בהר, שלישי

ונתנה הארץ וגו', וישבתם לבטח עליה. שֶׁלֹּא תִדְאֲגוּ מִשְּׁנַת בַּצֹּרֶת:

ונתנה הארץ וגו' וישבתם לבטח עליה AND THE LAND SHALL YIELD [HER PRODUCE AND YE SHALL EAT YOUR FILL], AND ABIDE THEREIN IN SAFETY — The latter words imply that ye shall not have to worry about years (lit., a year) of drought.

ואכלתם לשבע. אַף בְּתוֹךְ הַמֵּעַיִם תְּהֵא בוֹ בְּרָכָה (עי' ספרא):

ואכלתם לשבע AND YE SHALL EAT YOUR FILL — [even if you eat only a little — cf. Rashi on Leviticus 26:5] it will be blessed in your stomach.

ולא נאסף. אֶל הַבַּיִת:

ולא נאסף [AND IF YE SHALL SAY,… BEHOLD WE SHALL NOT SOW] NOR GATHER IN — into the house.

את תבואתנו. כְּגוֹן יַיִן וּפֵרוֹת הָאִילָן וּסְפִיחִין הַבָּאִים מֵאֵלֵיהֶם:

את תבואתנו OUR INCREASE — as, e. g., the wine and the fruits of trees and the aftergrowth of the fields, which grow of their own accord (Pesachim 51b).

לשלש השנים. לִקְצָת הַשִּׁשִּׁית — מִנִּיסָן וְעַד רֹ"הַ, וְלַשְּׁבִיעִית, וְלַשְּׁמִינִית, שֶׁיִּזְרְעוּ בַשְּׁמִינִית בְּמַרְחֶשְׁוָן וְיִקְצְרוּ בְנִיסָן:

לשלש השנים [IT SHALL BRING FORTH INCREASE] FOR THE THREE YEARS — i. e. for a part of the sixth year — from Nisan till the New Year of the seventh — for the whole seventh year and for part of the eighth year, for in the eighth year they will sow in Marcheshvan but will harvest only in Nisan (so that they will have to depend on the harvest of the sixth year in the eighth too).

עד השנה התשיעת. עַד חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת שֶׁל תְּשִׁיעִית, שֶׁהוּא עֵת בֹּא תְּבוּאָתָהּ שֶׁל שְׁמִינִית לְתוֹךְ הַבַּיִת, שֶׁכָּל יְמוֹת הַקַּיִץ הָיוּ בַשָּׂדֶה בַּגְּרָנוֹת, וּבְתִשְׁרֵי הוּא עֵת הָאָסִיף לַבַּיִת; וּפְעָמִים שֶׁהָיְתָה צְרִיכָה לַעֲשׂוֹת לְאַרְבַּע שָׁנִים — בַּשִּׁשִּׁית שֶׁלִּפְנֵי הַשְּׁמִטָּה הַשְּׁבִיעִית, שֶׁהֵן בְּטֵלִין מֵעֲבוֹדַת קַרְקַע שְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים רְצוּפוֹת — הַשְּׁבִיעִית וְהַיּוֹבֵל, וּמִקְרָא זֶה נֶאֱמַר בִּשְׁאָר הַשְּׁמִטּוֹת כֻּלָּן:

עד השנה התשיעית UNTIL THE NINTH YEAR — i. e. until the Feast of Tabernacles of the ninth year which is the time when the crop of the eighth year comes ‎(בא תבואתה) into the house (the granaries). For during the whole summer-time (the fruits) remained in the fields inthe barns, and in Tishri was the time for gathering them into the house. Sometimes indeed it th)e soil) had to bring forth fruits for four years, viz., during the sixth year preceding the seventh “Shemittah” (i. e. in the forty-eighth year of the Jubilee-period) when they had to refrain from agricultural work two successive years, viz., the Sabbatical year and the Jubilee immediately following it. This verse, however, (which mentions only an increase sufficient for three years) is said (written) with reference to all other (i. e. ordinary) Sabbatical years.

והארץ לא תמכר. לִתֵּן לָאו עַל חֲזָרַת שָׂדוֹת לַבְּעָלִים בַּיּוֹבֵל, שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא הַלּוֹקֵחַ כּוֹבְשָׁהּ:

‎‎לא תמכר‎‎ והארץ THE LAND SHALL NOT BE SOLD [ABSOLUTELY] — This is intended to charge with the transgression of a negative command (לאו) the neglect of returning the fields to their owners in the Jubilee — it commands that the purchaser must not detain it (Sifra, Behar, Chapter 5 8).

לצמתת. לִפְסִיקָה, לִמְכִירָה פְסוּקָה עוֹלָמִית:

לצמתת means for severance; the meaning is: it shall not be sold as a sale that severs in perpetuity.

כי לי הארץ. אַל תֵּרַע עֵינְךָ בָהּ שֶׁאֵינָהּ שֶׁלְּךָ (ספרא):

כי לי הארץ FOR THE LAND IS MINE — Your eye shall not be evil towards it (you shall not begrudge this) for it is not yours.

ובכל ארץ אחזתכם. לְרַבּוֹת בָּתִּים וְעֶבֶד עִבְרִי, וְדָבָר זֶה מְפֹרָשׁ בְּקִדּוּשִׁין בְּפֶרֶק רִאשׁוֹן (דף כ"א). וּלְפִי פְשׁוּטוֹ סָמוּךְ לְפָרָשָׁה שֶׁלְּאַחֲרָיו, שֶׁהַמּוֹכֵר אֲחֻזָּתוֹ רַשָּׁאִי לְגָאֳלָהּ לְאַחַר שְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים, אוֹ הוּא אוֹ קְרוֹבוֹ, וְאֵין הַלּוֹקֵחַ יָכוֹל לְעַכֵּב:

ובכל ארץ אחזתכם AND IN ALL THE LAND OF YOUR POSSESSION [YOU SHALL GRANT A REDEMPTION FOR THE LAND] — (The translation may be: And as regards everything etc.) thus including in this law houses and Hebrew servants (i. e. that to these also the right of redemption must be granted). And this matter is explained in Treatise Kiddushin 21a in the first section (cf. also Sifra, Behar, Chapter 4 9). According to the literal sense, however, it is to be connected with the section immediately following: to point out that one who sells his landed property has the right of redeeming it after two years either by himself or his relative, and that the purchaser has no right to prevent it (גאולה תתנו לארץ, you must grant redemption).