All of life is about the beautiful balance of releasing control and connecting. Because we're tasked to toil for our bread, we find ourselves stuck in a mindset of thinking that we are in control of our lives, that the more that we dominate our circumstances, the more in control we are. What we find in the lessons of Shemita (the year of release) is that the rewards come from the release. Yes, we must work the field, but without pause, there is no ultimate pleasure. To demonstrate faith to ourselves and our Creator, we have to pause our compulsion to constantly control. What we see most immediately with Shabbat, especially with our phone addiction, is that while we seem to be steering the ship, the ship often steers us. When we shift the dynamics and put away our phones, we can reconnect to our purpose, our Creator and faith itself. It’s like a hard reset to wash away the layers of disconnect, so that we can once again feel unified with our Source.
Last week we discussed Shabbat as a day of rest for Hashem and for us, now we're taught about Shabbat for the land of Israel: for 6 years we may sow the field, prune the vineyards and gather crops, but in the 7th year the land is “released”.
The most beautiful part of Shemita is that every 7 years we're commanded to forgive all debts, to not work the land of Israel by planting or harvesting and to let all of the produce that grows become ownerless, so that anyone can take and eat from it. It's a time when the figments of our fractured perceptions and differences between each other fall by the wayside and when we share status, all being infused with Godliness of equal standing.
We fulfill these mitzvot by releasing our impulse to work the land excessively and control creation. We release ownership and debts to ones in need, shifting our focus and trust in our own work and control and putting faith in the Divine will. It's a profound illustration of our faith that, after all, everything belongs to the Master of it All, Hashem.
Release control and connect.
Thanks for reading!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom!
- Erez // @erezsafar
* Short video on the Parashah (Cheat Codes to Holiness) - https://youtu.be/1OuyuMyv4F8
* Listen: Audio/Podcast version - https://lightofinfinite.com/podcast
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**** & GO TO https://lightofinfinite.com/all-reap-no-sow/ where I jump further into Shemita, the DNA of creation & how the 7 sefirot permeate 7 days of creation & are the ways in which Hashem orchestrates existence ️
