Fourteenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Beginning as the ancient Israelites thousands of years ago, the Jewish people were mostly farmers and shepherds practicing sustainable development according to the edicts of the Torah, the Hebrew Bible. Over about two millennia of exile, however, Jews were unable to practice their land-based traditions tied to their holy land. But the dawn of modern-day Zionism in the mid-to-late 19th century and the subsequent return of Jews to their homeland in what is now Israel has allowed Jews to revive the sustainable-development practices of indigenous Judaism. This paper explores shmita, the biblical sabbatical year at the heart of Judaism’s sustainable-development ethic, showing that today’s so-called modern innovations — such as fallowing, polyculture and rewilding — are effectively incarnations of millennia-old agricultural practices of rest built into indigenous Judaism that rebalances the relationship between humanity and the Earth, demonstrating a utilitarian value that complements the intrinsic value of preserving ancient traditions. As humanity seeks climate-adaptation strategies, indigenous Judaism offers the restful practice of shmita.