334. Parallel Lines: The prohibition against reaping wild crops during the Jubilee

…nor harvest that which grows on its own… (Leviticus 25:11)

The mitzvos of Yoveil (the Jubilee year) continue to parallel those of Shemittah (the Sabbatical year). As with Shemittah, we can’t reap what grows on its own in the same manner normally used for harvesting crops. We can’t stockpile crops; we may only pick what we need for immediate use. (Compare Mitzvah #328, above.)

The reason, again, is to demonstrate that the land is God’s to do with as He chooses.

This mitzvah only applies in Israel at a time when all the Tribes live there. It is discussed in the Midrash in the Sifre on this parsha. It is codified in the Mishneh Torah in the tenth chapter of Hilchos Shemittah and is #225 of the 365 negative mitzvos in the Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvos.