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The Children of Israel were given a mitzvah of Shemittat Karkaot -- a sabbatical of the land. For six years, the Jewish nation would tend to their fields in the land of Israel. On the seventh year, work would cease and the land would rest. The produce on the seventh year was free to all and would only be gathered as needed.

"If you will say in the seventh year what are we going to eat? Behold we will not sow and we will not gather our crop!" (Leviticus 25:20; Note: This verse is translated according to the Daas Zekainim.)

Nahmanides (1194-1270) explains that Israel "will be afraid" that on the eighth year they would have nothing to eat because the fields were not sown in the seventh year. Nahmanides deduces this understanding from the wording of the above verse "If you will say..." Some people will be afraid and ask the question: How will we survive?

The Torah answers, "I (God) will ordain my blessing and you will have sufficient crop for three years" (25:21).

If God commands us to observe a "sabbatical of the land," surely there would be sufficient food in the sixth year to last three years. Yet, the Torah recognizes that some of Israel will be afraid and ask if there would be adequate food. It's human nature. Even when we know and trust God, we still fear the future.

Intellectually, a person realizes he is never in complete control; we all wear seatbelts no matter how well we drive. Yet, we do everything we can to gain as much control as possible; we drive cautiously, remain alert, and obey the rules of the road.

The sabbatical, however, strips us of any control. We are not allowed to sow or plow the fields in the seventh year. We are forced to rely solely upon God. The Torah recognizes that some people would be afraid to rely completely upon God for their sustenance. Hence, the guarantee of enough food to last for the sixth, seventh, and eighth years.

The Sforno (1475-1550) interprets the verse a bit differently from Nahmanides. "If you will say... what are we going to eat?" implies that Israel "might be afraid," not "will be afraid." Israel may have doubts that one year's worth of produce will suffice.

According to the Sforno, God's blessing to triple the amount of produce only applies to people who are afraid to rely upon God. In other words, only those who lack complete bitachon (trust) in God, will be blessed with extra produce.

Does this make sense? Why would those who have complete trust in God not receive the blessing of extra produce?

To go one step further, receiving the blessing is actually a sign that a person does not have complete trust in God. How then is it a blessing?

The question has no easy answers.

One possibility is that just as wealth can be a blessing, so can it be a curse. As Hillel states (110 BCE-10 CE; Quoted Pirkei Avot 2:7), "the more property, the more worry". Every day, we pray for sustenance but never for wealth. Concern for building and maintaining wealth can distract a person from the right perspectives.

The person who has complete faith in God has no need for wealth. He is confident that everything he requires will be provided by God. A person who covets wealth either yearns for earthly desires, such as comfort, honor, prestige, etc., or lacks complete faith in God. Yet, the person who lacks complete bitachon in God will soon learn that no amount of wealth is ever enough.

"The Duties of the Heart" (Judeo-Arabic 1040; Translated to Hebrew by Judah Ibn Tibbon 1161-1180) in the Gate of Trust (Chapter 5) describes seven differences between a person who has trust in God and a person who does not. The second difference is that one who has trust in God will be in constant rest but the person who is missing that trust will be in constant emotional pain. If things are going badly, he'll be disgusted with the situation and worried it may not improve. If things are going well, he will be afraid they may not continue and struggle to keep the good times going.

The Sforno maintains that those who have complete trust in God don't receive the sabbatical blessing because they don't need it -- not only will one year's produce satisfy them for three years, they'll never be worried about not having enough. Only through trust in God will one ever discover inner peace and reach life's full potential.

Rabbi Chaim Lobel is the spiritual leader of Young Israel of Aberdeen
www.yiaberdeen.com.