The Shmita Project Northwest seeks to educate, inspire, and build community around bringing Shmita to life.
The Shmita Year is part of a cycle analogous to the weekly Sabbath, but takes place once every seven years as opposed to every seven days. The Shmita Year in 5782 began this fall with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Also known as the Year of Release, Shmita invites each of us to re-examine our relationship with the earth, with the Divine, and with one another. In the Shmita year, we rest alongside the land; we share the abundance of our landscapes as equals with one another and with the wild creatures; money is deemphasized; and debts are released.
In this Shmita year, we will ensure that as many people as possible in our community:
- Are aware that this year is a Shmita year,
- Understand what Shmita means, and
- Are invited into community to think creatively about bringing Shmita values to life in their homes, communities, and the wider world.
We will be hosting educational and inspirational events and look forward to publicizing and sharing other Shmita-related programs and activities in the year ahead, focusing on the greater Seattle and Pacific Northwest region.
The Shmita Project Northwest is a project of Congregation Beth Shalom, Seattle and Washington Interfaith Power & Light/Earth Ministry.
Partners
Click here to learn about becoming a Shmita Project Northwest partner.
Resources
News
July 2022 Shmita Project NW Newsletter
Rabbi Seth Goldstein speaks at Stop Salmon Extinction Rally in Olympia
April 2022 Shmita Project NW Newsletter
Upcoming Events
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Recordings of Past Shmita Project Northwest Events
A Garden with No Owners: Growing and Sharing During the Shmita Year
April 28, 2021
Rabbi Jacob Fine highlights some of the core Shmita teachings that might guide how a gardener chooses to relate differently to their garden during the Shmita year. Drawing on these teachings, Jacob leads a discussion of some specific, practical ideas for Shmita observance in the garden and at home. (While this session is geared towards gardeners, the principles could apply to everyone).
Understanding Yishuv ha-Olam, the command to sustain the world
March 14, 2021
Join Rabbis Avram Reisner and Nina Beth Cardin in this recorded webinar to learn about the most important mitzvah you never heard of: yishuv ha-olam, the command to sustain the world.
Shmita 5782: How the Upcoming “Year of Release” Can Heal Climate and Community
(Jewish Climate Fest)
January 27, 2021
Shmita, also known as the Sabbath of the Land, obligates every farmer in the Land of Israel to let the soil rest every seven years. Fields are fallowed, ownership is relinquished, and all people and animals take part in the land’s abundance; also, financial debts are cancelled. With the next Shmita year right around the corner in 5782, Deirdre Gabbay, Earth Ministry board member, gathered folks as part of the 2021 Big Bold Jewish Climate Festival to reflect on what this ancient tradition offers to teach us about the challenges we face in the present day, and in particular, how bringing Shmita into the world would benefit our climate, culture, and community.
The Shemitah Year and the Social-Theological Vision of the Book of Devarim (Deuteronomy)
April 13, 2021
Rabbi Shai Held joined Shmita Project Northwest on 4/13/21 to discuss the Book of Devarim (Deuteronomy). Despite our usual associations of Shemitah (the Sabbatical year) with land, Shemitah in Devarim is about something else: It is a year for remitting debts and liberating slaves. In this session, we do a close reading of Devarim 15 and explore such questions as: What kind of social ethic does Devarim seek to instill? How does it work to ensure that there will be no permanent underclass in the land of Israel? What strategies does it use to motivate people to treat one another generously? Along the way, we’ll see how Devarim radicalizes the social vision of Shemot (Exodus).
Creatively Engaging with Shmita
March 2, 2021
Nigel Savage, founder and CEO of Hazon, provides a creative and engaging learning experience while examining core texts of Shmita and how they relate to our lives today.