Learn Masechet Shevi’it with YCT
In a series of video, a lineup of teachers from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah takes you through the ten chapters dealing with the Shemitah year
Earth and the Jewish Festivals: In and Beyond the Shmita Year
An essay by Rabbi Arthur Waskow that contextualizes Shmita in relation to other Jewish festivals, and deepens our connection with the natural world.
A Year to Restore: Resources from One Table
Resources from One Table to infused you Shabbat table with Shmita. Every seven days, we’re gifted the beautiful wellness ritual of Shabbat — a day to pause, relax, reflect, and rejuvenate. And, every seven years, we’re gifted Shmita — an entire “sabbatical” year where (biblically speaking) we are encouraged to let the agricultural land rest, free debts in society, and resolve any inequities that may have grown. It is (or could be) a year to restore. Starting on Rosh Hashanah this year (Sept. 6, 2021), think of it as Shabbat on the grandest scale and an opportunity for us to restore ourselves and the earth.
Shemita: From the Sources to Practical Halakha
Shemita examines the underlying principles and practical observance of the Jewish agricultural sabbatical year, leading readers from the sources in the Torah, Mishna and Gemara to the rulings of leading halakhic authorities, including Rav Kook and the Chazon Ish. The most comprehensive and systematic guidebook on the subject, Shemita considers the laws and numerous challenges and solutions pertaining to topics from tree pruning to fruit buying and soup making.
The Hazon Shmita Sourcebook 3rd Edition – Hardcopy and PDF
Completely redesigned with the user experience in mind, many additional sources, and more thorough commentary and explanations; the updated Shmita Sourcebook is designed to encourage readers to think critically about Shmita, its values, challenges, and opportunities, and how we might apply the Shmita tradition in a modern context to support building healthier and more sustainable Jewish communities today. The updated Sourcebook draws on a range of texts from within Jewish tradition, tracing the development and evolution of Shmita from biblical, rabbinic, historical, and contemporary perspectives. This comprehensive, accessible sourcebook is well-suited for individual, partnered, and group study, with guiding text and discussion questions to enhance your learning, regardless of educational background. The Hazon Shmita Sourcebook offers a holistic understanding of Shmita, from the depth of Jewish tradition to the most pressing issues of our time.
Shmita Culture & Releasing Ourselves From Urgency
The Sabbatical year is upon us! 18 months ago as the realities of the pandemic set in, a lot of folks were talking about how this would be a society-wide opportunity to slow down. What happened?
piyut for Selichot/YK for Shmita year/advent of Shmita year
A piyut (liturgical poem) for Selichot for the advent of the Shmita year. This short piyut touches on these four themes related to Shmita: release of debts, the rights of the land, the rights of wild animals (who share our food during Shmita), and the freeing of slaves.
ENSOULING THE WORLD: SPIRITUAL TEACHINGS ABOUT SHABBAT AND SHMITA
A compilation of sources on healing the planet.
Upcoming Shmita Year: Why It’s Important… And a Fabulous Brainstorm on How You Might Observe It!
Rosh Hashanah this year starts on the evening of September 6th - and that date is also, therefore, the start of the shmita (sabbatical) year in Jewish life. In this session, Nigel will briefly frame/introduce shmita - and will then open up a space to brainstorm the many different (and great) ways that we might choose to observe the shmita year - as individuals, as institutions, and in the wider world.