Shemitah: What Does it Mean to be Human? What Does it Mean to be a Jew?

(26) And God said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ (27) And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. (28) And God blessed them; and God said unto them: ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ (29) And God said: ‘Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed—to you it shall be for food; (30) and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, [I have given] every green herb for food.’ And it was so. (31) And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

(4) These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven. (5) No shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground; (6) but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. (7) Then the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (8) And the LORD God planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed...

(15) And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to work it and to guard it.

(17) And unto Adam He said: ‘Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying: Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. (18) Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. (19) In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’

(1) And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and bore Cain, and said: ‘I have agotten a man with the help of the LORD.’ (2) And again she bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. (3) And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. (4) And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering; (5) but unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. (6) And the LORD said unto Cain: ‘Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? (7) If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee is its desire, but thou mayest rule over it.’ (8) And Cain spoke unto Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. (9) And the LORD said unto Cain: ‘Where is Abel thy brother?’ And he said: ‘I know not; am I my brother’s keeper?’ (10) And He said: ‘What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto Me from the ground. (11) And now cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand. (12) When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth.’ (13) And Cain said unto the LORD: ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear. (14) Behold, Thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the land; and from Thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth; and it will come to pass, that whosoever findeth me will slay me.’ (15) And the LORD said unto him: ‘Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.’ And the LORD set a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him. (16) And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

(22) And Zillah, she also bore Tubal-cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. (23) And Lamech said unto his wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech; For I have slain a man for wounding me, And a young man for bruising me; (24) If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. (25) And Adam knew his wife again; and she bore a son, and called his name Seth: ‘for God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel; for Cain slew him.’ (26) And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh; then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

(1) This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made He him; (2) male and female created He them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. (3) And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth. (4) And the days of Adam after he begot Seth were eight hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters. (5) And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. (6) And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. (7) And Seth lived after he begot Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. (8) And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died. (9) And Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Kenan. (10) And Enosh lived after he begot Kenan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begot sons and daughters. (11) And all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died. (12) And Kenan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. (13) And Kenan lived after he begot Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years, and begot sons and daughters. (14) And all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died. (15) And Mahalalel lived sixty and five years, and begot Jared. (16) And Mahalalel lived after he begot Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. (17) And all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety and five years; and he died. (18) And Jared lived a hundred sixty and two years, and begot Enoch.

(28) And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begot a son. (29) And he called his name Noah, saying: ‘This same shall comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, which cometh from the ground which the LORD hath cursed.’ (30) And Lamech lived after he begot Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begot sons and daughters. (31) And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years; and he died. (32) And Noah was five hundred years old; and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

"This one shall comfort us" - This one will let us rest from the toil of our hands. Until Noah, nobody had made plows, and he made them for them. And the earth had given forth thorns and thistles when wheat had been sown, because of the curse of the first Man. And this curse relented in the time of Noah....

(1) And the LORD spoke unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying: (2) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. (3) Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the produce thereof. (4) But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath unto the LORD; thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. (5) That which groweth of itself of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, and the grapes of thy undressed vine thou shalt not gather; it shall be a year of solemn rest for the land. (6) And the sabbath-produce of the land shall be for food for you: for thee, and for thy servant and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant and for the settler by thy side that sojourn with thee; (7) and for thy cattle, and for the beasts that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be for food.

(10) And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and gather in the increase thereof; (11) but the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of thy people may eat; and what they leave the beast of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.

(1) At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. (2) And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release that which he hath lent unto his neighbour; he shall not exact it of his neighbour and his brother; because the LORD’S release hath been proclaimed. (3) Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it; but whatsoever of thine is with thy brother thy hand shall release. (4) Howbeit there shall be no needy among you—for the LORD will surely bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it— (5) if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day. (6) For the LORD thy God will bless thee, as He promised thee; and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee.