The parashah begins (25:1), משה אל 'ה וידבר סיני בהר, "Hashem spoke with Moshe at Har Sinai..." The Torah goes on to teach the laws of Shemitah. Rashi asks, הר אצל שמיטה ענין מה סיני, why does the Torah specifically mention that the mitzvah of shemitah was given at Har Sinai? מסיני נאמרו המצות כל והלא, "Weren't all of the mitzvos said at Sinai!"
We can answer Rashi’s question according to the following Sefer HaChinuch. The Chinuch (mitzvah 84) writes, "The mitzvah [of shemitah] implants in our hearts and clarifies in our minds that Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. [We demonstrate this awareness by leaving the fields fallow every seventh year.] We must uproot the thoughts of the apikorsim, those who deny the Torah and claim the world always existed."
Chazal tell us that when Hashem gave the Torah to the Jewish nation, He opened all seven heavens, and the Yidden saw that מלבדו עוד אין, there is nothing besides Hashem. Similarly, as we explained, the purpose of shemitah is to teach us that Hashem created the world and that מלבדו עוד אין, there is none other than Hashem. We now understand why the Torah stresses that the mitzvah of shemitah was given at Har Sinai; the lessons are similar.
The Sfas Emes offers another reason why the Torah tells us that shemitah was given at Har Sinai, to teach us that when Yidden keep shemitah, they become pure and holy, just as when they stood at Har Sinai. When the Yidden stood at Har Sinai to receive the Torah, they became pure like malachim, as it states (Tehillim 82:6), אתם אלקים אמרתי אני, "I said you are angels...." When they sinned with the egel and fell from that high level. Nevertheless, there are times when we become like malachim. On Shabbos, we are like the malachim because we don't work. Also, during the shemitah year, we resemble malachim because we don’t work the land. We become pure like malachim who aren't engaged in the gashmiyos of this world.
After forty-nine years (seven shemitos) comes the year of yovel. The halachos of yovel are similar to shemitah. We don't work the land in yovel, and the primary purpose of yovel is to remind us that Hashem created the world. One of the unique halachos of yovel is that all fields sold during the forty-nine-year period are returned to their original owners. As it states (25:10), אחוזתו אל איש ושבתם, "Each man will return to his property." Chazal (Toras Kohanim) teach, לשררה שב ואיו שב הוא אחזותו אל שבידו, "He returns to his portion of land, but he doesn't return to his power and control that he once had."
The Daas Sofer explains that after keeping shemitah and yovel, one becomes aware that Hashem is the Creator and the ruler of the land. Perhaps previously, he considered himself wealthy and powerful, but now he humbly realizes that everything he owns comes from Hashem. This is the meaning of the Chazal שבידו לשררה שב ואין שב הוא אחוזתו אל: He returns to his property but not to the control and power that he once had because now he humbly recognizes that everything is Hashem’s.
