This is a Shmitah Year! No, not the yiddish word Shmateh.

 

This is a Shmitah Year!

No, not the yiddish word Shmateh.

This coming Jewish new year 5782 has been designated by our sages as a Shmita Year, a year of honoring and allowing the land to renew itself and for us, stewards of the earth, to renew ourselves as well. Originating In the Torah, Leviticus 25, we are instructed:

“The Ineffable said to Moses at Mount Sinai, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to God. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Creator. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest…”

The Shmita year also included the release of servants, debt relief, the recognition that we are stewards of the earth, the true owner being the Creator and that “If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you…” (35)

While traditionally, the observance of the Shmita Year was mostly observed in the Land of Israel, and is seriously observed there today, there is a growing movement today outside of Israel to expand the meaning and practice of Shmita to address our relationships with the land and each other.

Many Jewish organizations such as Hazon, the Shalom Center, T’ruah, Bend the Arc and progressive Jewish communities are recognizing the significance of this coming year on the Jewish calendar for our own lives.

While we are not an agricultural people today, living in cities and suburbs, we are desperately in need of a reset in our world. We desperately need a year to give the earth a rest, a reprieve, from our complicity in its exploitation. We need this year to understand ourselves better. This past year of Covid forced many of us to reflect more deeply on our lives and the world in which we live. May this coming year, the Shmita Year,

help us deepen and expand on what we have learned.

Please check out Hazon’s website: hazon.org and read the many articles and suggestions for what we can do.

May we find renewal and healing,

and enjoy the apples and honey and all that the earth and Life gives us.

Reb David