Portion of the Portion

HASHEM'S LAND

The Jewish nation spent years as slaves in Egypt. Then we wandered in the desert for forty years till we crossed over the Jordan river into the Promised Land. More years were spent conquering the land from the seven nations that inhabited it. We finally are able to live in ERETZ YISRAEL, “ISH TACHAT GAFNO V’TACHAT T’EINATO” -  each person in their own section of the land, ready to plant and harvest and eat from its bounty. But the verses in our portion set some boundaries on the use of the land.
Hashem tells us, “When you come to the land that I am giving you, the land must be given a rest period, a Sabbath to Hashem. For six years you may plant your fields, prune your vineyards, and harvest your crops, but the seventh year is a Sabbath of Sabbaths for the land. It is G-d’s Sabbath during which you may not plant your field, nor prune your vineyards…” (25:2-7) We can and should work the land for six years but in the seventh year we must let it rest. This is the mitzva of SHMITA. For a farmer whose livelihood comes from what he is able to make the land produce, this mitzvah to restrain from planting and other actions on his property is very very difficult.
We may not be farmers and may not feel the significance of this mitzva as much as our ancestors did, but learning about it can definitely have a positive influence on us. The S’fat Emet says that SHMITA is a mitzva that all other mitzvot “TELUYIM BAH - are tied to it” The TZ’ROR HAMOR states that SHMITA is the root of all the Torah and the foundation of the whole world. So what can we learn from SHMITA?
The main message from the verses relating to the laws of SHMITA is that the land belongs to HASHEM, who created it, and not as man may think, to the person who may be living there and working it. G-d allows us to use the land, but we must always remember that it is being leased to us - we are not the real owners - G-d is. This same message applies to anything we have - everything is from G-d and we must appreciate everything we have.
DURING THE SHMITA YEAR and the beginning of the eighth year, the nation ate the old crops. Here is a recipe that can be made with leftover (old) veggies and leftover rice. This way we can also fulfill the mitzva of “bal tashchit” by not wasting.

STIR FRIED RICE
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
160 g leftover veggies such as carrots, beans, peas, broccoli, squash, mushrooms
150g leftover cooked rice
2 lightly beaten eggs
Salt/ pepper to taste

Heat oil and saute onion 2-3 minutes till soft. Add the leftover vegetables and stir fry till hot. Add rice and keep stirring. Add the eggs stirring quickly until the egg is cooked. Season well and serve. (If you are on a low cholesterol diet you could eliminate one or both of the eggs.)

• Other Portion of the Portion
• The Hide & Seek of Purim
• SHOV'VIM TAT
• The Women in Sh'mot