{"id":97915,"date":"2018-07-09T18:02:01","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T15:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-1170\/"},"modified":"2022-02-02T19:45:24","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T17:45:24","slug":"wall-1170","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-1170\/","title":{"rendered":"weekend-from-20250504-to-20250510"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"weekend","wall_id":"1170","date_from":"20250504","date_to":"20250510","book":"Ezra","books_group":"Writings","posts":[{"order":1,"id":"98274","color":"#f8ebe3","size":"2","name":"Lech Lecha: Treating Both The Land And The Stranger With Empathy And Kindness ","post_title":"Lech Lecha: Treating Both The Land And The Stranger With Empathy And Kindness","slug":"lech-lecha-treating-both-the-land-and-the-stranger-with-empathy-and-kindness","old_id":"98274","type":"song","iframe":"","writer":{"id":87226,"post_title":"David Mevorach Seidenberg","slug":"david-mevorach-seidenberg","old_id":"87226","first_name":"David Mevorach ","last_name":"Seidenberg ","description":"Rabbi David Mevorach Seidenberg is the creator of neohasid.org and the author of Kabbalah and Ecology: God\u2019s Image in the More-Than-Human World. He teaches throughout the world on Jewish thought and ecology, human rights and animal rights, and is an avid dancer and teacher of nigunim.","short_description":"Rabbi David Mevorach Seidenberg is the creator of neohasid.org and the author of Kabbalah and Ecology: God\u2019s Image in the More-Than-Human World. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":87227,"alt":"","title":"David Seidenberg","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/David-Seidenberg.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/David-Seidenberg.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/David-Seidenberg.jpg","medium-width":150,"medium-height":150,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/David-Seidenberg.jpg","medium_large-width":150,"medium_large-height":150,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/David-Seidenberg.jpg","large-width":150,"large-height":150,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/David-Seidenberg.jpg","1536x1536-width":150,"1536x1536-height":150,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/David-Seidenberg.jpg","2048x2048-width":150,"2048x2048-height":150,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/David-Seidenberg.jpg","post_full_size-width":150,"post_full_size-height":150,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/David-Seidenberg.jpg","home_baner-width":150,"home_baner-height":150}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"1170","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Where we learn that shmita is about freedom and justice for people, as well as regeneration for the land\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

One of the spookiest stories in Tanakh is found in Lech Lecha<\/em>: the brit ben habetarim<\/em>, the covenant between the halves.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

God tells Avram that he will inherit the land of Canaan, but instead of trusting, Avram demands proof. In response, God commands a bizarre sacrifice\u2014the first time that God asks for a sacrifice\u2014which leads to a terrifying dream.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

God asks for \u201ca three-year old calf and a three-year old goat and a three-year old ram, and a dove and a fledgling pigeon.\u201d Avram takes the three mammals and splits them down the middle.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Initially, nothing happens except that \u201cthe birds of prey came down on the corpses, and Avram drove them back.\" Then, \"a numb stupor fell on Avram, and a great terrifying darkness.\u201d After that, Avram hears: \u201cKnow your seed will be a stranger in a land not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years\u2026\u201d (Gen. 15:13).<\/p>\r\n

Only one other sacrifice of animals cut into halves is mentioned in Tanach, and it\u2019s related to shmita<\/em>. With the Babylonian army besieging Jerusalem, Jeremiah tells the elite that if they proclaim liberty, dror<\/em>, and free all of their slaves, God will save them (Jer. 34:8-9). Jeremiah uses the same language as Lev. 25:10, the verse on the Liberty Bell. They do it, and the army starts to leave. So they figure they can grab their slaves and re-enslave them, now that danger has passed. Not so.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Instead, God promises a nightmare: \u201cI cut a covenant with your ancestors when I took them out from the house of slaves, saying, \u2018At the end of seven years\u2026 you will send away [your slave]\u2026\u2019 and they didn\u2019t listen. Today you did the right thing in My eyes, proclaiming liberty\u2026 then you turned again and profaned my name\u2026by bringing back slaves which you sent free\u2026 Since you didn\u2019t listen to Me to proclaim liberty\u2026 I hereby proclaim liberty to the sword and pestilence and famine, and I will make you a horror\u2026 I will put these men who transgressed My covenant\u2026 who cut a calf for Me and went through between the halves\u2026into the hand of their enemies\u2026\u201d (Jer. 34:13-19).<\/p>\r\n

