Podcasts about shemitah

What happens in the Shemitah year to an oath about a debt that is canceled? And what about an oath concerning debts that aren't canceled?Rabbanit Shira Marili Mirvis and Rabbanit Hamutal Shoval wrap up Masechet Shevuot in the newest episode of A Daf of Their Own.#DafYomi #MasechetShevuot #ADafOfTheirOwnLearn more on Hadran.org.il

When a person recognizes Hashem's involvement in his life, he has a mitzvah not only to thank Hashem, but to also sing His praises. The pasuk says: " שִׁירוּ לוֹ זַמְּרוּ לוֹ שִׂיחוּ בְּכָל נִפְלְאוֹתָיו " — "Sing to Him, make music to Him, speak of all His wonders." (Divrei HaYamim I 16:9) We are meant to speak joyfully about the wondrous things Hashem does for us. Baruch Hashem, I have the zechut to hear so many stories of how people felt Hashem's hand in their lives. There's an email address where people send in their stories( livingemunah123@gmail.com ). I would like to share just a few that I recently received. What's so beautiful about some of these stories is how Hashem is involved even in the most mundane of tasks — something as simple as pressing a button. A woman who is an English teacher related that she had been working for years on developing an app to help students drill their English vocabulary. It was a long and exhausting process, and she hoped to secure a government tender that would allow her to sell the app to schools across Israel, helping her cover the high costs. But she hit a roadblock — the Ministry of Education wouldn't provide vendors with a list of schools and contact information. How could she sell her product without spending all her time manually searching for schools? Recently, while trying to look up a phone number on her computer — for the purpose of suggesting a shidduch — she accidentally pressed the wrong button. A file suddenly downloaded onto her computer. Curious, she opened it. To her shock, it was an Excel sheet with over 1,500 religious schools in Israel, complete with all their contact information. She had never even heard of such a list. But she didn't need to — Hashem had guided her fingers to press the exact button she needed. Another woman shared a story from a recent trip to Spain in late April. A nationwide power outage struck in the early afternoon, right as she and her husband were getting ready to catch a train to their next destination. The night before, she had purchased what she thought were train tickets via the railway app. But when she opened the app to confirm the departure time, she realized she had mistakenly bought bus tickets instead. She didn't even know that buses could be booked through the app! As it turned out, the train system had completely shut down due to the power outage, leaving passengers stuck for hours in the heat. Meanwhile, she and her husband boarded a comfortable, air-conditioned bus and arrived on time with no difficulties. Once again, Hashem had guided someone to press exactly the right button. A man submitted a powerful story about a fire that broke out a few weeks ago in fields near Beit Shemesh. He sent in a picture showing completely blackened, burnt fields surrounding a single patch of lush green. That green patch belonged to Moshav Matityahu — a religious moshav who keep Shemitah. The field manager was there as the flames approached. The trees — etrogim and rimonim — were in serious danger. But then, miraculously, the flames veered, forming a half-circle around this field, and moved on to burn the next one. Not a single tree of theirs was singed. It was clearly a bracha earned in the merit of keeping Shemitah. Tragically, the surrounding fields — which were not observing Shemitah — were all burned. Hashem can and does bless us in countless ways, sometimes in very visible miracles. One final story. A man had a specialist appointment last year. The waiting room had televisions playing on all sides, the volume blasting, and the content was extremely inappropriate. He tried his best not to look, but some of the images caught his eye and became lodged in his mind. He prayed deeply for Hashem to remove those images from his thoughts. A week later, he had a follow-up appointment at the same office. This time, before going, he poured out his heart to Hashem, asking not to be exposed to those same sights again. Miraculously, when he arrived, every screen was malfunctioning. The same clean advertisement played on a loop for the entire thirty minutes he was there. Other patients were complaining, but the staff could not fix it. Only he knew that it was an answer to his tefillah. Hashem is helping us constantly. It's our job to recognize His involvement, thank Him, and tell others about it. The more we speak of His wonders, the more aware we become of His presence in our lives — and the more reasons we find to sing His praises.

