Commento su Levitico 25:4

יהיה לארץ [A SABBATH OF STRICT REST] SHALL BE UNTO THE LAND [or SOIL] — unto the fields and vineyards.

שבת שבתון יהיה לארץ. You have to refrain totally from working the land, including preparatory work mentioned in detail by our sages in Avodah Zarah 50.

For the fields. Because if not [for this limitation], even making a hole in the earth [for non-agricultural purposes] would be forbidden. Therefore, Rashi explains: “For the fields and vineyards.” His proof for this is that it is written, “You shall not plant your field and you shall not prune your vineyard,” indicating that only fields and vineyards are forbidden, whereas making a hole is permitted. You might ask: Why does Rashi not explain this above where it says “The land shall be at rest”? The answer is: [If he said it there] you might object, how does he know that? Perhaps even digging the earth is forbidden? Here, however, it is explicitly written a “field” and a “vineyard.”

לא תזמר — The word is a denominative verb from זמורה, a branch, and denotes: to do something to the branches: it is used here because one lops off its (the vineyard’s) branches. Its translation in the Targum is thus: לא תכסח, “thou shall not cut off”, and this root has a similar meaning in the Hebrew (Isaiah 33:12) “as thorns cut off (כסוחים)”; (Psalms 80:17) “it is burnt with fire, it is cut down (כסוחה).

'שבת לה, to seek out the Lord in some manner. [not to use the year to play golf, etc. Ed.]

That they cut off its branches. You might ask: Why does Rashi not explain this above where it states “You shall prune your vineyard”? The answer is: Above you might have thought that תזמור is an expression of planting, [meaning] that one should not plant branches that grow will beinto a vineyard. But now that it is written וכרמך לא תזמור (your vineyard you shall not prune), by writing “vineyard” first indicates that the vineyard has already been planted, and if so, what is the meaning of לא תזמור? Thus, it must be an expression of pruning.

And its Targum is: “you shall not cut off.” You might ask: Why does Rashi not [simply] explain, “Like its Targum?” The answer is: [He wanted to add] that it is also an expression found in Scripture, “as thorns cut off.” We find the same in parshas Vayeitzei (Bereishis 30:32) [regarding the word] חום (dark) where Rashi explains שחום (dark brown), which is [actually] like its Targum. [If so], why does Rashi not [simply] explain “Like its Targum”? Because [he wants to explain that] it is also an expression found in the Mishnah, “[It was sold as] dark brown (שחמתית) etc.”