When a comment seems to be out of context, we use a silly English idiom and exclaim, “So what has that got to do with the price of tea in China?”

The Talmudic equivalent thereof is, “What does Shemita have to do with Mount Sinai?”

The origin of this phrase is at the beginning of this week’s Parasha:

“Hashem spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying… Six years you shall sow your fields and six years you shall plant your vineyard and you will gather its produce. But the seventh year will be a Sabbath of Sabbaths for the land, a Sabbath for Hashem. You will not sow your field or plant your vineyard.”

The first mitzvah of the Parasha it the commandment of ‘Shemita’—the seventh or Sabbatical year. During this consecrated year, the landowner is not allowed to look after his fields—they have to be left to their own devices. The fences around his property are removed and whatever grows on its own must be abandoned for anyone who wishes to collect it.

Because the section begins with the words “G-d spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai” the name of the Parasha is Behar (on the mountain).

Commentaries question why the Torah stresses that this exchange took place on Mount Sinai. Did Hashem not deliver all his instructions to his prophet on that mountain? “What does Shemita have to do with Mount Sinai?” the rabbis ask.

Numerous times in the Torah we find the phrase “Hashem spoke to Moses, saying…” Why are the words ‘Behar Sinai’ added in this particular instance?

The answer given to us by ‘Torat Kohanim’ is that the mitzvah of Shemita must serve as a model for all other precepts in the Torah. In the case of Shemita all its laws are spelt out clearly in the Torah. Not just the general rules, but also every details of its observance. The same is true of all other commandments. The Written Torah may only list the general principle involved, but every last detail was in fact given to Moses there on the mountain.

We still need to understand why Shemita, of all the mitzvot, was chosen as the model. Many other mitzvot could have been used to illustrate the same point.

The 613 commandments listed in the Torah improve humans in one of three dimensions. Some mitzvot deal with the person in relation to his creator. Examples of this would be putting on Tefilin, praying and the like.

Other mitzvot improve man in terms of his relationship with his fellow and in the way he operates within society. These are social mitzvot like charity and the obligation to be kind to those around us.

Finally, the objective of a mitzvah is also to simply to make us better people, to improve the relationship we have with ourselves. Torah thus directs our daily lives to be in keeping with correct and moral values.

These are of course the famous three pillars upon which our Sages taught us that the world stands. Torah, Avodah and Gemilut Chassadim—Torah, service and acts of kindness.

Torah is the man-G-d relationship; Gemilut Chassadim is about the man relating to his fellow and Avodah is the service of man improving himself.

Shemita is a mitzvah that covers all of these three dimensions.

For an entire year the farmer is not touching his land—the source of his livelihood. In doing so he is putting full trust in His creator. If he cannot harvest and sell his produce, Hashem will have to provide. In doing so, he is strengthening the link between man and G-d.

Because he has removed the fences of his properties, the poor and destitute are able to roam the fields and help themselves to whatever they can find. This is an ultimate act of Gemilut Chassadim, making the landowner a kinder and more considerate person in society.

Shemita is a year-long Shabbat. On Shabbat we refrain from work and use the time gained for spiritual growth. Likewise, the time that the farmer would normally allocate to working the land is now set aside for self-growth. During the entire year, he learns more, prays more, meditates more and generally becomes a better person—the third dimension, Avodah.

The Torah was looking for an example of a mitzvah that could be used to illustrate the principle that all the laws were given at Sinai in full detail. Shemita was chosen as the model for all the mitzvot, because it encapsulates what all of the mitzvot and all of Torah sets out to accomplish.

There is an ultimate goal in the performance of all Mitzvot: bringing closer the time of Moshiach. Shemita servers as an ideal parable for that long awaited era. While Shemita is a year-long Sabbatical year, the Messianic Age will be an eternal Sabbath. Forever more, the world will be a perfect place in every respect. The world will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem. There will be no more strife or jealousy between people as poverty and suffering will be eradicated from the world. Every individual will realize his full potential as a person and live his or her life in accordance with G-d’s master plan for the world.

We can’t wait!