Igrot Kodesh · Letter 9027

By the grace of Hashem,

Days of Selichot* 5725,

Brooklyn, New York,

To the sons and daughters of Israel,

wherever they may be,

I greet you warmly and bless you,

We stand[1] at the threshold of 5726, a year[2] of Shemittah*[3], the seventh and holiest year of the seven-year cycle, which comes upon us and all of Israel for the good. One of the fundamental teachings of the Shemittah* is conveyed by the order[3] of the verses and the words of the Torah that define its meaning: 'When you come into the land… the land shall rest as a Shabbat* for Hashem. For six years you shall sow your field…'[3].

One may raise the following question[5]. According to the established order, one first works the fields for six years and only thereafter comes the Shemittah*, the seventh year, that of rest. The Torah should therefore have said first: 'For six years you shall sow your field'[3], and only afterward: 'The land shall rest'[3]. In fact, the order of the Torah[6] is an integral part of it and likewise conveys a teaching. In this instance, what it says about the Shemittah* shows us how one should approach life.

When one arrives in a country, when one must organize one's life there and it becomes unavoidable to devote oneself to working the land, one must first know that the primary and most important idea, the one that one sets as one's goal, is: 'The land shall rest as a Shabbat* for Hashem'[3] — that is, the Shemittah* year, the year of rest and holiness, is the aim toward which the six years of work lead. In other words, the purpose of the six years is to make the seventh year possible. This is why the Torah first mentions the Shemittah* and afterward the six years of work.

This principle applies equally to every Jew in his individual life. When he comes to a place, when he must work for a living, he must know that the goal, the purpose of his material work, is 'Shabbat* for Hashem' — the spiritual dimension, holiness, and Divinity.

Furthermore, as the Torah says regarding the Shemittah* year: 'It shall be a Shabbat* of Shabbats* for Hashem'[3] — that is, a Shabbat* that is higher than an ordinary Shabbat*. One of the explanations of this phrase ('Shabbat* of Shabbats*') relates to what the Admur HaZaken*[7] writes: that the Torah is higher than prayer, just as Shabbat* is higher than a weekday. The Torah study that takes place during the six working years must therefore serve and be absorbed into the holiness of the seventh year.

This teaching applies specifically to Torah study as well[8]. Just as the land and the vineyard — that is, the Mishnah* and the Gemara*[9] — do not belong to you during the Shemittah* year, so too the Torah must not be studied for personal gain or worldly benefit but solely 'for the Name of Hashem'.

As we stand at the threshold of this Shemittah* year, may Hashem grant that each and every one begins it by embracing the approach just described. In this way, all the days of the year and all the actions of the day will reflect the superiority of man over the animal, establishing that he was indeed created 'in Our image and in Our likeness'[3], and that he conducts his life in accordance with this principle. Thus, the times and moments of the year will rise to a higher level, that of 'Shabbat* of Shabbats*'.

In this way, the divine blessing associated with the Shemittah* — 'I will direct My blessing upon you'[3] — will be fulfilled[12] in a manner that transcends nature. And the most fitting day of the year for making a firm and lasting resolution in all that has been said is Rosh Hashanah*[3]. For it was then that Adam, the first man, was created 'in Our image and in Our likeness.' He then directed all of creation and led it toward the recognition[13] that: 'We shall kneel and prostrate ourselves before the Eternal, Who has made us'… 'The Eternal Hashem of Israel is King. His reign is supreme over all'[3]. With my blessing to be inscribed and sealed for a good and sweet year,

Menachem Schneerson