it. Once we choose to have a good attitude, the work transforms. The converse is true if our attitude is negative.

Whether in spiritual or material pursuits, what is our mindset? Do we approach Shemittah, and Pesach, in the proper way? Do we understand Shemittah not as a year to get through, but as an opportunity to put aside materialism and appreciate spirituality (as do the farmers who spend the year in Torah study)? And do we see in Pesach the chance to step back from the chametz that is permitted during the rest of the year and cleanse ourselves of spiritual leaven?

None of this is meant to minimize the struggles that Israeli farmers undergo during Shemittah. But we all have struggles in life, and it is through our struggles that we grow. This too is part of our Shemittah lesson, and while it pertains specifically to our brethren who own farms in Israel, we can take G-d’s message to heart and apply it to our Pesach preparations.

We wish all our readers a happy, kosher, and meaningful Pesach, with the hope that as we transform through our approach to the holiday, so will the holiday transform us.

—Avraham M. Goldstein