Clearly, shmita is about freedom and justice for people, not just rest and regeneration for the land.<\/p>\r\n

But why is Avram\u2019s revelation tied up with becoming enslaved strangers in a foreign land? This, too, is connected to shmita.<\/p>\r\n

The Torah beseeches us, \u201clove the stranger like yourself for you were strangers in Egypt\u201d (Lev 19:34) and \u201cdo not oppress a stranger, for you know the soul of a stranger\u201d(Ex 23: 9). We are repeatedly told, \u201cRemember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt\u201d (Deut 16:12, 24:18, 24:22). This parallels one of shmita's main lessons: \u201cthe land is Mine; you are strangers and temporary settlers with Me\u201d (Lev 25:23). The Torah demands we remember the experience of being strangers, so that we always treat both the land and the stranger with empathy and kindness.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

The shmita year began on Rosh Hashanah 2021<\/span>! Shmita means a sabbatical year for the Earth but also for ourselves, our communities, and our world. Each week we continue to 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.<\/em><\/p>\r\n

See here for more information on the Hazon Shmita project, and its blogs.<\/a><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":81608,"alt":"","title":"shmita","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","width":711,"height":708,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","medium_large-width":711,"medium_large-height":708,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","large-width":711,"large-height":708,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","1536x1536-width":711,"1536x1536-height":708,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","2048x2048-width":711,"2048x2048-height":708,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","post_full_size-width":711,"post_full_size-height":708,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita-422x420.jpg","home_baner-width":422,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"A Weekly Series: The \"Shmitah Parasha\" Blog","tile_main_caption":"Lech Lecha: Treating Both The Land And The Stranger With Empathy And Kindness","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"in conjunction with Hazon.org","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":81608,"alt":"","title":"shmita","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","width":711,"height":708,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","medium_large-width":711,"medium_large-height":708,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","large-width":711,"large-height":708,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","1536x1536-width":711,"1536x1536-height":708,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","2048x2048-width":711,"2048x2048-height":708,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","post_full_size-width":711,"post_full_size-height":708,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita-422x420.jpg","home_baner-width":422,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Writings","book":"Ezra","chapter":false,"chapter_main_number":false,"date":false,"wall_id":"1170"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"98209","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Introducing Ezra, Finally ","post_title":"Introducing Ezra, Finally","slug":"introducing-ezra-finally","old_id":"98209","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34243,"post_title":"Moshe Sokolow","slug":"moshe-sokolow","old_id":"34243","first_name":"Moshe","last_name":"Sokolow","description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University, and teaches a weekly class in parashat hashavu`a at Lincoln Square Synagogue. He is the author of TANAKH: An Owner\u2019s Manual (Jerusalem: Urim\/Ktav, 2015).\r\n\r\n","short_description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34244,"alt":"","title":"sokolow","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","width":302,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-300x298.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":298,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","medium_large-width":302,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","large-width":302,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","1536x1536-width":302,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","2048x2048-width":302,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","post_full_size-width":302,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","home_baner-width":302,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"848","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Not just a scribe, he was \u201cworthy to deliver the Torah had Moses not preceded him\u201d\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

It has taken us well past the midpoint of the Book of Ezra to make the acquaintance of its protagonist, but once we do, he presents with quite a pedigree: Sixteen generations connect Ezra with Aaron, the first High Priest. The priesthood, however, was not an option in the Babylonian exile, so Ezra made his living, so to speak, as a scribe. Indeed, throughout rabbinic literature he is known, unfailingly, as Ezra the Scribe (<\/span>ha-sofer<\/span><\/i>). Just what that meant, however, is the subject of some disagreement.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Hebrew describes him as \u05e1\u05d5\u05e4\u05e8 \u05de\u05d4\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d1\u05ea\u05d5\u05e8\u05ea \u05de\u05e9\u05d4, <\/span>sofer mahir betorat Moshe<\/span><\/em>. A look at several English translations is edifying:<\/span><\/p>\r\n