(English translation below)<\/p>\n
Nos ordena la Tor\u00e1 en esta porci\u00f3n las leyes relacionadas con el a\u00f1o de Shemit\u00e1 (a\u00f1o sab\u00e1tico) y Yovel (a\u00f1o de jubileo). El primero sucede cada 7 a\u00f1os y el segundo cada 50, tienen en com\u00fan la ordenanza de dar descanso a la tierra y por tanto est\u00e1 prohibido sembrar, cultivar o preparar el suelo; las personas deben comer de lo que de forma natural los campos producen y ninguna acci\u00f3n agr\u00edcola se realiza durante el a\u00f1o, lo que permit\u00eda que las personas dedicaran el a\u00f1o completo al crecimiento espiritual a trav\u00e9s del estudio de la Tor\u00e1.<\/p>\n
Tal pr\u00e1ctica pareciera ser tan absurda a primera vista, que no vemos algo similar en ninguna otra cultura. El concepto del reposo, tales como Shabat y Shemit\u00e1, era una idea completamente desconocida en el mundo antiguo, donde lo que importaba era explotar la tierra y a las personas hasta su m\u00e1xima capacidad. Los seres humanos sentimos un fuerte arraigo y pertenencia a la tierra, nos da seguridad y confianza, es nuestro h\u00e1bitat y nos sentimos constantemente dependientes de ella. Necesitamos un gran esfuerzo para poder imaginar nuestra existencia sin el elemento de la tierra que nos sostiene y alimenta. Por lo tanto, el a\u00f1o de Shemit\u00e1 es una de las Mitzvot que exige un m\u00e1ximo nivel de fe.<\/p>\n
Al abandonar la tierra, la persona pod\u00eda elevar su mirada hacia el otro plano en la cu\u00e1l tambi\u00e9n nos encontramos todos, el Cielo. El cielo como representaci\u00f3n de lo divino y la tierra como representaci\u00f3n de lo mundano, son las dos dimensiones en que nos movemos y existimos. Si lo analizamos, a nivel f\u00edsico espacial, estamos \u00fanicamente apoyados sobre la tierra, no dentro de ella, nuestros pies est\u00e1n sobre el suelo, pero nuestro cuerpo est\u00e1 inmerso en el otro espacio que inicia desde donde termina la superficie terrestre y se extiende hasta el fin de la atm\u00f3sfera que rodea nuestro planeta, es decir que ocupamos nuestro espacio literalmente inmersos en el cielo. Shemit\u00e1 buscaba recordarle esto a las personas, est\u00e1s aqu\u00ed sobre la tierra s\u00ed, pero tu existencia est\u00e1 m\u00e1s all\u00e1 de este plano. Al dejar de cultivar la tierra y confiar en la abundancia de los seis a\u00f1os anteriores, la persona reconoc\u00eda humildemente que su sustento en este mundo no depend\u00eda de s\u00ed misma sino de Dios, y esto le permit\u00eda salir de la inercia de la rutina mundana y poner su atenci\u00f3n en su verdadera naturaleza eterna.<\/p>\n
Shemit\u00e1 viene a recordarnos que la existencia se trata de algo m\u00e1s que trabajar, comer, vestirse y acumular bienes, se trata principalmente del reto de elevarnos a nuestro m\u00e1ximo potencial de conexi\u00f3n divina y dejar un legado que sea gu\u00eda en el camino para otros que vienen detr\u00e1s. Sin embargo, no podemos hacer esto sino buscamos espacios de desconexi\u00f3n de la inconsciencia que nos rodea. Atreverse a abandonar las tareas diarias, a dejar de arar y cosechar nuestro campo por un instante, para dedicarnos tiempo a mirar hacia adentro y hacia arriba, requiere un compromiso de absoluta fe y disciplina, ya que constantemente pensamos que si dejamos de hacer, todo se cae y deja de funcionar. Ya sea a trav\u00e9s de los tiempos de plegaria y meditaci\u00f3n, del Shabat y las festividades sagradas del a\u00f1o, tenemos espacios que fueron creados para nosotros con el prop\u00f3sito de encontrar nuevamente ese lugar que ocupamos en el Cielo. Shemit\u00e1 tambi\u00e9n nos ense\u00f1a que no somos los due\u00f1os de este mundo, nos fue prestado para disfrutar de \u00e9l pero tambi\u00e9n para cuidarlo, y esta idea busca prevenirnos de la soberbia y motivar en nosotros la humildad, una de las m\u00e1s elevadas virtudes.<\/p>\n
Necesitamos c\u00edclicamente tiempos de Shemit\u00e1, que nos recuerden que nos deslizamos sobre un plano f\u00edsico, pero aunque lo olvidemos debido al apremio de las labores f\u00edsicas, estamos siempre inmersos en la dimensi\u00f3n de lo divino.<\/p>\n
