Why is shemittah referred to as שבת שבתון, a title reserved otherwise only for Yom Kippur? Why do the dinim of yoval come into effect on Yom Kippur and not at the beginning of the year?
In a shmuz from a local Rosh Kollel this week he asked how did Klal Yisroel leave Egypt with the great simcha and fanfare that we elaborate on in the piut of אש תוקד בקרבי - בצאתי ממצרים if just a few days before most of the nation died in the makkah of חושך? He explained that when reaches such a level of devakut with Hashem as was experienced during yitzias mitzraim everything else falls by the wayside. The struggles, depressions and darkness of this world melt away before the great תענוג one experiences due to the closeness with Hashem. As the Mesillat yesharim Ch. 1 says "והנה מה שהורונו חכמינו זכרונם לברכה הוא, שהאדם לא נברא אלא להתענג על ה' ולהנות מזיו שכינתו שזהו התענוג האמיתי והעידון הגדול מכל העידונים שיכולים להמצא." When one is in such a state of ecstasy the normal moods that bring a person down have no place. He suggested this as a perspective in light of all the tragedies that have occurred in the last year. There is no way to comfort all the losses. All we can do is put our focus on what really matters 'להתענג על ה and that will bring comfort ממילא.
Every Shabbos is a time of a separation form the run of the mill daily activities and to take some time to be able to come closer to Hashem. However, we remain attached to the gashmiut needs of this world and are מענג the Shabbos with fine foods and drinks. Yom Kippur is a day when we are totally removed from gashmiut. The entire day is spent in intense closeness with Hashem completely devoid of any semblance of the limits of this world. That is שבת שבתון. The idea of shemittah is to to remove one's connection to the land and look upward. This untying of one's ropes that limit a person to the ארציות is שבת שבתון. That is why the bondages of slavery are untied on Yom Kippur. On a day where one's focus is reunited with Hashem the bondages of slavery that limit a person are broken.
With this idea we can understand מה ענין שמיטה אצל הר סיני. The Mishna Avot (6:2) says אין לך בן חורין אלא מי שעוסק בתורה. One who's focus is on Torah is freed from the מרבה נכסים מרבה דאגה, is freed from the stress and heartache that come's about from the elements of this world. Because one's focus is on the ultimate תענוג רוחני everything else just is child's play. It is the freedom from being attached to the trials and worriment over one's land that is a lesson for fulfilling all of Torah.
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