Please join Judea Reform’s Adult Education Committee for a
virtual learning mini-series on

Shmita: The Sabbatical Year

With our Rabbi-In-Residence

Rabbi Jim Prosnit

Sessions will be on Zoom sessions on Thursdays from 7:00pm to 8:30pm

What is Shmita?  

5782, the year just begun in the Hebrew Calendar is a shmita year—literally a year of "release." In biblical times, every seventh year the land was to lay fallow, debts were forgiven and adjustments were made to promote sustainability and justice. What can we learn from this ancient practice? An environmental ethic? A model for creating a more equitable society? A reminder of the sacredness of time? There's a lot to consider as we look into the biblical roots, the rabbinic developments and the contemporary implications of shmita.

The Shmita Project  

Rabbi Prosnit’s course will draw on the work of The Shmita Project , which is working to expand awareness about the biblical Sabbatical tradition, and to bring the values of this practice to life today to support healthier, more sustainable Jewish communities. The Shmita Project works across the Jewish landscape to elevate the role that shmita- the year of rest in a seven- year cycle of Jewish life- plays in today’s society. “We don’t simply want to raise awareness of shmita. We also want to explore the ways that traditional teachings about shmita shed light on a significant range of contemporary issues that are directly or indirectly referenced in the concept of ‘shmita,’ including rest and work, relationship to land, relationship to community, relationship to debt and debt relief, definitions of community, and the issue of consumption itself.”

The Shmita Project Resources from Hazon

The Shmita Project has robust resources to learn from. Rabbi Prosnit will draw on The Shmita Sourcebook from Hazon: The Jewish Lab for Sustainability as a centerpiece for the course. Download Shmita Hazon Sourcebook here.

Schedule and how to study with Rabbi Prosnit

There will be two parts to this virtual learning mini-series: December 2021 and January 2022, each with three sessions (six sessions in all). Attend as many sessions as you would like and participate in the interactive dialogue. Come to one; come to all. All sessions will be on Zoom on Thursday evenings from 7:00pm-8:30pm. 

Here is the schedule and registration for  Part 1 sessions. 

 PART 1

1. Thursday, December 2, 2021 • 28 Kislev 5782 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (To watch the video, click here)

2. Thursday, December 9, 2021 • 5 Tevet 5782 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (To watch the video, click here)

3. Thursday, December 16, 2021 • 12 Tevet 5782 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (To watch the video, click here)

 PART 2 

1. Thursday, January 6, 2022 • 4 Sh'vat 5782 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (To watch the video, click here)

2. Thursday, January 13, 2022 • 11 Sh'vat 5782 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (To watch the video, click here)

3. Thursday, January 20, 2022 • 18 Sh'vat 5782 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (To watch the video, click here)