Kommentar zu Wajikra 26:34

אז תרצה means: then the land shall appease the wrath of the Omnipresent who was angry because of the neglect of the Sabbatical years.

אז תרצה הארץ, the debt owed it will be paid.

אז תרצה הארץ, “Then the land will be appeased.” Ibn Ezra, quoted only by Kimchi, explains the meaning of the word in Chronicles II 30,18 as תשלים, “complete, in the sense of “making up for lost time.” He quotes a parallel in Chronicles II 36,21 עד רצתה הארץ את שבתותיה, “until the land has made up for its Sabbaths.” The meaning is that only then will the guilt of the Jewish people be expiated. (Compare Isaiah, 40,2).

It will appease the wrath of God. Re’m writes: Rashi’s explanation, “It will appease the wrath of God,” is not referring to the word תרצה, because תרצה is a verb referring to the subject [the land which will be appeased], while “It will appease the wrath of God” is a verb referring to an object, meaning that the land will appease the wrath of God. Rather, “It will appease the wrath of God” is the explanation of והרצת את שבתותיה (and appease for its Shabbosos) which is written at the end of the verse. But תרצה means to be appeased, i.e., “The land will then be appeased for its Shabbosos.” Because the purpose of the land’s appeasement is in order so that it will then appease God, Rashi writes this purpose at the very beginning, by saying, “It will appease the wrath of God.” Proof to this is that regarding והרצת Rashi explains “the King,” meaning that the word “King” is missing, whereas regardingתרצה הארץ he does not explain that the word “King” is missing and says, “It will appease the King of His wrath.” Therefore, one must say that above he is only explaining the verse’s intent when he says, “It will appease the wrath of God.” (Gur Aryeh) The word תרצה is similar to the word פיוס, appeasement. Rashi says “It will appease the wrath of God,” since he cannot explain that it will appease the wrath of the sabbatical years, because it is not feasible to appease sabbatical years that they already transgressed. Rather, they will appease the wrath of God who is angry about the sabbatical years. But והרצת את שבתותיה is a verb applying to an object, since the verse does not write ותרצה שבתותיה as in the beginning of the verse. Therefore it means “It will appease its Sabbatical years to the King,” since it is a verb applying to an object, that the land will appease the King regarding the sabbatical years.

אז תרצה הארץ, “then the land be recompensed for the Sabbath (years) [during which it had been worked although it should have been allowed to rest. Ed.] After 6 of the evil decrees which we demonstrated as representing a measure for measure type of punishment have already been endured by you, i.e. you should work the land for six years consecutively and then let it rest during the seventh year, the land will finally enjoy a rest during the seventh year. It will make up for all the sh’mittah years you had not observed during the 70 years of your exile. [It will experience 70 consecutive such sh’mittah years. Ed.]

והרצת — means, it will give satisfaction to the King as regards its Sabbatical years.

את שבתותיה, the sh’mittah and Yovel years which had not been observed. Chronicles II 36,21 mentions that the 70 years of exile corresponded to the years referred to.

תרצה; this expression also occurs in the sense in which we have translated it in Psalms 49,14: ואחריהם בפיהם ירצו, “and their descendants approve of them with what they have learned from their mouths.”A different approach to our verse: the word תרצה is to be understood as equivalent to תשלים, “will conclude.” Compare Job 14,6: עד ירצה כשכיר יומו, “until he finishes his day like a hireling.” Or: כי נרצה עונו, “for her sin has been expiated;” (Isaiah 40,2) A third interpretation: the meaning of the word is: “to become reconciled, to have made peace, settled a disagreement.” This would be reflected by Psalms 77,8: ולא יוסיף לרצות עוד, “and will He never again show favour?” Psalms 145,16, ומשביע לכל חי רצון, “and You feed every living creature to its heart content,” also reflects this sentiment.

אז תשבת הארץ, “then the land will rest.” The letter ב has the vowel patach, [the word being a verb. Ed.]