When we buy a new home or property, we are excited  to own a new piece of land. “It is ours!” we exclaim. Owning real estate offers a certain degree of security; there is  always something tangible to rely upon in times of financial difficulty. Or is there?

The  economic climate and natural disasters of the last few years have certainly pulled that security blanket away from us.

Catastrophic weather has vreaked havoc on entire towns and villages destroying life and property.  This reinforces the eternal truth that we need the assistance of a Higher Authority to take care of our needs.

The laws of  shemitta  and yovel emphasize this concept. The Torah commands everyone in Israel to refrain from working on their fields during shemitta and yovel. The entire country’s fields lay fallow for an  whole year, sometimes two years in a row. Think about it for a minute: How are  farmers going to sustain themselves, both physically and financially? How long will it take them to recover from such a long layoff?

The Torah answers these questions. G-d himself guarantees that there will be so  bountiful a crop the year  preceding shemitta that it will produce enough to sustain everybody  through shemitta and yovel.. 

When shemitta and yovel fall back-to-back, G-d says there will be enough produced in the sixth year to last for four years: the sixth year, the seventh (shemitta), the eighth (yovel), and the ninth, the year after yovel, when one can work on the field but needs  enough to eat until he harvests the crop at the end of the year. Only the Creator, who controls of all aspects of the world, can make  this guarantee in writing and  follow through.

The laws of shemitta and yovel vividly demonstrate that while we may own land and work to sustain ourselves, it is ultimately a Higher Power  who ensures our financial success. When we  follow the Torah and adhere to its commandments to the best of our abilities, G-d will take care of our needs, just as He promises to sustain those who observe shemitta.

In the merit of our observance of the Torah’s commandments, may G-d bestow upon us all the blessings of a good, prosperous life.