Sheviis 5:9-6:1

Sheviis 5:9

If a woman is suspected of not observing the sabbatical, her neighbor may still lend her a flour sifter, a sieve, a grinder or an oven (because these things could be used for permitted purposes), though the neighbor may not sift or grind with her (because she would then be abetting a violation of the sabbatical laws). The wife of someone known to be scrupulous when it comes to tithes and ritual purity may lend a flour sifter or a sieve to the wife of an unlearned person, and she may sift, grind and refine flour with her, but once water has been added to turn the flour into dough, she may not knead with her because this would be assisting her in a transgression. (Once it becomes dough, it is liable to have the portion called challah removed for a kohein and the wife of the unlearned person renders it ritually impure.) The things that the Sages permitted, like lending the utensils, were permitted to promote peace between people. If one sees non-Jews working the field in the sabbatical year, he may wish them success, but not Jews. Non-Jews should be greeted in order to encourage peaceful relations.

Sheviis 6:1

There are three categories of land vis-à-vis the sabbatical laws: (1) the land that the exiles returning from Babylonia settled in Israel until K’ziv – the produce may not be eaten and the land may not be worked; (2) the land that the exiles returning from Egypt settled, from K’ziv to the river and to Amanah – the produce may be eaten but the land may not be worked; (3) from the river and Amanah in - the produce may be eaten and the land may be worked.