For those of us in the international Jewish community outside of Israel, this tradition is not well known, or is usually recalled as a romantic notion. For many in Israel, this year is associated with the tension it causes, revealing already stressful relationships between the inhabitants of the land (religious & secular, Jewish & Arab). Yes, to follow this tradition leads to some alarming questions…What will we eat for the year? And how would this affect our valuable crop-export contracts? And how could we release debts? How would this affect the entire economy? 
 

Since the creation of the state, the Rabbinic authority has created numerous possibilities to avoid the radical nature of the sabbatical laws, such as Heter Mechira and Otzar Beit Din. In fact, with these legal-halachic loopholes in place, the Israeli public can fully avoid facing the challenging questions and reflections the Shmita year invites us to ask of ourselves. For the only way to approach the Shmita year in celebration, and in abundance, would be to start designing and preparing for this significant time in Year 1 of the 7 year cycle, not at the end of Year 6. And if we were to accept this tradition, it would undoubtedly and considerably shift the way we relate to agriculture, land, economy and community. 
 

Since 2007, which marked the last Shmita year, there has been a noticeable shift in the way the North American Jewish environmental network has been viewing this year. At first, it was gentle arising of curiosity and subtle conversations…What would it actually look like? Could we dream of doing this? Across many organizations and conferences, classes have been organized to fully share the introductory, basic ideas of Shmita, its laws, values and implications. And just recently, the Kayam Farm, located at the Pearlstone Retreat Center in Maryland, hosted a 5 day gathering where many Rabbis, organizational leaders, students, and families collectively came together to dive into this topic, and explore how we might reclaim the values of the Shmita cycle as a practical tool towards educating and designing for a more sustainable, holistic way of being.
 

Thanks to an ROI micro-grant, I was able to attend this conference, where I had the opportunity to teach two classes and give the closing keynote lecture. The educational platform I have created to facilitate and empower further explorations of the Shmita cycle is called the 7Seeds Project. 7Seeds is working to create curriculum materials, experiential educational programs, and community-based trainings to celebrate the Shmita cycle as a whole-systems blueprint for healthy, thriving and vibrant culture. Feel free to contact me for more details at 7seedsproject@gmail.com or visit www.7seedsproject.org