This week’s Torah reading, Behar, discusses that once we enter Israel, the land itself will begin the same cycle we use: the 7th is a designation of rest and relief. While we function on a cycle of 7 days, the land will function on a cycle of years. Every 7th year is a Sabbatical – the land cannot be worked, it will revert to its natural state of unimpeded growth. Everyone may enjoy its produce, including animals, landowners, and workers, but we may not infringe upon it. We must remove our impact from the equation.
It’s amazing that within the years of Covid, we have witnessed a similar reality all around us. When our doors first closed, we watched our backyards and noticed much more wildlife than had been there before. We started to see small animals interacting with each other in ways that surprised us. I remember sitting with my mother on her porch and we couldn’t hear each other talking because every time we began to speak, the birds began to chirp, and they outnumbered us by far. Videos began to circulate from around the world showing how wild animals were strolling through metropolitan downtown streets. It didn’t take long, and nature filled the gap we left when we simply remained in our homes.
In this case, the reason for our withdrawal was Covid, an illness that has cost us an enormous loss of life, illness, and pain for so many. Yet, we couldn’t help but notice how nature around us filled some moments of isolation with a grand embrace of life emerging and displaying its grandeur. A reminder that we are not the primal movers of the world around us, much as we often think we are.
We might sometimes hear the messages of the Torah as antiquated, but when the Torah commands a Sabbatical year for the land, we have all shared a historic moment today of understanding that message. We are commanded to remove ourselves from our routines in order to allow nature to show us how we fit within a greater vision. That message is powerful, even today
I’d like to wish everyone a sweet and peaceful Shabbat –our Jewish time to regroup, rest, and reinvigorate.
Shabbat shalom,
Rachael
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