From the website of KKL-JNF, this thorough article introduces the biblical commandment to let the Land of Israel rest for one year out of a seven-year cycle, known as the “shmita” or sabbatical year. Including biblical sources, the article explains the practical implications of this commandment on a society, as well as the underlying values that it teaches us, including the importance of social equality, trust in God, spiritual renewal, and protecting the environment. All but irrelevant for thousands of years while the Jewish people were in exile, the Shmita cycle once again came into effect with the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel in modern times, posing a unique set of challenges to Israeli farmers.