Happy “Two” Year
The weekly Sabbath primarily speaks to our relationship with G-d. The Sabbatical year, by contrast, extends to our relationship with others as well. All of our produce (in the Land of Israel) must be left Hefker (free for all) to take and we may no longer collect the money owed to us (without a Pruzbol). This helped the poor to breath freely. Shabbos is disengagement from the rough edges of life. Shabbos is also disengagement from our obsession with ourselves; to being open to the needs and interests of others.
A Double Year of Shabbos
Why is this Rosh Hashanah different from all Rosh Hashanah’s of the past thirteen years?
This Rosh Hashanah has a double Sabbatical theme associated with it. In addition to its being the beginning of a Sabbatical year (the end of seven year cycle, at which time all agricultural activity in Israel must cease) , the first day of Rosh Hashanah also occurs on a Shabbos.
The fact that the “head” of the year is a Shabbos head, means that this year is guided by and animated with the spirit of Shabbos, just as the head controls the rest of the body The fact that this new year, 5761, is associated with two forms of Shabbos not only means that the theme of Shabbos should be underscored this year, but, moreover, this year our lives should be informed by two dimensions of Shabbos.
[The unique message and inspiration of this year does not cease with the end of this year. It continues, albeit with less fanfare.] Endless It should be noted that our Sages considered dual and repetitive expressions in the Torah to be signs of Redemption. When a word is repeated, it suggests that the idea contained in that word is not confined to a single and finite form, but must be expanded and “liberated” from its narrow context.
If repetition is a general symbol of liberation, it is particularly true about the Shabbos duality this year. For, indeed, Shabbos itself is associated with and portends the Redemption; a time that is characterized by peace, delight and holiness (Read: Sabbatical) existence.
Thus, by defining this year as a dual Shabbos year, it means that we must anticipate the Redemption even more than usual, by living our lives in a “dual” Sabbatical fashion.
A Study in Contrasts
To understand the unique “dual Sabbatical” message of this Rosh Hashanah, let us reflect on one salient difference between the weekly Sabbath and the Sabbatical year. Whereas the weekly Sabbath is far more encompassing in the degree of rest it demands of us than the Sabbatical year counterpart, the weekly Sabbath primarily speaks to our relationship with G-d.
The Sabbatical year, by contrast, extends to our relationship with others as well. Firstly, during the Sabbatical year all of our produce (In the Land of Israel) must be left Hefker (free for all) to take. Anyone may enter our fields and take whatever they need. And secondly, during the Sabbatical year all of the debts are canceled. Consequently, we may no longer collect the money owed to us (unless a special provision called a Pruzbol was enacted, in which our debts are handed over to the courts). This helped the poor and the needy, who were inundated with debt, to breath freely.
This year’s Rosh Hashanah thus conveys a dual Sabbatical message. Shabbos is, first and foremost, disengagement from the rough edges of life, when we allow our soul to disengage itself from the earth and earthly matters. The Shabbos theme is also about disengagement from our obsession with ourselves; to being open to the needs and interests of others. In simple terms this means that this year we should simultaneously focus on our relationship with G-d, as well as on our relationship with our fellow. And the preoccupation with one should not compromise the integrity of the other.
Day and Year of Delight
Shabbos is, however, more than just disengagement from our materialistic and selfish interests. Shabbos is also a day of delight. Translated into the “Sabbatical” way we must endeavor to live our lives this year, the fulfillment of our dual responsibilities must be permeated with a sense of delight and joy. Merely living free and unencumbered without a concomitant feeling of joy and delight instilled in what we do, does not capture the full spirit of the Shabbos.
There is also one more characteristic of Shabbos that must be instilled in our Sabbatical lives this year. Shabbos is a holy day; when even our meals are considered to be a Mitzvah imbued with holiness. This translates into a year in which we feel closer to G-d in all of what we do.
Every Shabbos is a sample and taste of the future eternal Sabbath of the Messianic Age. When the Sabbatical theme is double, as it is this year, it is an even more powerful taste of the future.
May we all be blessed with a Kesiva VaChasima Tova (Inscribed and sealed for a good year); Shanah Tova U’Mesukah (A good and sweet year) and a year permeated with the dual spirit of Shabbos; a year of Redemption.
From the book Light from the Future: Rosh Hashanah by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
