3,791. When Did Shemittah and Yoveil Begin?

Hilchos Shemittah v’Yoveil 10:1

There is a Torah obligation to count groups of seven years and to sanctify the fiftieth year, as per Leviticus 25:8-10: “You shall count for yourselves seven years... and you shall sanctify the fiftieth year.” These two mitzvos are incumbent upon the Sanhedrin, not upon individuals.

Hilchos Shemittah v’Yoveil 10:2

The counting of yoveil (the Jubilee) started after the fourteen years that followed the Jews’ entry into Israel. Leviticus 25:3 says, “Six years you shall plant your field and six years you shall tend your vineyard,” which tells us that this was to begin after everyone received their land. It took seven years to conquer Israel and another seven to divide it. Therefore, the counting began after the year 2503 from Creation, from Rosh Hashana after the conjunction of Adam, which was in the second year of the creation. [We count years from Adam, who was created on the sixth day of Creation, which was Rosh Hashana. The first five days are considered the first year of creation.] Year 2510, which was the twenty-first year after entering Israel, was declared shemittah. They counted seven shemittah cycles and sanctified the fiftieth year, which was the sixty-fourth year after entering Israel.