Derasha 1 on Behar 25:20

Parashas Behar · Aliyah 3 · Passuk 25:20

The Complete Passuk

וְכִ֣י תֹאמְר֔וּ מַה־נֹּאכַ֖ל בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑ת הֵ֚ן לֹ֣א נִזְרָ֔ע וְלֹ֥א נֶאֱסֹ֖ף אֶת־תְּבוּאָתֵֽנוּ׃

Chabad.org — English translation + Rashi

Source Citation

Torah Temimah cites Sifra (Torat Kohanim).

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text — Sifra
וְכִי תֹאמְרוּ מַה נֹּאכַל. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַקְדִּים רְפוּאָה לַמַּכָּה.

English: “And if you shall say, What shall we eat…” This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, anticipates the remedy before the blow.

Type of Learning

Classical derasha (Sifra).

What Is Learned

God addresses the natural human anxiety about the Shemittah year in advance and provides the promise of blessing in the sixth year.