Shmita

At Yom Kippur we had a Gate of Shmita. Below is the text of the Gate and the responses.

Once every seven years we are to live in “…a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord.” R’ Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Shmita paradigm asks us to recognize that we live in a world of abundance, of endless possibility and blessing. In this world, the focus is on circulation, rather than accumulation. In the Shmita year, we recognized that we truly are not owners of anything. Rather, we are in service of tending, stewarding, and guiding.

The Shmita paradigm invites the question-

‘How can I share more’ instead of ‘How can I get/own/control more’? In a system where everyone is taking care of one another, the more we give, the more we get.

We are asked to challenge the perspective of scarcity, and to experiment with stepping into this abundance through gift giving, sharing, creating exchange networks, and by realizing there are many ways to meet our needs without the use of the dollar or through competitive gain.

Another aspect of Shmita is pausing, resting, trusting that we will receive what we need.

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” Arundhati Roy

How can you live differently in this Shmita year??

Share your ideas with all of us. Inspire us!

Your Answers-

Let our farm lie fallow

Give more tzedakah

Work for special olympics

Accept who i am, stand in my full power and inspire/encourage others to do the same.

Sharing wisdom, knowledge, love I have for life.

Share creativity and joy.

Let some fear go.

Strive to be more “green.”

Avoid companies that are not “green.”

Oh trust. trust, trust in Source-emunah-emet -Truth Humble surrender in every moment.

Take a hot meal to a lonely person.

Remember I am safe, and it’s Ok to live with an open heart.

Be present to all my actions including consumption.

Live in the present.

Make sure each week there is time to unplug/pause from technology.


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