Religion: Shmita: 5712

Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard and gather in the fruit thereof;

But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy "vineyard.

—Leviticus 25:3-4

When the kingdom of Israel was governed by the Law, farmers scrupulously deserted their fields at the end of each six-year period. Throughout the sabbatical year, called shmita, the whole land lay fallow. The ancient Jews ate only meat and the grain they had stored, trusting in the Lord's bounty to see...