Shmita Live: Allstar Conversation

The AllCreation Podcast

"We are commanded to sustain the world."
- Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin & Rabbi Avram Resiner

“They shall forever inhabit this earth, the result of My planting, the work of My hands in which I glory.” (Isaiah 60:21)

Shmita is a set of commandments in the Jewish and Christian Bibles (The Torah) to practice and celebrate the cyclical "release" of agricultural lands, financial debts, slaves, and ancestral lands. "Shmita Live" was a conversation on Zoom, March 1, 2022 exploring the ancient shmita commandments' many meanings today. The event brought together a number of the amazing people who contributed to AllCreation.org's "Shmita Now" collection, created by guest editor Yaira Robinson. Our fun and incisive hour celebrates these fine folks, welcomes some outstanding guests, and gives everyone a chance to share some truly breakthrough ideas on how to integrate the ancient shmita commandments into our lives now. We hope you enjoy listening. Co-hosted by: AllCreation.org, National Wildlife Federation, Shmita Project Northwest, and Hazon. Presented by BioIntegrity Partnerships. Original event page: Shmita Live.

Background info:

• The shmita verses: Exodus 23: 10-11, Leviticus 25:2–7, Leviticus 25:20–22, and Deuteronomy 15:1–3
• "Shmita Live" PDF with panelists' names & links (for download)
• Shmita explanation on Wikipedia

PANELISTS

• Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin of St. Mary's Seminary, and MDEHR
• Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb of Adat Shalom, Interfaith Power & Light, and COEJL
• Dr. Mirele Goldsmith of Jewish Earth Alliance
• Simcha Scwhartz of Wilderness Torah
• Rabbi Laura Bellows of Dayenu
• Nati Passow of Dayenu, and Jewish Farm School
• Shmita Project Northwest's Deirdre Gabbay
• Hazon's Sarah Zell Young
• National Wildlife Federation's Naomi Edelson
• AllCreation.org's Chris Searles (moderator)

PROGRAM
I. WELCOME

• 0:00 Preroll
• 0:08 Welcome & Introductions -- by Chris Searles (moderator), AllCreation.org
• 3:35 "Shmita 101" by Deirdre Gabbay (co-host), Shmita Project Northwest

II. PANELIST SELF-INTRODUCTIONS

• 6:30 Naomi Edelson, senior dir., National Wildlife Federation. references: Deuteronomy 30:19 (the life verse), and -> Sacred Grounds <- "Sacred Grounds" is National Wildlife Federation's native plant program for congregations.
• 9:39 Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, conservative rabbi, St. Mary's Seminary; exec. dir., Maryland Campaign for Environmental Human Rights (MDEHR). references: The Kotzker Rebbi ("We are here to hold up the heavens."), Shabbas candles / Luminous light of Creation.
• 13:22 Rabbi Laura Bellows, dir. of spiritual activism, Dayenu. references: The Talmud, The Boat story, With All of Our Might (Dayenu program).
• 17:00 Sarah Zell Young, dir. of strategic partnerships, Hazon. references: Hazon's Shmita Project, Shmita Prizes, Shmita Sourcebook.
• 19:45 Simcha Schwarz, dir. of development and communications, Wilderness Torah. references: Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Center for Earth-based Judaism
• 22:10 Deirdre Gabbay, co-fndr, dir., Shmita Project Northwest. references: Washington Interfaith Power & Light.
• 23:58 Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, rabbi, Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation, chair, Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), board member, Interfaith Power & Light. references: Sacred Grounds, Mussar (enlightenment ethics), Anavah (humility), "Taking up the right amount of space," Chesed (loving kindness), Kavod (honor).
• 26:29 Dr. Mirele Goldsmith, co-fndr, co-chair, Jewish Earth Alliance. references: "messes that we're in": filthy air, mountaintop removal, fracking watewater.
• 40:57 Nati Passow (arriving later), opr. mngr., Dayenu. references: Jewish Farmer Network, Nati's pdf "Shmita year by year" (coming soon).

III. PANELISTS' CONVERSATION & END

• 29:00 Deepening connections
• 43:12 Shmita...