In Parashat Behar, we are introduced to the mitzvah of Shemitah — the command for a landowner to let his land rest for an entire year. The Gemara in Sanhedrin teaches that one of the reasons behind this mitzvah is to remind the landowner that the land ultimately belongs to Hashem. It is Hashem who determines how much produce the land will yield and when it will be given. The farmer's efforts do not add to or subtract from that decision. This lesson applies to all forms of livelihood. The mitzvah of Shemitah teaches us that parnasah comes only from Hashem, and it is He who decides when and how much a person will receive. In the case of Shemitah, Hashem even provides extra produce before the seventh year begins — showing that He already knows who will follow the mitzvah and provides accordingly. More broadly, the Chovot HaLevavot gives guidance on how to approach our work with the proper mindset. In Sha'ar HaBitachon, perek dalet, he writes that Hashem does not instruct a person which job to take or what merchandise to sell. Therefore,it is only logical to conclude that a person's responsibility is to pray to Hashem for guidance and trust that He will guide him to the business that he wants him to be in. If the options in front of a person are equal in spiritual terms, he can be confident that whichever one he chooses is the one Hashem wants for him. Even if, in hindsight, another option appears to have been more successful or profitable, it does not mean the person made a mistake. Similarly, a person must know that he is never stuck — he can leave a job that no longer suits him — but he also must know that wherever he was until now was part of Hashem's plan. When it comes to Torah and mitzvot, however, Hashem has given us clear instructions. That is where our choices matter most. In the physical realm, though, where no clear command exists, Hashem takes responsibility to guide us where we need to be. For example, if a girl is offered a potential shidduch and chooses to date a certain boy who seems to be the best match, but ultimately it doesn't work out — and later she finds that another suggestion proves to be the right one — it does not mean she made the wrong choice. It also does not mean that had she chosen differently from the start, things would have been smoother. Hashem had reasons for wanting her to go through the earlier process. Every experience, even unsuccessful ones, shapes a person and contributes to his or her growth. The key is to avoid regret when it comes to decisions in the physical world. We must believe that Hashem is constantly guiding us. Even if new information comes to light that would have changed a decision, it still doesn't mean the decision was wrong. If Hashem had wanted us to act differently, He would have arranged for us to have that information sooner. Whenever we feel regret — thinking we would have been more successful or happier had we chosen differently — we must see that as an opportunity to strengthen our emunah. It is Hashem who decides our financial success, and what has occurred until now was never dependent on our choices. Success is not about choosing the right job, field, or investment. It's about placing our trust in the One who controls all outcomes. It is not the business or merchandise that brings parnasah — only Hashem does. To Him, it doesn't matter which field we choose. We are always led to choose what we are meant to choose, and our parnasah is exactly what Hashem has decreed for us. Our decisions never change that. Shabbat Shalom

This week we discuss this double Parsha and what it means to us. It covers the laws of the Sabbatical year (Shemitah) and the Jubilee (Yovel), as well as the consequences of obedience and disobedience to God's commandments. Briyah is heading to Peru so potentially there will be no new episodes for the next few weeks.Leave us a (nice) review!Shabbat shalom and may we know no more sorrow.

Shemitah and Yovel Are for the Ohavei Hashem (Behar-Bechukosai 5785)

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The Rebbe expresses surprise at not being informed about key developments in Kfar Chabad: improvements in the eruv, lack of Shemitah preparations, and untapped opportunities for establishing small-scale industries using bank loans. He urges action and clearer communication, noting that shared responsibility should not lead to inaction. https://www.torahrecordings.com/rebbe/igroskodesh/015/008/5411

My guest for today's program and next week is Greg Sheryl. He's a longtime writer for the apologetics publication The Quarterly Journal that is produced by Personal Freedom Outreach.

My guest for today's program and next week is Greg Sheryl. He's a longtime writer for the apologetics publication The Quarterly Journal that is produced by Personal Freedom Outreach.

The Rebbe notes that religious kibbutzim in Eretz Yisrael plan to fully observe Shemitah. He inquires about recent rainfall's impact on crops. On delaying a bris for a larger gathering, he weighs zerizim makdimin against the mitzvah's joy, allowing the custom. He prioritizes dividing Shas, as emphasized by the Alter Rebbe, over Mishnayos. https://www.torahrecordings.com/rebbe/004_igros_kodesh/shevat/896

The letter clarifies that while some Torah interpretations allow flexibility, matters of reality must follow established principles, with the Arizal's rulings being definitive in Kabbalah. It discusses creation as both a spiritual and physical process and confirms that before this world, only spiritual realms existed, rejecting earlier views. https://www.torahrecordings.com/rebbe/igroskodesh/014/005/5134

