Although the sabbatical year comes with a list of rules and regulations set by rabbinic authorities, there is a joyous and spiritual side to shmita. The number seven reoccurs many times in Jewish ...

“Shmita is a social and spiritual enterprise from which our society could learn much: In releasing the crops of our field to others, it curbs materialistic tendencies." The modern state of Israel ...

Shmita, the Torah-mandated break that refreshes every seven years, and which is observed in the coming new year, 5775, is being reinterpreted in Los Angeles. The key concepts of shmita, which means ...

But first, I want to put these prizes in context, beginning with a word about shabbat, shmita’s temporal Jewish sibling. The world needs shabbat right now. We need boundaries. We need rest. We need ...

Quick, what is the first word that comes to mind when you hear the word “shmita”? Most likely it is “agriculture”. Or more specifically an entire industry of grossly overpriced, imported fruits and ...

JERUSALEM (JTA) — When the Maccabees climbed the stairs of the Temple in Jerusalem, they lit the menorah with the knowledge that there was only enough oil to last for one day. Only a miracle could ...

God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, telling him to speak to the Israelites and say to them: “When you come into the land that I give you, the land must have a period of rest, a Sabbath for God. For six ...

Nothing draws attention to the passage of time like doing the same thing every year, and nothing marks disruption like not being able to do it. So this past September, when for the second straight ...

More than 2,000 years ago, when ancient Israel was an agrarian society, the shmita year was a huge national happening. Commencing with Rosh Hashanah, the people of Israel would gather in the fields to ...

(JTA) — We are in an era of multiple interlocking crises. From record-breaking heat waves to wildfires to water shortages, from rising authoritarianism to a pandemic rampaging across the world, it is ...

The reward and punishment written in the Torah are intended for all of Clal Yisrael in this world, and they take place naturally For if they had come miraculously, they would have abolished free ...

When 70 climate activists stood outside Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s West Los Angeles field offices 10 days ago and blew a shofar, it wasn’t their way of wishing their senator an early Happy Jewish New ...