The Exodus took place in the spring, when the power of nature appears most vigorous, and precisely then the Jews were commanded to slaughter openly the lamb worshiped by Egypt. They thereby demonstrated that nature and the miraculous are not separate powers, for G-d alone rules over both. Likewise, a person must not attribute success to his own power or submit to the values of his environment; he must openly recognize G-d as the source of blessing and use all his prosperity in His service.

The Torah first states that the land shall rest as a Sabbath to G-d and only afterward speaks of the six years of sowing, although in practice the six working years precede Shemittah. This order teaches that the goal of a Sabbath to G-d must stand foremost from the very beginning of one's work. When ordinary affairs are conducted for the sake of Heaven and material things are used in G-d's service, the six years of labor themselves become holy and elicit blessing beyond the natural order.