Now that Israel has returned to our land, it’s time we start thinking about what an authentically Hebrew economic system should look like. This third installment on economics in a Jewish state examines our people’s tradition of implementing a Shmita (Sabbatical) year, where certain areas of work and economic production are paused.
To fully appreciate the concept of Shmita, it’s first important to reflect on the meaning and significance of Shabbat. Shabbat is one of the essential practices of the Jewish people. It gives shape to the weeks by clearly delineating between the start and end of every seven-day period. Shabbat uplifts the human spirit by providing a break from labor and the regular routine of life. It also recharges us by combining rest from work and routine with rituals meant to consciously remind us of our national formation and of our collective mission.
Although Shabbat is a uniquely Hebrew practice, it’s so revolutionary and uplifting that many other peoples and cultures around the world have borrowed and implemented some version of it. In fact, it is hard to imagine a world that doesn’t operate on a seven-day calendar marked with some period of rest. The idea of working day in and day out without any break, without any opportunity to escape the routine of mundane labor, would seem barbarically inhumane to most of us today.
But for some reason, mankind hasn’t approached our yearly labor with the same mindset… yet.
Similar to Shabbat, Shmita delineates a period of time in which normal creative and economic activities cease. Whereas Shabbat is practiced for one in every seven days, Shmita is observed for one in every seven years.
Similar to Shabbat, Shmita is an essential component of the Hebrew way of life. In ancient Israel, Shmita prohibited creative and productive work relating to agriculture. Back then, when our economy was agriculturally based, Shmita effectively put a stop to all major economic activity every seven years.
Although some level of Shmita is still practiced in the State of Israel today, it only pertains to agriculture and has limited impact on the society at large. To truly impact the entire nation, Shmita would need to be expanded to all economic activity. Creative work in most Israeli industries would need to pause for an entire year.
Before we attack such an idea as irrational or unworkable, let’s take a moment to appreciate that Shabbat likely garnered (and still does among some) a similar skepticism. Yet we know today that by taking time off from work and by providing the opportunity to rest and recharge, people are able to be more productive and creative during the work week. A society that provides for weekly breaks and leisure to pursue other interests is a more productive and freer society than one that doesn’t. This principle can apply to Shmita as well.
Expanding Shmita to all industries and segments of the Israeli economy would require most Jews to cease their normal economic activities. Jewish bus drivers would stop driving buses. Stock brokers would stop trading stocks. Pharmaceutical companies would pause research and drug production. Inventors would cease inventing, writers would take a break from writing, and factories would stop manufacturing. Similar to Shabbat, the national economy and the people that keep it moving would enter a temporary period of rest and recharge. The nation would be given an opportunity to reflect on the state of the country and its goals for the future.
Like Shabbat, certain work and productive activities would continue – especially those necessary to prevent damage, loss, and harm to life or the things produced in the prior six years, as well as the means to continue production in the following years. For example, computer servers and cloud security could continue to function, patents and machines could continue being maintained, hospitals and doctors would continue to treat patients, and security forces would continue to provide security. The full range of permissible and prohibitive activities would need to be addressed and debated by our respected experts in the relevant fields.
Furthermore, to make Shmita possible, Jews could partner with non-Jewish citizens to perform certain activities. For example, public works, retail stores, and countless other goods and services could potentially be run by gentiles. In this way, non-Jewish citizens could reap material benefits by playing an important role in advancing the Jewish people’s mission. Such partnerships could also go far in elevating the status of minority populations and strengthen relations between Jewish and gentile citizens.
Shmita would also require creative planning so that salaries and resources are available during the year of rest. Planning for Shmita could mirror current structures available for retirement planning and unemployment.
Shmita on a full economic scale would free people to enjoy the production of the previous six years, to contemplate on successes and failures, and to plan for the next six year cycle and beyond. People would be free to live without the constraints and demands of their normal routines. Israelis would be free from the slavery that unavoidably comes with the constant pursuit of production and labor.
Grouping years into cycles of seven year periods would also transform the way we relate to time and to ourselves. Imagine a world without Shabbat, without clear weekly cycles. Days would become indistinguishable and our sense of time and life itself would become confused. So too with our perception of the years. Without a clear separation in the way we count our years, our perception of time becomes foggy, and our ability to feel the passage of time becomes more difficult.
The immediate implementation of Shmita on this scale is of course unrealistic. But now that Israel has returned to our homeland, it is incumbent on us to begin the work of figuring out how our authentic traditions, values and culture can be expressed on a national level in the twenty first century. Shmita is an important component of the authentic Hebrew way of life. It not only expresses the Jewish people’s unique and intimate relationship with the land of Israel but also frames how we relate to economic activity and experience time.
