Lévitique 25:20

But if you say, What shall we eat in the seventh year; behold, we sow not, nor ingather even the after crop of our provision?

The Sadducees [a derogatory reference to Karaites — Translator] claim that the word our produce proves that the year begins in Nisan. This proof is invalid, because here our produce almost certainly denotes what the land produces on its own. Should they assert that spontaneous yield is called “accretion” [:5], and not “produce”, one can rebut them with “you may eat of the field’s produce” [:12]. Besides, if they are correct, let them tell us how to treat the jubilee year. According to them, one may not then sow during the sixth year, nor during the seventh year, nor during the eighth year — we could begin to sow only at the end of the ninth year, and harvest it in the tenth year! If so, then why does this verse mention only three years ? The correct interpretation of it will yield produce… , in my opinion, is: I shall extend My blessing on the sixth year, that there will be not only enough for that year, but also enough for an additional year; and during the jubilee year, there will be enough for three years, but no more.

AND IF YE SHALL SAY: ‘WHAT SHALL WE EAT THE SEVENTH YEAR?’ The verse is, as it were, inverted, meaning: “and if you shall say in the seventh year, ‘What shall we eat [in the eighth year]?’ for their worry would be about the eighth year. For since the beginning of the Sabbatical year and the Jubilee is in Tishri, then they would eat of the produce of the sixth year during the seventh year, as is the normal way in all other years to eat [of the old produce] until after the reaping [of the new], which is at the time of the Festival of Weeks, and even afterwards until the work of fanning and sifting the produce is finished. Therefore the correct interpretation of the verse, and it shall bring forth produce for the three years is that on account of the year of Jubilee [which always follows a Sabbatical year, G-d will command His blessing in the sixth year, meaning] that the sixth year will bring forth [sufficient produce] for the whole of the Sabbatical year, the Jubilee and the year after the Jubilee, and during all these [three years] they will eat of the old crop. Thus Scripture is assuring them that should they fear in the seventh year saying, “What shall we eat?” then I will command My blessing in the sixth year that it shall bring forth produce for the three years following after [the sixth year], this being an additional blessing [to that of every Sabbatical year, when the sixth year brings forth sufficient produce for the seventh and eighth years; and when in addition there is a Jubilee year, it will bring forth enough for three years] so that it should suffice also for the Sabbatical year and the Jubilee. He states, And ye shall sow the eighth year, meaning to say that you should sow in the eighth year in the customary manner of every year, and you should not hurry to plow and sow, or to reap, for until her produce come in into the house at the time that the harvest [usually] takes place every year, at the Festival of Tabernacles, ye shall eat the old crop. And in the Torath Kohanim [it is stated]: 4:6. “For the three years — for the sixth, the seventh, and the year after the seventh. Another interpretation: For the three years — for the Seventh year, the Jubilee, and the year after the Jubilee.”

וכי תאמרו מה נאכל, when you raise doubts about this promise which I have made you, asking that you would not have enough to eat because you cannot believe that the quality of such food would compensate for its lack of quantity.

וכי תאמרו, “if you were to say, etc.;” this sounds peculiar as to why would people worry in the sixth year about what they would have to eat in the seventh year, seeing that they ploughed, seeded and harvested in that year so that they would have food for a year? We must understand this verse as having been abbreviated; the Torah meant to quote them as saying in the seventh year: “what will we have to eat in the eighth year?”