“Vehavarta shofar teruah bachodesh hashevii beasor lachodesh, beYom haKippurim taaviru shofar bekol artzechem” (Vayikra 25:9). Parshat Behar establishes that the Yovel year, promoting liberty (25:10 - “ukeratem deror baaretz lekol yoshvehah”) with its attendant mitzvot - the release of all slaves, the return of ancestral lands (“ve-shavtem ish el achuzato ve-ish el mishpachto tashuvu”), and the abstention from primary agricultural activity (25:11) - is specifically ushered in by the shofar on the most holy of days, Yom Kippur, the apex of intense repentance and supreme atonement, in which the kohen gadol penetrates the inner sanctum (kodesh ha-kodoshim) of the Beit ha-Mikdash. This confluence is certainly intriguing and also somewhat puzzling.
There is evidence that Yovel already begins at the beginning of calendar year fifty, as do the partially parallel laws of shemittah. The Mishneh (Rosh Hashanah 2a) asserts that the “rosh hashanah” for Yovel commences on the first day of Tishrei. Indeed, the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 8b) is troubled by the apparent contradiction, and conclude somewhat ambiguously and complexly that, “melamed shemitkadeshet veholechet mitchilatah…mei-Rosh Hashanah ad Yom haKippurim lo hayu avadim niftarim lebateihen velo mishtabdin leadonehem…kivan shehigia Yom haKippurim taku bet din bashofar nifteru avadim lebateihen vesadot chozrot lebaleihem”! Rashi (25:10, and Rosh Hashanah 8b) emphasizes the immediate initiation of Yovel’s sanctity on Rosh Hashanah and underscores bet din’s formal pronouncement at that time. And yet, the shofar sounding is evidently intentionally delayed underscoring the link with Yom Kippur. [While Ibn Ezra appears to be comfortable with Yom Kippur simply representing the beginning of the year, this position seems problematic, especially given the double formulation, noted by the Sifrei - “ba’asor lachodesh beYom haIippurim”. ] Moreover, others posit that the primary initiation of Yovel requires the shofar blast on Yom Kippur, furthering this enigmatic connection. Minchat Chinuch (mitzvah 332) and others (see Ohr Sameach and Chidushei Rav Hayim ha-Levi, Hilchot Kiddush haChodesh, ch. 2) note that the mitzvah of beit din’s sanctifying proclamation, unlike the shofar blast on Yom Kippur, may not be an indispensable prerequisite to the onset of kedushat Yovel. [see also Rabbeinu Chananel, Rosh Hashanah 9b and the formulation of the Sefer ha-Chinuch, each of which attests to the central role of the shofar on Yom Kippur.]
There is a striking passage in the Sifra (cited by Rashi 25:9, see also Ramban’s critique and his conclusion that each individual is obligated to produces a teruah, and see Meshech Chochmah ad loc) that conveys that while sounding the shofar on the shabbat of Rosh Hashanah is prohibited, its role on Yom Kippur and even on Shabbat Yom Kippur announcing or even triggering Yovel is totally sanctioned. Remarkably, Meshech Chochmah perceives this convergence as fundamentally integrating the teruah of Yovel into the core kedushat ha-yom of Yom Kippur. On this basis, he posits that Rebbe’s principle (Shavuot 13a) that the atonement capacity of Yom Kippur in the absence of repentance does not extend to core Yom Kippur violations- such as violating the fast or prohibition against work on that day- would apply also to abstaining from the Yovel teruah and, under some conditions, possibly other Yovel violations, as well!
Indeed, Ralbag, Abarbanel (and by extension Kli Yakar), and others particularly emphasize the intentionality of this intriguing timing, reinforced by the Torah’s double emphasis of the calendar day that is Yom Kippur. What is it about Yovel in particular, even in contrast to shemittah with which it considerably overlaps, that accounts for this Yom Kippur convergence?
