In which God describes the laws surrounding resting the land and crops every seven years, as well as the Jubilee year every 50 years. God permits the use of slaves but provides stipulations including the obligation to eventually free your slaves..
Letting Go by Judith Prays
Letting Go by Judith Prays
Decisions are a big problem for me. I’m horribly indecisive. Big
or small. Doesn’t matter.
This week - I was told about making decisions through kinesiology - muscle testing.
The idea is you make statements and your muscles will be strong if they are true and weak if they are false.
When I sat and tried it - there’s definitely something to it.
The body doesn’t lie. I guess it’s just a question of being willing to ask it.
As I was about to test the important things in my life - I became nervous.
Because I realized - I really have to face the truth. Like, really really.
Which brings me to this week’s Torah portion.
Essentially, Behar talks about property rights. Who really owns
our land?
“The land must not be sold permanently, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners, my tenant farmers.” - Leviticus 27:21
According to Torah, it all belongs to G-d.
What’s interesting about both the jubilee and kinesiology is they are about letting go.
Letting go of a thing, letting go of a truth.
Doesn’t mean it’s easy. I’m very attached to certain things I wish I was or a way I wish my life would be.
“The land must not be sold permanently, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners, my tenant farmers.” - Leviticus 27:21
According to Torah, it all belongs to G-d.
What’s interesting about both the jubilee and kinesiology is they are about letting go.
Letting go of a thing, letting go of a truth.
Doesn’t mean it’s easy. I’m very attached to certain things I wish I was or a way I wish my life would be.
When it’s me holding on to something, it’s me against the universe
- which is not a very fairly matched battle and not only do I exhaust myself, I
lose every time.
But when I have been able to let go - I feel more connected to
god, which is literally the best feeling I know. When the universe and I join
forces - I feel strong, I feel light, I feel supported.
In keeping with this, according to wikipedia, one etymology of the word hebrew root word “yovel” means “a trumpet-blast of liberty.” Haaay.
In keeping with this, according to wikipedia, one etymology of the word hebrew root word “yovel” means “a trumpet-blast of liberty.” Haaay.
Brain Sabbaticals - a way to solve problems By Nina Prays
Behar is about being kind and respectful to the tools that give you sustenance. The Parsha talks about giving rest to the land as a way of honoring it by providing it with time to honor G-d.
“But in the seventh year, the land shall have a complete rest a Sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field, nor shall you prune your vineyard. ”
I still live by the land, but in a more removed way, blissfully buying produce already grown and reaped for me.
But what I live by is my mind. It has to go to work every day and … produce - ideas, solutions, new takes on old problems. And often, it just gets stuck, stuck, stuck… The solution is desired instantly but the mind is drawing a blank.
A tried and true method is to back off a bit. Give your old brain a rest and hope that after a breather it will be refreshed and productive.
This reading of Behar is an idea to try the following formula: work on an idea for 6 time slots and remove yourself from it for 1 time slot ( be it hours or 10-minute increments of time). Another variable to experiment with is what you do with the resting time: you can clean your desk, have a cup of coffee, or, you can think of a way to do something nice for somebody - an email, a phone call, a favor… seems to be right in the spirit of the parsha. No?