## Sforno on Deuteronomy Chapter 15

###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:2:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:2:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/15:2:1)

**וְזֶה דְּבַר הַשְּׁמִטָּה.** כְּשֶׁאָמַר הָאֵל יִתְבָּרַךְ ״וְהַשְּׁבִיעִת תִּשְׁמְטֶנָּה״ (שמות כג:יא), הָיְתָה הַכַּוָּנָה שֶׁתַּעֲשֶׂה שְׁמִטַּת כְּסָפִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״שָׁמוֹט כָּל בַּעַל מַשֵּׁה יָדוֹ״.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
וזה דבר השמטה, when G’d said והשביעית תשמטנה, (Exodus 23,11) the meaning was that you should also have a concept of sh’mittat kessaphim, releasing overdue debts by your debtor at the end of that year. The words משה ידו, “what is owed him as a creditor” in our verse make this pretty clear. [Furthermore, if the word מקץ means “at the end,” it is clear that this verse does not refer to the produce grown during that year. Ed.]


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:2:2
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:2:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/15:2:2)

**כִּי קָרָא שְׁמִטָּה.** הָאֵל יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּאָמְרוֹ ״תִּשְׁמְטֶנָּה״.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:4:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/15:4:1)

**אֶפֶס כִּי לֹא יִהְיֶה בְּךָ אֶבְיוֹן.** אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי שֶׁתַּשְׁמֵט יָדְךָ, הִנֵּה לֹא יִקְרֶה בָכֶם אֵיזֶה לֹוֶה שֶׁתִּצְטָרֵךְ לְשַׁמֵּט. וְזֶה בְּלִי סָפֵק הִתְקַיֵּם בְּדוֹר בָּאֵי הָאָרֶץ כָּל יְמֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכָל יְמֵי הַזְּקֵנִים אֲשֶׁר הֶאֱרִיכוּ יָמִים אַחֲרֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (יהושע כד:לא).

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
אפס כי לא יהיה בך אביון, even though I have said that you must forgive overdue debts, the fact is that there will be no need for this commandment to apply in practice as there will not be anyone in that kind of need. There can hardly be a question that during all the years when Joshua was the leader of the people this promise applied and no one was in need of having past due debts forgiven. We have it on irrefutable authority that as long as Joshua and the elders of his generation were alive the Jewish people kept the Torah in an exemplary fashion. (Joshua 24,31)


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:11:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:11:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/15:11:1)

**כִּי לֹא יֶחְדַּל אֶבְיוֹן.** כְּעִנְיַן ״כִּי יָדַעְתִּי אַחֲרֵי מוֹתִי כִּי הַשְׁחֵת תַּשְׁחִתוּן״ (דברים לא:כט).


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:15:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:15:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/15:15:1)

**וְזָכַרְתָּ כִּי עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ.** שֶׁלֹּא בִלְבַד הוֹצִיאֲךָ מֵעַבְדוּת חָפְשִׁי, אֲבָל הֶעֱנִיק לְךָ מִמָּמוֹן הַמְשַׁעְבְּדִים בְּךָ.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
וזכרת כי עבד היית, not only did He take you out of bondage, but He saw to it that you were generously endowed with gold, silver, garments, etc.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:18:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:18:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/15:18:1)

**לֹא יִקְשֶׁה בְעֵינֶיךָ.** לְהַעֲנִיק עִם שִׁלּוּחוֹ חָפְשִׁי, כִּי רָאוּי הוּא לָזֶה וְאַתָּה לֹא תֶחְסַר.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
לא יקשה בעיניך, to furnish him with some of your wealth upon his departure, seeing that he has served you faithfully and you will not become poor by doing so.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:18:2
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:18:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/15:18:2)

**וּבֵרַכְךָ ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ.** וּמִשֶּׁלּוֹ תִּתֵּן.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:19:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 15:19:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/15:19:1)

**כָּל הַבְּכוֹר.** אַחַר שֶׁבֵּאֵר מִינֵי חֶסֶד בַּתְּבוּאָה וְהוּא מַעְשַׂר עָנִי, וּבְמָעוֹת וְהוּא שְׁמִטַּת כְּסָפִים וְהַצְּדָקָה, וּבִשְׁאָר הַקִּנְיָנִים בְּהַעֲנָקַת עֶבֶד עִבְרִי, בֵּאֵר מִצְוֹת אֲשֶׁר בָּהֶן הוֹדָאָה לָאֵל יִתְעַלֶּה, וְהֵן מַתַּן הַבְּכוֹרוֹת הָרָאוּי לְבַעֲלֵי הַמִּקְנֶה לְהוֹדוֹת כִּי מִיָּדוֹ הַמִּקְנֶה לָנוּ. וְחַג הַמַּצּוֹת לְהוֹדוֹת עַל הַגְּאֻלָּה בְּזֶבַח הַפֶּסַח וּבְמַצּוֹת, וְעַל הָאָבִיב בְּעֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה. וְחַג הַשָּׁבוּעוֹת לְהוֹדוֹת עַל שְׁבֻעוֹת חֻקּוֹת קָצִיר שֶׁשָּׁמַר לָנוּ. וְחַג הָאָסִיף לְהוֹדוֹת עַל הָאָסִיף, וְשֶׁבְּכָל אֶחָד מֵהֶם נָבִיא אֵיזֶה דּוֹרוֹן לָאָדוֹן, כְּאָמְרוֹ (דברים טז:טז) ״וְלֹא יֵרָאֶה אֶת פְּנֵי ה׳ רֵיקָם״. וּלְזֶה לֹא הִזְכִּיר בָּהֶם בְּאֵיזֶה חֹדֶשׁ וּבְכַמָּה בַּחֹדֶשׁ יִהְיוּ, אֲבָל הִזְכִּיר הָאָבִיב וְהַשָּׁבוּעוֹת וְהָאָסִיף.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
כל הבכור, after the Torah has listed a number of acts of kindness you are to perform with parts of your harvest in the field and orchard, something called the “tithe for the poor,” as well as an equivalent at the end of the sh’mittah year in money, i.e. the waiving of past due debts, acts of charity, and acts of helping your former servant to establish an economic base for himself, Moses now explains in detail commandments which are acts of gratitude vis a vis G’d, i.e. the giving to G’d or His representative the firstborn males of your livestock, i.e. sheep, goats and cattle. It is incumbent upon the owner of such herds to thank the Lord, for it is He Who is the source of his wealth. This is followed by repetition of the commandments to observe Passover, the commemoration of our obtaining political freedom, as well as the annual date on which the early barley harvest is acknowledged with an appropriate offering, and of Shavuot, the obtaining of our spiritual freedom when we received the Torah in capsule form, i.e. the Ten Commandments. Shavuot also ranks as the primary harvest festival celebrating the cutting of the wheat harvest.
 Finally, we observe the Sukkot festival signaling that the last of the various harvests, particularly that of the trees has been successfully brought into the barns. On each of these festivals the farmer brings a gift for G’d with him when he makes the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Temple. This is spelled out in 16,16. Seeing that the occasion for this is one or all of these three festivals, there is no need for the Torah to mention a specific date as we all know the dates of these festivals. The Torah does mention the season during which these festivals occur, to remind us that they are connected with times of significance to each farmer.