Farmers throughout Israel who \"let the land lay fallow\" during the past year, in accordance with the Torah commandment for the Shemittah year, celebrated the end of Shemittah in a joyous and uplifting ceremony this past week. The event was held in Moshav Komemiyut, east of Ashkelon, in the presence of leading rabbis, public figures, and a large number of farmers - including many for whom this was the first Shemittah that they were observing in this manner. Some farmers legally evaded the laws of Shemittah by arranging a sale to non-Jews, while many others were \"hired\" by a rabbinical court to work their own fields, receiving payment only for their \"expenses.\" Those who allowed the fields to totally lay fallow, however, were partially supported by government subsidies and special Shemittah funding from generous patrons in Israel and abroad.