Hebräische Bibel
Hebräische Bibel

Midrasch zu Wajikra 25:4

וּבַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗ת שַׁבַּ֤ת שַׁבָּתוֹן֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָאָ֔רֶץ שַׁבָּ֖ת לַיהוָ֑ה שָֽׂדְךָ֙ לֹ֣א תִזְרָ֔ע וְכַרְמְךָ֖ לֹ֥א תִזְמֹֽר׃

Aber im siebenten Jahre sei eine Schabbatfeier für das Land, eine Feier des Herrn. Dein Feld sollst du nicht besäen und deinen Weinstock nicht beschneiden.

Eikhah Rabbah

“Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and her wretchedness, all her delights that she had from the days of old; with the fall of her people into the hand of the adversary, with no one helping her, the adversaries saw her, mocked her over her deficiencies” (Lamentations 1:7).
“Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and her wretchedness.” In the days of her affliction, she remembered the rebellions that she rebelled against the Holy One blessed be He. “All her delights [maḥamudeha],” these are words of Torah, just as it says: “They are more desirable [haneḥemadim] than gold, than much fine gold” (Psalms 19:11).
“With the fall of her people into the hand of the adversary,” the Rabbis there124In Babylon. say: When a bull falls its slaughterers are many. The Rabbis here125In Israel. say: When a bull falls, sharpen the knives.126These are expressions that were common in Babylon or the Land of Israel. The point is that when one is weak and vulnerable, it is much more common for people to rush to take advantage of that weakness than to provide protection.
“With no one helping her.” The Rabbis there say: When you insult a bride, she remembers the seven days of rejoicing. The Rabbis here say: When a son goes barefoot, he remembers the tranquility of his father’s home.127Similarly, when the residents of Jerusalem were suffering, they thought back to the comforts of earlier times.
“The adversaries saw her, mocked her over he deficiencies [mishbateha],” over her Shabbatot, just as it says: “Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it” (Exodus 20:8).128The midrash interprets the verse as saying that the gentiles mocked the Jews for the fact that they observed Shabbat, and attempted to coerce them to violate Shabbat (Etz Yosef). Alternatively, “over her deficiencies [mishbateha],” over her Sabbatical years [shemitoteha], just as it says: “In the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest [for the land]” (Leviticus 25:4). Alternatively, “over her deficiencies [mishbateha],” this is Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai, who ceased [sheshavat] to be in her.129The midrash interprets the phrase “mocked [saḥaku] it over its deficiencies [mishbateha]” to mean that they rejoiced [saḥaku] over he who ceased [sheshavat] to be in it. When they saw that Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai left the city, they knew that it would be conquered (Etz Yosef).
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Sifra

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.
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