Commento su Levitico 25:18

וישבתם על הארץ לבטח [WHEREFORE YE SHALL DO MY ORDINANCES] AND YE SHALL ABIDE IN THE LAND IN SAFETY — It states this because as a punishment for the sin of neglecting the laws of ”Shemittah” Israel becomes exiled, as it is said (Leviticus 26:33, 34) “(And I will disperse you among the nations…] Then shall the land makeup for the Sabbatical years… even then make up for her Sabbatical years that she has not observed” (Shabbat 33a). The seventy years of the Babylonian exile were indeed a punishment corresponding to the seventy Sabbatical years which they had neglected (cf. Rashi on Leviticus 26:35).

AND YE SHALL DO MY STATUTES, AND KEEP MINE ORDINANCES. He warned [here] concerning [all] the statutes on account of the Sabbatical year and the Jubilee mentioned [above], because these [commandments] are in the category of “statutes” [for which no explicit reason is given], and [He warned concerning all] the ordinances on account of the law of the return of sales and servants in the Jubilee, and [the law of] overcharging [which are “ordinances” for which the reasons are obvious]. He said, and ye shall dwell in the Land in safety, because it is for the sin of [transgressing the laws of] the Sabbatical year and the Jubilee that Israel goes into exile. He then said again, And the Land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat until ye have enough, and dwell therein in safety,¹⁷⁹Verse 19. meaning that you will not have to go out of the Land in the Sabbatical year in order to live in another land on account of lack of food [because the Land shall yield enough fruit].

ועשיתם את חקותי, the sh’mittah and Yovel legislation. ואת משפטי תשמרו, the social laws governing the sale and purchase of property in relation to the Yovel so that no cheating of any kind takes place.

ועשיתם את חקותי, “you shall carry out My decrees, etc.” According to Nachmanides these words refer back to the sh’mittah and Jubilee legislation, seeing that these two sets of laws belong to the category of חקים, whereas cheating belongs to the category of משפטים.

ועשיתם את חוקותי, “You shall perform My decrees, etc.” The Shemittah and Yovel legislation belongs to the commandments categorized as “decrees.” The words ואת משפטי תשמרו, “and My social laws you shall observe,” which follow immediately refer to the rules about reversing the sales into service, or the sale of property due to duress which when the party making the sale became more affluent can be reversed, as well as to all the laws involving wrongdoing under the heading of אונאה. Both categories of laws are mentioned in our paragraph.
וישבתם על הארץ לבטח, “you will dwell securely in the land.” This assurance is important as through non-observance of the Shemittah legislation the Jewish people were exiled from the land in fulfillment of the warning by the Torah in 27,34 that the land would recoup the years of Shemittah which the people did not allow it when the people would be in exile. The seventy years of the Babylonian exile were in direct retaliation for the neglect of that commandment (70 times) as we know from Rashi on that verse in 27,34.

For, by the sin of [neglecting] the sabbatical year Israel is exiled. And when the beginning of the verse says, “You shall fulfill My statutes and keep My laws and fulfill them,” it is referring to the statutes and laws pertaining to the sabbatical year, because if not what is its relevance to here?

ועשיתם את חקותי, “You will keep My laws;” this is a reference to all laws pertaining to land in the Holy Land and any laws subject to being performed only in the Holy Land as much as they apply during the sh’mittah and Yovel years.

.וישבתם על הארץ לבטח. To ensure that you will not be exiled from your land. This is the opposite of the prospect discussed in 26,43, and Isaiah 56,17, both of which threaten exile for abuse of the above laws.

ואת משפטי תשמרו, “and you are to observe My social laws;” Here the Torah refers back to the sale of land, freeing of slaves, etc, which are part of the legislation discussed in the context of sh’mittah and Jubilee year legislation.

ואת משפטי, “and My ordinances;” for instance the prohibition to overcharge.(verse 14)

וישבתם על הארץ לבטח, “as a result of such observance you will dwell in the land securely.” Israel went into exile as a result of its failure to heed these warnings. The Torah repeats once more:

וישבתם על הארץ לבטח, “if you do this you will live in this and securely.” Your security will be bound up with your loyalty to G-d’s Torah.