Mishna Shevi'it Backup Sources

And Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi said that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said in the name of bar Kappara: Rabban Gamliel and his court discussed and then voted about the prohibitions of these two periods, i.e., from Passover or Shavuot until Rosh HaShana, and nullified them, thereby permitting plowing until Rosh HaShana, the actual beginning of the Sabbatical Year.

The Gemara asks: Is this ordinance theirs? Did Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel institute the ordinance and as such have the authority to attach stipulations to it? It is a halakha transmitted to Moses from Sinai. As Rabbi Asi said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Neḥunya from the valley of Beit Ḥortan: The halakha of ten saplings, the mitzva of bringing willow branches to the Temple on Sukkot and standing them up around the altar, and the halakha of water libation on Sukkot are all halakhot transmitted to Moses from Sinai. Consequently, the prohibition against plowing on the eve of the seventh year is a not a rabbinic ordinance from the Second Temple period, but rather an oral tradition dating back to Moses at Sinai.

(1) יהוה spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai: (2) Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When you enter the land that I assign to you, the land shall observe a sabbath of יהוה. (3) Six years you may sow your field and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather in the yield. (4) But in the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath of complete rest, a sabbath of יהוה: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. (5) You shall not reap the aftergrowth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your untrimmed vines; it shall be a year of complete rest for the land. (6) But you may eat whatever the land during its sabbath will produce—you, your male and female slaves, the hired and bound laborers who live with you, (7) and your cattle and the beasts in your land may eat all its yield.

4) ("And on the seventh year, a Sabbath of resting shall there be for the land, a Sabbath to the L–rd; your field you shall not sow, and your vineyard you shall not prune.") "and the land shall rest": I might think, from digging holes, pits, and caves and from repairing mikvaoth; it is, therefore, written "your field you shall not sow and your vineyard you shall not prune." This tells me only of sowing and pruning. Whence do I derive the same for plowing, hoeing, weeding, trimming, and notching? From (the inverted order) "your field not" and "your vineyard not" — every labor in your field and in your vineyard.

5) And whence is it derived that (on shemitah) it is forbidden to manure or to "release" (mounds of leaves) or to smoke leaves (to kill worms) or to powder (plants for fertilizing)? From "your field not." And whence is it derived that it is forbidden to trim or to cut or to hew trees? From "your field not."

6) Or "your field you shall not sow, and your vineyard you shall not prune": I might think that it is forbidden to hoe under the olive trees or to fill up cavities under the olive trees or to make ruts between one tree and another; it is, therefore, written "your field you shall not sow and your vineyard you shall not prune." Sowing and pruning were in the general category (of forbidden labor on shemitah). And why were they singled out (for distinct mention)? To have them serve as a parameter, viz.: Just as sowing and pruning are distinct in being labors for (both) field and trees, (so, all such labors are forbidden on shemitah — to exclude the above, which are not thus characterized). I might think that the year of Yovel itself is reckoned in the years of shemitah (i.e., that the fiftieth year, Yovel, is counted as the first year of the next shemitah period). It is, therefore, written (Vayikra 25:4) "Six years shall you sow your field and six years shall you prune your vineyard" — Years of sowing are reckoned in the years of shemitah (i.e., the six years preceding the seventh year must be all years of sowing), but the year of Yovel, (which is not a year of sowing) is not reckoned in the years of shemitah.

7) Whence is it derived that rice and millet and poppy and sesame which took root before Rosh Hashanah may be gathered in the seventh year? From "and you shall collect its produce. And (i.e., including) in the seventh year" (as in the above instance).

8) I might think, even if it did not take root; it is, therefore, written "Six years shall you sow your field … and you shall collect." (The plain meaning is) six for sowing and six for collecting, and not six for sowing and seven for collecting. (The first, then, must refer to what has not taken root before Rosh Hashanah, and the second, to what has.)

9) R. Yonasan b. Yosef says: Whence is it derived that produce which was of one-third growth before Rosh Hashanah (of the seventh year) may be gathered in the seventh year, (even if it brought forth only a third of its normal growth, it thus being considered a growth of the sixth year)? From "and you shall collect is produce" — even if it brought forth (only) a third (of its normal growth).

1) And whence is it derived that the thirty day period before Rosh Hashanah is regarded as the entire year? From "And on the seventh year a Sabbath of resting shall there be for the land" (the month of Rosh Hashanah being regarded as a year in itself) — whence they ruled: The shevi'ith year of benoth shuach (a type of fig) is the second year (after the shevi'ith in which it matured) because it matures every three years. R. Yehudah says: The shevi'ith year of the Persian figs is the end of Shevi'ith, for they mature every two years. They said to him: They stated it only about benoth shuach.

