Shavuot and Shemittah

While Shemittah (the sabbatical year) technically begins in the month of Tishrei, the first prohibitions of Shemittah actually come into effect on the preceding holiday of Shavuot. As we find ourselves at this rare moment in the Jewish calendar, at the Shavuot preceding a Shemittah year, it behooves us to revisit this phenomenon. The juxtaposition between Shemittah and the revelation at Mount Sinai—which we celebrate on Shavuot—is reflective of an essential relationship which highlights the observance of Shemittah as a precondition for accepting the Torah.