Sedra: Behar
By Rabbi Jonny Roodin
Everyone feels they need a break from time to time. Weekends, mini-breaks and annual holidays are all an important part of life. We need to break the monotony, rest and recharge so we can re- engage with the pressures of life in a healthy way.
The Torah recognises this need and as such we have Shabbat and the Chagim, days to pause, reflect and take pleasure in the important things in life. This week’s sedra starts with a different type of Shabbat, one that lasts for an entire year.
Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up
The shmitta year is a time when the farmer lays down his tools and goes on a sabbatical, as most agricultural activities are off- limits. Every seven years, the land is to lie fallow and all produce be made available for the poor. The weary land seems to need a rest!
While this may seem like a good idea, if the whole point is to give the land a chance to replenish itself, then a crop rotation system would be far more practical. This would have the advantage of the farmer being able to work the land every year and is common practice around the world today.
Rather, there is a deeper rationale behind this mitzvah. The land is to lie fallow so the farmer can take time out to recognise where his blessings come from. The rabbis of the Talmud refer to agricultural laws such as shmitta as ‘emunah’ – faithfulness. It is all too easy for the successful farmer to become haughty and say “my strength and the might of my hand made me all this wealth” (Deuteronomy 17:18).
Therefore, mitzvot such as shmitta come to teach us that: “You shall remember Hashem your God, for it is He who gives you the strength to make wealth”. Material success, whether in the boardroom, in the markets or out in the field, is indeed a blessing. The arrogance that can come with it, however, is a true curse.
The mitzvah of shmitta is to remind us that the Earth ultimately belongs to Hashem and that we are custodians to develop it and to maximise its resources to benefit everyone. The next shmitta year begins this coming Rosh Hashanah, and may it provide us with a real opportunity for us to internalise this lesson.
• Rabbi Jonny Roodyn, Aish UK @rjroodyn
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)