Jonathan Cahn, who caused a national and international stir with the New York Times bestseller The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah, now brings you a treasure chest which contains some of the greatest mysteries of all time. Each day's mystery reveals a special mission to start you on a life-changing journey. Read the plan here: https://www.bible.com/en/reading-plans/3006 It was morning. The teacher came to my room holding a little clay jar. "A question," he said. "Can that which is little contain that which is big?"
"No," I answered.
"Can that which is finite encompass that which is infinite?"
"No," I said again.
"But it can," he replied.
"How?"
He lifted the jar and removed the cap from its top.
"It can," he said. "it can if it's an open vessel. A closed vessel can never contain anything larger than its own size. But an open vessel has no limitations. It now can contain the blowing of the wind or the outpouring of the rain. It could even contain the flowing of a river.”
"It would take a long time to contain a river."
"It could take forever, but the principle is the same."
"And the reason you're showing me this..."
"Which is larger, that which you know or that which you don't know?"
"That which I don't know, I would think."
"So then, it's only wise that you seek that which you don't know."
"I guess."
"But how do you contain that which is bigger than you ... that which is bigger than your ability to comprehend?"
"By becoming an open vessel," I said.
"Yes," said the teacher. "Only by opening yourself up can you come to know that which you don't already know. And only by becoming an open vessel can you contain that which is greater than yourself. The truth is always greater than our knowing. Your mind and heart are finite clay jars. But the truth has no end. God has no end. The Eternal is infinite ... always flowing."
"Like the river," I said.
"Yes," he said, "but when the jar opens itself, it becomes unlimited. It can contain the waters of the river ... So open now your mind, your heart, and your life. For it is only the open vessel and an open heart that can contain the infinity of God." The Mission: Today, open your mind, your heart, and your life to that which you don't yet know, that you might contain that which is greater than yourself. Enjoy the YouTube version here and join the family: https://youtu.be/jJetZceR-1I If you would like to join us for bible study, bible study is on Friday nights from 7:30pm - 9pm CST. To get the link, please feel free to message us at perceptualpneumaministries@gmail.com.

I go over a few more details concerning the Sabbatical year (and cycle) and then I get into some practicality for followers of Yahweh today. Never try to talk yourself out of keeping a commandment. Always reason towards Yahweh's Torah, not away from it.

Last week, we were zeroing in on some issues related to Jonathan Cahn's book, as I mentioned, The Mystery of Shemitah. But we're talking about some facts that – as you pointed out last week – that this book is not presented as fiction, or even part-fiction. This deals with, supposedly, God imposing the law of Shemitah – not the same way, but somehow it has an effect…it's going to have an effect on the United States with regard to its economy. Now, Jonathan Cahn said in this book that the economic downturn of 2008 was the “worst crash in the history of America,” and I'm quoting. Dave, is that true?

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this second bonus episode of Elul Unbound, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash continue their exploration of the power of threes.This Elul bonus episode is the second of four that will be released as part of Elul Unbound 2024 (our 22nd-25th Elul episodes overall). Check out Elul Unbound by visiting www.judaismunbound.com/elul.To check out our previous Elul bonus episodes, released through Elul Unbounds of the past six years, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2024 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our first Elul Unbound Shabbat gathering of 2024 (Friday, September 6th), where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with friends, by clicking here.

Today we're going to be discussing an extremely popular book that's related to another very popular multimillion-dollar selling book that we addressed last year. It's titled The Mystery of Shemitah authored by Jonathan Cahn. Now, his other related book, which was atop the New York Times Best Sellers list, is The Harbinger published by Charisma Publishers. Our guest who will give us his thoughts on the book is Dave James, and he's the author of The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction? which took issue with Jonathan Cahn's bestseller.

