{"id":88195,"date":"2021-02-01T18:39:20","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T16:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=88195"},"modified":"2021-02-01T18:40:55","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T16:40:55","slug":"beshalach-redemption-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/beshalach-redemption-song\/","title":{"rendered":"Beshalach: Redemption Song"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/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":"88195","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":88193,"related_cahpter":"1133","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"This teaching speaks to any generation longing to split seas, see the unmasked pharaohs of their time washed away","content":"

It is Friday evening and the sun is just about the set. The synagogue is filled with a psalm and song-filled greeting for Her Majesty, the Shabbat Queen. After six long days of toiling, working, and serving, we have finally come to Shabbat, the day of rest. People of all ages can be seen humming and moving to the beat, circling and dancing, eyes closed and wide open. They sing: \u201cAz Yaranenu Kol Atzay Ya\u2019ar<\/em> \u2013 then all the trees of the forest will sing out (Psalm 96).\u201d<\/p>\n

The 5th century rabbinic text Vayikra Rabbah (30:4) quotes Rabbi Acha who said:<\/p>\n

When King David sang the words \u201cThen all the trees in the forest will sing,\u201d he was talking about the days of redemption, when all barren trees that didn\u2019t bear fruit will come to produce and receive what they need.<\/p>\n

This teaching not only speaks to the current month of Shvat, which celebrates the New Year of the (fruit) trees, but also to any generation longing to split seas, see the unmasked pharaohs of their time washed away, and address the many inequities facing our humanity.<\/p>\n

The Israelite slave-uprising and rebellion reaches its climax, rising out of four-hundred years of servitude, desperate to live without an enslaver. As they walk amidst the sea on dry land they chant \u2013 \u201cAz Yashir Moshe U\u2019vnei Yisroel \u2013 then Moses and the Children of Israel sang\u201d (Exodus 15). This week\u2019s Torah portion highlights the redemptive theme of song and equity, and the songs of freedom we all long to sing. It is the \u201caz \u2013 then\u201d \u2013 the longing for an equitable future. A then \u2013 a future \u2013 where our needs are met, barriers are removed, and liberation is possible. In the words of Bob Nest Marley: \u201cRedemption song, cause it\u2019s all I ever had\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each Shabbat we remember the Exodus. We take this seventh day to be reminded that we have needs that are sometimes like Trees pining to bear fruit. We have spiritual needs, physical needs, emotional needs. The number seven speaks as the ultimate equalizer. It is God\u2019s mandate for a holy and loving humanity. Seven is safe and has a container, and safety engenders love, and love is what brings people together. It speaks to the then: The \u201cAz Yashir,\u201d the \u201cAz Yerannenu.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rav Kook speaks of Shmita, the Shabbat (7th) Year for the land, as a messianic and redemptive process where everyone receives what they need, where the land receives what it needs, where equity reigns, and where song and jubilee is heard. Shmita is when our relationship to the world changes from a then to a now. May we experience it soon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Join us for the journey.<\/p>\n

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":"Beshalach: Redemption Song","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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