Parsha Mitzvot: Re’ei: Mitzvah 448 – Concept 285

“This is the matter of the remission: Every creditor shall remit his authority over what he has lent his fellow; he shall not press his fellow or his brother, for He has proclaimed a remission for God. You may press the gentile, but over what you have with your brother, you shall remit your authority.” (Deuteronomy 15:2-3) A creditor must release all loans on the Sabbatical year. (Rambam, Hilchot Shemittah V’Yovel – The Laws of The Sabbatical and Jubilee Years)

The verse says, “Bless God, O His angels; the strong warriors who do His bidding, to obey the voice of His word.” (Psalms 103:20) This verse describes those who observe the laws of Shemittah: They watch as their fields are filled with crops, their vineyards bursting with grapes, and people, animals and beasts have free reign to enter the fields and take what they want, and yet they remain silent. They cancel all the loans they have made, and still accept God’s laws. Are there any who are greater warriors than these? It is of them the verse says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the strong man, and a master of his passions is better than a conqueror of a city.” (Proverbs 16:32) – Midrash Hagadol, Behar.