Can dirt get tired?
In Parshas Behar-Bechukosai, the Torah commands us to let the land rest every seven years during shemittah, and “Hashem will command a blessing” for it. But how? When farmers plant crops year after year, the soil gets tired. Each plant pulls nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from the ground. If the soil isn’t given a break, nutrients run out, and the crops don’t grow as well. Letting the land lie fallow, or unplanted, gives the earth time to recharge. Rain and wind help return nutrients to the soil. Natural plants grow and die, adding organic matter that feeds the earth. Even tiny organisms in the dirt have time to rebuild healthy soil structure.
Hashem commands us to let the land rest and recharge, just as people do on Shabbos.
