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What are farmers (in Israel) supposed to do with all their free time during the shemita year? Are we, today, supposed to do anything special during the shemita year (in addition to actions related to produce of the land). I am asking about actions we might take that are reflective of what farmers in the past did (or might have done) with their extra time?

Yehuda W
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    "in addition to actions related to produce of the land" and canceling loans – Heshy May 22 '22 at 14:55
  • https://www.sefaria.org.il/Kaf_HaChayim_on_Shulchan_Arukh%2C_Orach_Chayim.1.12.1?vhe=Kaf_Hachayim,_Orach_Chayim_vol._I-IV,_Jerusalem_1910-1933&lang=bi – Joel K May 22 '22 at 14:58
  • @Heshy Yes, but that does not take much time. – Yehuda W May 22 '22 at 15:39
  • @JoelK I do not understand the source to which you linked. What does it say we should do with our time during the shemita year? – Yehuda W May 22 '22 at 15:46
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    I don't have a source handy (hence this being a comment) but most commentaries I've read say that we're supposed to study Torah full time – יהושע ק May 22 '22 at 15:58
  • You asked (before editing) what special things are we (non-farmers) to do during shemitah. This answers that we are supposed to not say Tikkun Rachel. – Joel K May 22 '22 at 16:01
  • @JoelK A little web search says that "In Chutz Laaretz, Tikkun Rachel is said." Source: https://dinonline.org/2015/08/13/tikkun-rachel-during-shmitta-year/ – Yehuda W May 22 '22 at 16:14
  • Right. But there are plenty of non-farmers who live in Israel – Joel K May 22 '22 at 17:16
  • If you aren't a farmer in Eretz Yisrael, you don't get the special opportunity of keeping shmitta. You don't have any unusual free time (unless it's completely unrelated to shmitta and just a coincidence that it falls out during shmitta year) so there is nothing special for you to do with your time. – Esther May 23 '22 at 19:59

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As has already been mentioned in the comments - with their now free time, it affords the farmers the opportunity to learn and daven more.

Rav Tzadok in the first Pri Tzadik of Behar writes:

מפני שמצות שמיטה היא כמו מצות שבת שהוא קבלת מלכות שמים ששובתין כל אומה ישראלית ביום השבת וכן שמיטה בא"י שהי' כל עסקיהם בעבדות הארץ, ובשמיטה פנוים לתורה ועבודה,

...Because the mitzvah of Shemitta is like the mitzvah of Shabbos, that is an acceptance of the kingship of Heaven - that every Jew stops on the day of Shabbos, and similarly during Shemitta in Eretz Yisroel; all those that engage in working the land - during shemittah they turn to Torah and prayer.

Dov
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    So, we who are not farmers (and not in Israel) get a complete pass? – Yehuda W May 23 '22 at 17:05
  • No I am just answering the first part of the question - "What are farmers (in Israel) supposed to do with all their free time during the shemita year?" – Dov May 23 '22 at 19:05
  • So, is there anything that we who live outside of Israel are supposed to do nowadays, such as something to reflect what the farmers of old in Israel did with their considerable free time? – Yehuda W May 23 '22 at 19:46
  • @YehudaW yes, if you are not a farmer you don't have the mitzvah to not farm and instead learn torah. All you have to do is be careful with shmitta fruits, and if you weren't going to have any anyways, then you have nothing to do. – Esther May 23 '22 at 20:00