{"id":86585,"date":"2021-01-14T11:52:06","date_gmt":"2021-01-14T09:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=86585"},"modified":"2021-01-14T17:03:54","modified_gmt":"2021-01-14T15:03:54","slug":"vaera-our-plagues-and-our-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/vaera-our-plagues-and-our-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"Vaera: Our Plagues and Our Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"86585","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":86580,"related_cahpter":"1131","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"It is our responsibility to not make the same mistake of hard-headedness that Pharaoh made","content":"<header><\/header>\n<section class=\"entry\"><\/section>\n<header><\/header>\n<section class=\"entry\"><\/section>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In Parshat Vaera, the action revolves around God\u2019s command, through Moses, that Pharaoh free the enslaved Israelites. Pharaoh\u2019s hard-headedness and selfishness preclude him from doing so immediately, and in response, God sends a series of plagues to Egypt.\u00a0<em>Dam, tzfarde\u2019a, kinim<\/em><i>\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In the last year, we\u2019ve experienced our own, very real, plague. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of our world, and to date has taken the lives of almost two million people worldwide. This plague has forced us to radically alter our day-to-day lives: it has limited our activities, limited our movement, and caused us to stay at home to a much larger degree. One result of our newfound immobility, interestingly, has been the degree to which we\u2019ve been lessening our impact on the world.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Just as the biblical plagues provided brief windows of enlightenment for Pharaoh, we have witnessed how the reduction in human activity over the course of this pandemic has positively impacted the environment and revitalized the Earth. Researchers from the American Geophysical Union noted at their fall meeting that \u201cDeforestation rates are changing in some places, air pollution is diminishing and water quality is improving\u2026in some areas since the pandemic began earlier this year.\u201d The pandemic has acted as a sort of accidental Shmita, or sabbatical year, allowing the earth to rest and recover slightly from human impact.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">We should let this insight affect our actions moving forward. It is our responsibility to not make the same mistake of hard-headedness that Pharaoh made, but rather come to terms with the fact that we need to make a change. Reducing our emissions is the key to preserving the Earth that God gave us, and we have been given a clear vision of a future in which we actively reduce emissions and consciously take steps to make a more sustainable future.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Much like God told Moses to take his people out of the grips of a selfish rule, our own country and society are at a crossroads. Through a renewed commitment to green energy and combating climate change, we must be leaders in realizing the personal and communal selfishness we\u2019ve been indulging, and harming the world we call home. Only then can our species, like the ancient Israelites, \u201cleave the Egypt\u201d of our harmful ways and move towards a better future.<\/p>\n<p>The next shmita year begins next Rosh Hashanah 2021, almost a year from now. We have time to prepare. As we move through 5781 we invite you to join us in preparation for the upcoming shmita year \u2013 a sabbatical year for the Earth but also for ourselves, our communities, and our world. Each week we will share thoughts on how the weekly parsha can help guide our thinking around shmita themes of work and rest, wealth and debt, responsible land use, fair labor practices, private and public property ownership, and physical and spiritual revitalization.<\/p>\n<p>Join us for the journey.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hazon.org\/shmita-project\/hazon-shmita-blog\/\">See here for more information on the Hazon Shmita project, and its blogs.<\/a><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":81608,"id":81608,"title":"shmita","filename":"shmita.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/bereishit-the-sabbatical-paradigm\/shmita\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"shmita","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":81605,"date":"2020-10-15 14:26:00","modified":"2021-02-01 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New Weekly Series: The \"Shmitah Parasha\" Blog","main_caption":"Vaera: Our Plagues and Our Plans","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"in conjunction with Hazon.org","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":81608,"id":81608,"title":"shmita","filename":"shmita.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/bereishit-the-sabbatical-paradigm\/shmita\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"shmita","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":81605,"date":"2020-10-15 14:26:00","modified":"2021-02-01 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