Genesis, the Shmita Covenant, and the Land Ethic

(Neohasid.org): An exploration of early biblical texts, such as the creation story, the fall from Eden, and the flood as a way to understand the deeper meaning and eternal covenant of the Shmita tradition.

The Genesis texts in this study trace the devolution of humanity’s two most important relationships, the relationship with the land and the relationship with God. Specifically, whenever one relationship degenerates so does the other one. Alongside these two relationships, one also sees the human relationship with the animals changing, from one of intimacy to one of ‘terror’ on the part of the animals as humans become predators.