Sufficient Sustenance
In this week's Parsha, the Torah commands us with the mitzvah of Shemittah, observing a seven-year cycle that involves working the fields and gathering crops for six years, followed by letting the land lay fallow during the seventh year. For that one year one must completely relinquish his ownership over his fields and refrain from cultivating his land, including all grains, vegetables and fruits, vineyards, and olive groves.
The Torah addresses concerns about sustenance during the seventh year by assuring that a blessing will be ordained in the sixth year. This blessing ensures that the land will yield a crop sufficient for three years. The Torah presents the question that might arise, namely, "What are we to eat in the seventh year", followed by a promise of divine provision for those who observe the laws of Shemittah.
The Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk shares a thought from his brother, the great Tzaddik Reb Zusha of Anipoli, who asked an intriguing question. Given that not one word in the Torah is superfluous; every word is purposeful, the phrase presenting the question "What are we to eat" seems unnecessary. Wouldn't it be enough for the Torah to promise sufficient crops without explicitly addressing the obvious concern?
Channels of Bounty
The truly eye-opening answer to this question is a crucial element in developing our steadfast trust in Hashem. Reb Elimelech begins by explaining that when Hashem first created the world, He established channels through which His kindness and blessings would reach humanity. These are designed to constantly convey divine blessings, unless they are obstructed by people's lack of trust and failure to acknowledge the Creator's providence. When an individual loses faith in Hashem, he blemishes the higher realms through these impure thoughts, thereby diminishing their strength and disrupting the flow of divine blessings.
In such instances, it becomes necessary for Hashem to renew the flow of blessings so that they may descend upon the world as before. Thus, the expression "If you ask" implies that as a result of posing such a question - which is an outcome of a lack of trust in Hashem - the flow of blessings gets compromised. Being that the original flow has now been obstructed, a new blessing must be initiated.
The Torah admonishes us against asking such questions, instead encouraging us to wholeheartedly trust the Almighty. This way, the original flow of blessings will continue to descend upon us uninterrupted, ensuring that we lack nothing.
(נעם אלימלך בהר ד"ה וכי תאמרו)