Devarim 15: Give me a Break!

“Every seventh year you shall make a shmita.” (verse 1)מִקֵּץ שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים תַּעֲשֶׂה שְׁמִטָּה(Deuteronomy 15:1)The Shmita year appeared twice before—the first in Exodus 23:11 and the second in Leviticus 25:4–7. Interestingly, while the fallow land aspect of Shmita may be the most famous, the term “shmita” itself appears here in Deuteronomy specifically in the context of loan forgiveness.Ibn Ezra explains that the word shmita comes from the root שׁמט, meaning to release or let drop—indicating that one must release financial claims. Rashi asks whether the “six years” mentioned in this chapter refers to six years from the start date of any individual loan. Verse 9 clarifies that question, warning against withholding loans simply because the Shmita year is approaching:“Beware lest you harbor the base thought, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is approaching,’ so that you look unfavorably upon the needy and give nothing.” (Deuteronomy 15:9)הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן־יִהְיֶה דָבָר עִם־לְבָבְךָ בְלִיַּעַל לֵאמֹר קָרְבָה שְׁנַת־הַשֶּׁבַע שְׁנַת הַשְּׁמִטָּהוְרָעָה עֵינְךָ בְּאָחִיךָ הָאֶבְיוֹן וְלֹא תִתֵּן לוֹConfusingly, the next topic in the chapter—the freeing of an Israelite slave—uses the same six years work/seventh year freedom framework. However, that law is case specific: an Israelite slave works for six years and goes free in the seventh year of their servitude, not based on the Shmita cycle.What is the connection between leaving the land fallow and loan forgiveness?In Exodus, the Shmita year is discussed in the broader context of Shabbat and charity:“You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; but in the seventh you shall let it rest and lie fallow. Let the needy among your people eat of it, and what they leave let the wild beasts eat. You shall do the same with your vineyards and olive groves.Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor, in order that your ox and your ass may rest, and that your home born slave and the stranger may be refreshed.”(Exodus 23:9–12)וְגֵר לֹא תִלְחָץ כִּי אַתֶּם יְדַעְתֶּם אֶת־נֶפֶשׁ הַגֵּר כִּי גֵרִים הֱיִיתֶם בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃וְשֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים תִּזְרַע אֶת־אַרְצֶךָ וְאָסַפְתָּ אֶת־תְּבוּאָתָהּ׃וְהַשְּׁבִיעִת תִּשְׁמְטֶנָּה וּנְטַשְׁתָּהּ וְאָכְלוּ אֶבְיוֹנֵי עַמֶּךָ וְיִתְרָם תֹּאכַל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה כֵּן תַּעֲשֶׂה לְכַרְמְךָ לְזֵיתֶךָ׃שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲשֶׂה מַעֲשֶׂיךָ וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי תִּשְׁבֹּת לְמַעַן יָנוּחַ שׁוֹרְךָ וַחֲמֹרֶךָ וְיִנָּפֵשׁ בֶּן־אֲמָתְךָ וְהַגֵּרLeviticus discusses Shmita as a standalone commandment tied explicitly to entering the land:“But in the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath of complete rest, a sabbath of the LORD… Whatever the land yields during its sabbath you shall eat.”(Leviticus 25:4–7)וּבַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִת שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן יִהְיֶה לָאָרֶץ שַׁבָּת לַה׳…וְהָיְתָה שַׁבַּת הָאָרֶץ לָכֶם לְאָכְלָהChapter 15, by contrast, presents Shmita primarily through the lens of charitable loans. While it makes sense that Shmita is connected to entering the land, there is a deeper message linking all three appearances.Until this point, the people have not had the opportunity to own land. Property ownership makes it easier to isolate oneself from others, especially from the poor who lack land. Land ownership is also a marker of wealth and security. The Shmita year forces even the wealthiest individuals to recognize that they, too, depend on someone else for sustenance—God. That realization, in turn, reinforces their obligation to care for those who are less fortunate.