Earth Ministry/WAIPL is joining with Congregation Beth Shalom and the Shmita Project Northwest to host a distinguished speaker series in the months leading up to the Shmita Year 5782, which begins later this fall with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
In the Jewish tradition, the Shmita Year takes place once every seven years, analogous to the weekly Sabbath every seven days. Also known as the Sabbath of the Land or Year of Release, Shmita invites us all to re-examine our relationship with Earth, the Divine, and one another.
In the Shmita year, we are called to rest alongside the land, equally share the abundance of our landscapes with one another and with the wild creatures, deemphasize money, and release debts. Come learn and grow with us as we prepare for year ahead!
The first three speakers in the Shmita series are:
Rabbi Ellen Bernstein – Register here
Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 12-1pm PT
The Ecological Roots of the Passover Haggadah: An Earthy Seder for Today
Rabbi Ellen Bernstein, founder of the first national Jewish environmental organization (Shomrei Adamah), will be discussing the deep ecological roots of the Passover Haggadah and how she has brought them alive in her new Haggadah, The Promise of the Land. Rabbi Bernstein will also discuss opportunities for holding a community Earth Seder in the time of a pandemic.
Nigel Savage – Register here
Tuesday, March 2, 2021, 12-1pm PT
Creatively Engaging with Shmita
Join Nigel Savage, founder and CEO of Hazon, for a creative and engaging learning experience examining core texts of Shmita and how they relate to our lives today. We’ll take a look at this ancient tradition through a new lens and invite attendees to think creatively about their own interactions with Jewish tradition through the Shmita Prizes.
Rabbis Nina Beth Cardin and Avram Reisner – Register here
Sunday, March 14, 2021, 10-11am PT
Understanding Yishuv ha-Olam, the command to sustain the world
Join Rabbis Avram Reisner and Nina Beth Cardin to learn about the most important mitzvah you never heard of: yishuv ha-olam, the command to sustain the world. Yishuv ha-olam is a call from our tradition that speaks to the urgency of the moment we find ourselves in today. We will explore texts that teach us about this mitzvah and talk about how we must live out its imperative today.
These ongoing conversations will offer the opportunity to deepen our awareness of Jewish thought as it pertains to the central themes of Shmita. We’ll also develop bonds of community with others in the Pacific Northwest who are also on this journey of discovery and creative manifestation.
Please join us! All are welcome.