4 Tishrei | Week 5 : Shmita: The Ultimate Jewish Resiliency

With this new Jewish year of 5782, we enter into shmita. Commonly translated as the sabbatical year, shmita literally means “release.” It is the final year of the seven-year cycle when land is left fallow, debts are forgiven, and agricultural & economic adjustments to maintain an equitable and just society are applied. Shmita is the ultimate Jewish resiliency. It requires us to honour sacred land, retain our human wildness, and embrace sustainable design principles. In this week’s video, learn more about what shmita means for us as a community, as a society, and for each of us as individuals

Weekly Teshuvah Exercise
Dedicate some time every day, or once a week, for hitbatadut: making yourself alone in nature.  Find a spot in nature that you love. Slow down, connect with the trees, birds, and other wild beings. Connect with your heart, with your grief, your love, inspiration, and spirit.  Find your wild self in the wild.

As we turn to Yom Kippur, the great cleansing, we invite you to bring this connection with your wild self to your prayers. And if you feel called continue your hitbatadut practice into the full year ahead.

Watch the full video of Rabbi Zelig’s teaching.