Abarbanel already notes the Torah’s singular presentation and description of Yovel, even vis a vis shemittah. While shemittah is ubiquitously depicted as a “shabbat” (25:2,4,5,6), Yovel is never described in this way. More significantly, the term “kedushah” is used repeatedly (25:10,12) in connection with Yovel to the exclusion of shemittah! The use of the shofar and the “deror” proclamation apply only to Yovel. Moreover, while there is a broader economic dimension to shemittah, shemitat kesafim (debt cancellation), this facet is not integrated into the torah’ s presentation in Parshat Behar, applies outside of Eretz Yisrael, and fundamentally constitutes an extraordinary act of charity (hence, its location in Parshat Reeh). In contrast the liberation of slaves and the reset on legacy ownership in Yovel is fundamentally an assertion of exclusive Divine sovereignty extending well beyond the confines of Eretz Yisrael - “ki Li haaretz”, a testament to the broader “kulo la-Hashem” principle that overlaps the core theme of Yom Kippur. Human transactions, particularly related to apparent material ownership and control, are completely neutralized by Divine fiat. [While there is greater affinity between shemitah and Yovel with respect to the agricultural limitations, it is conceivable that subtle differences pertaining even to this realm, especially in light of some of the other discrepancies we have highlighted, may reflect conceptually diverse motifs. I hope to address this elsewhere.]
In this respect, it is noteworthy that both Ralbag (albeit in a more theological fashion - see Vayikra 25:9, and his comments at the end of Emor - toaliyot s.v. ve-hineh Rosh Chodesh tishrei) and Abarbanel explicate that Yovel alludes to Hashem’s comprehensive and exclusive sovereignty, and especially the primacy of pure spirituality, as do the principles of “veinitem” and atonement on Yom Kippur. In one formulation, Abarbanel (“derech ha-echad”) posits that while shemitah, a Shabbat, corresponds to the Divine gift of creation and the challenge of sanctifying a physical world and life, Yovel targets the even greater spiritual purpose and goal of creation, the effective realization of mattan Torah and halachic life! Kli Yakar, building on this theme, accentuates that Yovel corresponds to mattan Torah, that the cry of the shofar and the aspiration for authentic “deror” that neutralizes man’s inclination for excessive material accumulation as well as other distractions associated with his physicality, reinforce this motif. Yovel - mattan Torah and Yom Kippur inspire man to embrace his spiritual potential, grounding him in a more sanctified foundation, that is authentically liberating. Elsewhere (ha-derech ha-sheni), Abarbenel suggests that the Yovel year alludes to the need for an exclusive spiritual focus particularly as one progresses through life and approaches his ultimate destiny, parallel to the inui afflictions of Yom Kippur, as one annually contemplates ultimate purpose and fate at a critical life juncture! Perhaps the shofar blast, a fundamentally ineffable mode of communication that bypasses concrete articulation and a more finite message, is a particularly appropriate vehicle to convey this facet of “kulo la-Hashem”. Ralbag refers also to Rambam’s celebrated formulation (Hilchos Teshuvah) of the shofar blast as a means of stirring one from spiritual lethargy and complacency, in the Yovel framework. The prominence of “kedushah” in this context that demands a comprehensive commitment to a Divine-spiritual orientation is evident. The focus on “deror”, an aspirational liberation, is equally compelling. Chazal frequently emphasize that true liberation entails discipline, and a purposeful commitment - “ein ben chorin ela mi sheosek be-Torah umitzvot”. Thus, the disappointment with eved nirtzah who, until Yovel, opts to be an eved le-avadim, rather than to strive for true liberation as an eved Hashem. The symbolic significance of the legal termination of any competing human subservience explains the sweeping formulation - “ukeratem deror baaretz lekol yoshveha”- notwithstanding the actual likely low number of avadim that were concretely owned and freed.
Finally, we note that Yom Kippur’s singular status, reflected in all of its halachic manifestations, is inextricably linked with the theme of “kulo la-Hashem”, the idea that a life of balance that revolves around the challenging aspiration of sanctifying the physical and material dimensions of life recurrently requires a pause that exclusively accentuates the comprehensive commitment to pure spirituality. We abstain from physical pleasures and constructive toil on Yom Kippur to reassert our core credentials as ovdei Hashem. This annual experience establishes that these same activities are not only begrudgingly permissible, but even idealistic - sanctified expressions of avodat Hashem when undertaken in an aspirational halachic framework and with the goal of furthering the mission of “mamlechet kohanim vegoy kadosh”. The Yovel assertion of “kedushah” and authentic “deror” formulated by the shofar blast specifically on Yom Kippur, the quintessential day of “kulo la-Hashem” immeasurably facilitates the realization of this broad national aspiration.