The seventh year fundamentally alters the relationship between humanity and the earth. Following the ban on active planting and pruning, the focus shifts to produce that sprouts entirely on its own. The emphasis moves away from human ownership and control, demanding a complete release of the land's yield to the public domain. During this time, grain naturally grows from seeds that fell during the previous year's harvest, acting as a secondary attachment to the prior crop [אבן עזרא, רש״ר הירש, רד״צ הופמן].
Although reaping and gathering are forbidden, the primary approach among commentators is that eating the natural produce is completely permitted. The restriction is strictly against harvesting in the manner of an owner—gathering large quantities into the home to hoard as private property. Instead, the produce must be taken in small amounts and in an unusual manner, treating the field as ownerless property open to all people and animals alike [רש״י, רלב״ג, תורה תמימה, הכתב והקבלה]. However, to prevent dishonest individuals from secretly planting new crops and claiming they sprouted naturally, the Sages later enacted a complete ban on eating the aftergrowth of grains and vegetables [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם, רד״צ הופמן].
A parallel is drawn regarding the grapes of the vineyard. The primary approach among commentators views these grapes much like the wild grain: they grow on vines left entirely untended and unpruned. These vines are compared to a Nazirite, either because the owners have separated themselves from the vineyard, or because the wild, untrimmed branches resemble a Nazirite's long, uncut hair [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, בכור שור, אבן עזרא, ביאור יש״ר, רש״ר הירש]. Conversely, another perspective suggests these are grapes the owner improperly guarded, keeping others away instead of leaving them ownerless. In this view, the warning is specifically against harvesting these hoarded grapes for personal use, reinforcing that one may only take from what has been made available to the public [רש״י, גור אריה].
Reiterating that this is a year of rest serves to emphasize that the land has completely exited the owner's private domain [אבן עזרא, חזקוני]. This specific designation also limits the strict biblical prohibition to the primary agricultural labors, such as sowing, reaping, pruning, and harvesting, while other forms of working the ground are not biblically forbidden [העמק דבר]. Furthermore, the laws of this resting year follow the natural life cycle of each specific plant. For trees, the agricultural year extends into the middle of the winter. Consequently, even after the Sabbatical year officially ends and working the tree itself becomes permissible, the lingering fruits remain subject to the Sabbatical restrictions [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם].