when does the shmitah year begin
The Laws of âShmitaâ (The Sabbatical Year) in the Eyes of our Sages. Related: The year of Shmita, the Sabbatical Year for the Land of Israel, began on September 25, 2014. Rabbi Ari Enkin offers some insight into the topic from our holy sages. As a general rule, the Torah does not spell out the reasons for the various mitzvot (commandments).