Shabat Shalom umevoraj<\/p>\n
Rab. Sem. Dr. Yaakov Rodriguez<\/p>\n
Between Earth and Heaven<\/strong><\/p>\n In this portion, the Torah commands us regarding the laws of Shemitah (the sabbatical year) and Yovel (the jubilee year). The former occurs every seven years and the latter every fifty; both share the commandment to allow the land to rest. Therefore, sowing, cultivating, or preparing the soil is prohibited. People must eat only what the fields naturally produce, and no agricultural work is done during the year, allowing individuals to dedicate the entire year to spiritual growth through the study of Torah.<\/p>\n Such a practice might initially seem absurd, as we see nothing similar in any other culture. The concept of rest\u2014such as Shabbat and Shemitah\u2014was entirely unknown in the ancient world, where the focus was on exploiting land and people to their fullest capacity. Human beings feel a strong attachment and sense of belonging to the land; it gives us security and confidence, it is our habitat, and we constantly feel dependent on it. It requires great effort to imagine our existence without the land that sustains and nourishes us. Therefore, the Shemitah year is one of the mitzvot that demands the highest level of faith.<\/p>\n By stepping away from the land, a person could raise their gaze to the other realm in which we also exist: the Heaven. Heaven, as a representation of the divine, and Earth, as a representation of the mundane, are the two dimensions in which we move and live. If we analyze it, on a physical and spatial level, we are only supported by the land, not within it; our feet are on the ground, but our bodies are immersed in the other space that begins where the surface ends and stretches to the limits of the atmosphere surrounding our planet. In other words, we literally occupy our space immersed in the heavens. Shemitah sought to remind people of this: yes, you are here on Earth, but your existence goes beyond this plane. By ceasing to cultivate the land and trusting in the abundance of the six previous years, a person would humbly acknowledge that their livelihood does not depend on themselves but on God. This enabled them to break free from the inertia of mundane routine and turn their attention to their true eternal nature.<\/p>\n Shemitah reminds us that existence is about more than working, eating, dressing, and accumulating wealth. It is primarily about the challenge of rising to our highest potential for divine connection and leaving a legacy to guide others who come after us. However, we cannot do this unless we seek spaces to disconnect from the unconsciousness that surrounds us. Daring to abandon our daily tasks, to stop plowing and harvesting our fields for a moment in order to dedicate time to look within and upward, requires a commitment of absolute faith and discipline, as we constantly fear that if we stop doing, everything will collapse. Whether through times of prayer and meditation, Shabbat, or the sacred holidays of the year, we are given spaces created specifically to help us find once again that place we occupy in Heaven. Shemitah also teaches us that we are not the owners of this world. It has been loaned to us to enjoy\u2014but also to care for\u2014and this idea seeks to prevent arrogance and inspire in us humility, one of the highest virtues.<\/p>\n We cyclically need times of Shemitah, which remind us that although we glide across a physical plane, and may forget it due to the urgency of physical labor, we are always immersed in the dimension of the Divine.<\/p>\n Shabbat Shalom Umevorach (English translation below) Nos ordena la Tor\u00e1 en esta porci\u00f3n las leyes relacionadas con el a\u00f1o de Shemit\u00e1 (a\u00f1o sab\u00e1tico) y Yovel (a\u00f1o de jubileo). El primero sucede cada 7 a\u00f1os y el segundo cada 50, tienen en com\u00fan la ordenanza de dar descanso a la tierra y por tanto est\u00e1 prohibido sembrar, cultivar o […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1977,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nRab. Sem. Dr. Yaakov Rodriguez<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"