2) "a Sabbath to the L–rd": Just as the seventh day of creation is called "Sabbath to the L–rd," so, the seventh year. "your field you shall not sow, and your vineyard you shall not prune": (See Section 1:4 above)

3) (Vayikra 25:5) ("The after-growth of your harvest you shall not reap, and the grapes of your guarded vine you shall not glean; a year of rest shall there be for the land.") This is the source for the sages' ban on the after-growths of the seventh year. "and the grapes of your guarded vine you shall not glean": From what is guarded in the land you may not glean, but you may glean from hefker (what you relinquished ownership of.) "you shall not glean": in the (usual) way of the gleaners — whence they ruled: Figs of shevi'ith are not to be cut with a muktzeh (the usual tool), but with a knife. Grapes are not to be trod in a vat, but n a kneading trough. Olives are not to be processed in a (bad) (an olive-press) or in a kotiv (a smaller press), but may be crushed and put into a bedidah (a small press). R. Shimon says: They may also be ground in a bad and put into a bedidah.

4) "a Sabbath of resting shall there be for the land": At the end of shevi'ith, even though its fruits are of shemitah status, it is permitted to do work with the body of the tree; but its fruits are forbidden.

5) (Vayikra 25:6) ("And the resting of the land shall be for you to eat; for you and your man-servant and your maid-servant, and your hired man, and your sojourner who dwell with you.") "And the resting of the land shall be for you": From "the resting" (i.e., fruit from a field which "rested" from work on the seventh year) you may eat, but you may not eat from the "guarded." (see halachah 3 above). From here they ruled: A field which was improved (beyond what is permitted) — Beth Shammai say: Its fruits may not be eaten on shevi'ith (even if its fruits were made hefker), and Beth Hillel say: They may be eaten. Beth Shammai say: The fruits of shevi'ith (even if made hefker) are not to be eaten as a favor (to someone). Beth Hillel say: They may be eaten either way, (as a favor or not). R. Yehudah said: Reverse it — This is one of the lenient rulings of Beth Shammai and the (more) stringent rulings of Beth Hillel.

6) "for you": and not for others. "to eat": and not to bring therefrom meal-offerings and libations, (which are not eaten but consumed by fire). "for you and your man-servant and your maid-servant": What is the intent of this? Because it is written (Shemoth 23:11) "but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow that the poor of your people may eat," I might think that the fruits of shevi'ith may be eaten only by the poor alone. Whence do I derive that the rich, too, may eat? From "for you and your man-servant and your maid-servant." The owners, who are rich, are mentioned (i.e., "for you") and the man-servants and maid-servants are mentioned. Why, then, is it written "that the poor of your people may eat"? The poor may eat after the biur (the removal from the house of fruits of the shemitah period), but not the rich. These are the words of R. Yehudah. R. Yossi says: Both the poor and the rich may eat after the biur.

7) Variantly: "that the poor of your people may eat": What is fit for a man (is given) to a man (On shevi'ith food for men is not given to beasts, for this would be "wasting" it), and what is fit for a beast is given to a beast. "and your hired man and your sojourner": (even) gentiles, "who dwell with you": to include boarders.

8) (Vayikra 25:8) ("And to your beast and to the animal which is in your land shall be all its produce to eat.") What is the intent of this ("your beast")? If an animal, which is not yours, may eat, how much more so a beast, which is yours! If so, I would say: Let him bring the beast (into the house) and let him eat always! And how would I satisfy the removal of fruit (from the house) on shevi'ith? With the fruits of man. And a beast would eat always. Now that it is written "and to your beast and to the animal," the beast is being compared to the animal, viz.: So long as the animal eats in the field, the beast eats in the house; if it has ended for the animal in the field, "end it" (i.e., remove it) from your beast in the house.

9) "which is in your land": What is in your land may be eaten, and not what Akilas sent to his servants and to Pontos (outside of Eretz Yisrael). R. Shimon said: I heard it explicitly stated that they (the fruits of shevi'ith) may be sent to Suria, but not outside Eretz Yisrael.

10) "shall be (all its produce"): also to serve as fuel for kindling and as an agent for dyeing. We are hereby taught that only what is called "produce" may be eaten (i.e., when it has reached at least one-third of its normal growth) — whence they ruled: When may the fruits of the tree be eaten on shevi'ith? Small figs, if they are red (half-ripe) may be eaten with his bread in the field; if they have ripened, he may take them into his house.

11) And so, in the other years of the seven-year cycle, they are subject to tithes. Unripe grapes (in the Sabbatical year), when they produce drops, may be eaten with his bread in the field. When they become ripe, he may take them into his house. And so, in the other years of the seven-year cycle, they are subject to tithes. Olives — when they yield three logs to a sa'ah. If they yield a quarter of a log to a sa'ah, he may press them and eat them in the field. If they yield half a log, he may press them and anoint himself in the field. If they produce a log, he may press them in the field and bring them into his house. And so, in the other years of the seven-year cycle, they are subject to tithes. And all other fruits of the tree — you are not permitted to press them, boil them, or eat them unripe. But as their season for tithes, so is their season for shevi'ith — to eat them: and not to make from them sprays or poultices, or plaster, or emetics.