Not to work the soil during the fiftieth year

The Torah forbids all agricultural labor in the Jubilee (Yovel) year, paralleling the restrictions of Shemitah. This includes plowing, sowing, pruning, and other work that promotes growth. The land itself is to rest, for Yovel is “קֹדֶשׁ תִּהְיֶה לָכֶם”—a holy year of release and restoration.

Rambam emphasizes that Yovel is sanctified in the same way as Shemitah but carries an added dimension: its holiness extends beyond the agricultural sphere into social and economic structures, as slaves are freed and land is restored. The prohibition on agricultural work during Yovel affirms that the land belongs to Hashem alone and must be returned to Him in cycles of rest.

Commentary & Classical Explanation:

• Rambam (Hilchot Shemitah V’Yovel 10:14): States that all agricultural restrictions of Shemitah apply equally during Yovel.
• Sifra (Behar 2:4): Explains that the Torah repeats the prohibition to stress Yovel’s independent sanctity, not just as an extension of Shemitah.
• Talmud (Arachin 32b): Discusses the equivalence of Shemitah and Yovel regarding agricultural prohibitions, but with Yovel adding laws of liberty and return.
• Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 333): Teaches that just as Shemitah trains us in faith and trust, so too Yovel, but on a broader national scale.
• Rashi (Leviticus 25:11): Notes that Yovel is called “holy,” emphasizing that agricultural restraint mirrors spiritual sanctity.