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Tuesday 16 Av

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Shabbos 13 Av

Shabbos 13 Av

Shabbos 13 Av

Friday 12 Av

Friday 12 Av

For a 20% discount on Rabbi Ashear's new book on THE TEENS BOOK click the link below https://www.artscroll.com/ Books/9781422640289.html On June 11th, Erev Shavuot, Rabbi Ashear will be starting Mishna Berura on the Laws of Shabbat. No better time to join and show your commitment to the Torah. Click on the link to join this program. https://chat.whatsapp.com/ EJFtV50LPJq44X7o0nthnN Today's Lesson dedicated for the Refuah Shelema of Shlomo Zalmen Ha'Levy ben Golda At the end of this week's parasha, Bamidbar , the Torah begins to count Shevet Levi for the purpose of working in the Mishkan for people between the ages of thirty to fifty. The family of Kehat was counted first, followed by Gershon and then Merari. The Midrash asks, usually the Torah gives preference to the bechor , who in this case is Gershon, so why is Kehat counted before him? The Midrash answers, because the children of Kehat carried the Aron HaBrit , which had the Torah inside of it. And the Torah is more important than the bechor . The Kli Yakar asked, why was Kehat chosen to carry the Aron and not Gershon? Shouldn't Hashem have given precedence to the bechor to have this honor? The Kli Yakar answered, that if Gershon carried the Aron and he was counted first, we would not have seen that it's the Torah that gave him precedence, we may have thought it was his bechor status. Hashem wanted it to be clear to all that it is the ma'alah of Torah that supersedes everything. Another reason why Gershon didn't get it is because Hashem wanted to teach us that the crown of Torah can be gotten by anyone. You don't need to have special lineage. You don't need to be a bechor . The greatest crown of all is available to anyone for the taking. As we prepare for Shavuot, we are to take to heart the message that the Torah is the greatest gift ever given. It is incumbent upon us to give honor to the Torah and to those who learn it. Those who learn it most know what real kavod HaTorah is. Rav Chaim Kanievsky zatzal once related that in the Chazon Ish's day, there was a great need for money to help those observing Shemitah properly. The first Shemitah after the war in 1948 was going to take place in 1951. At that time there was a lot of poverty and the farmers were having a hard time getting motivated enough to keep Shemitah that year. The Chazon Ish wanted to help them with their test and give them peace of mind by raising money on their behalf. So the Chazon Ish sent Rabbi Zelig Shapiro to handle this issue and raise the funds. A rich man in Tel Aviv told Rabbi Zelig he was prepared to cover any amount the Chazon Ish wanted, on one condition. He wanted the Chazon Ish himself to come to his house for a gathering and he would give him the money at that gathering. Rabbi Zelig was so excited, his legs carried him quickly back to the Chazon Ish's house to relate the good news. He was going to be able to get all the money in an easy way. No going around knocking on doors, no explanations and requests for donations. When Rabbi Zelig arrived at the Chazon Ish's house, he told him about the wealthy man and then told him of the condition and respectfully asked, “Can I tell him that the Chazon Ish will come?” To his astonishment, the Chazon Ish said, “Absolutely not. I should go there just to receive money? That would be a dishonor to the Torah, and it is forbidden to do such a thing.” The Chazon Ish did not go, and the wealthy man did not donate the money. The fundraising campaign continued with a lot of difficulty. In this story, there was no miraculous ending. Nobody else stepped up to give the large donation that this man would have. Not every story has to have a miraculous ending. The greatest part of this story is that the Chazon Ish would not bend one inch when it came to kavod Torah . No matter how much money was depending upon it. That is true emunah, following what Hashem wants under all circumstances. B'ezrat Hashem, this should give us a new appreciation of what Kavod Torah is and how Gedolei Yisrael make decisions. The Torah is our greatest gift and we have to treat it that way, as well as those who learn it. Shabbat Shalom.

Parshas Behar & Lag B'Omer, Rest and Renewal The Parsha Perspective is in honor of Eretz Yisroel.  May G-d protect our brave soldiers.  May G-d return all the hostages in Gaza immediately.  The Parsha Perspective is in honor of the Refuah Shlema of HaRav Amitai Ben Shoshanna and those who need to experience a speedy and complete recovery with G-d's help.     The Parsha Perspective is in loving memory of Edward Ben Efraim, Shlomo Ben Edward, and Yirachmiel Daniel Ben Gedalia. May their souls be uplifted and their memories a blessing. Click here to listen, watch and connect! Parshaperspective.com  Our Parsha begins with an overview of the laws of Shemitah and Yovel.  Shemitah is a seven-year cycle in which we may farm the land for six years; however, we must let the land rest in the seventh year. We find out the laws of Shemitah. We learn the true status of the land of Israel. 

In this week's parasha, Behar, the Torah tells us, if the landowner recognizes that his land belongs to Hashem and he leaves his land fallow for the entire year of Shemitah, then Hashem will bless him with so much extra bounty. By not working the land, it would seem as though the farmer was going to lose, but when it comes to Hashem, it doesn't go by the way things seem. When we follow His rules, we get blessed, although the logic would dictate otherwise. Later on in the parasha, the pasuk tells us if we see our fellow Jew struggling financially, we have a mitzvah to help him and give him our own money. Here as well, it would seem that by giving, we are going to lose. But the Torah tells us again and again that by giving others, we will only gain more. Following the Torah requires a lot of Emunah. The rewards don't necessarily come right away, but that's all part of the test. Sometimes we do see immediate reciprocation, and when that happens, it gives us a lot of chizuk. A man told me last week, some of the neighborhood children were playing a game outside his house and one of them badly damaged his car. He took the car for an estimate to be fixed, and the cost of the repair came out to one thousand dollars. The man told the neighbor whose child damaged his car about it, and the neighbor said he was struggling financially and asked him to ask his rabbi what should be done. That same day, this man was in shul for mincha and was going to speak to his rabbi right after the tefila. However, before he started the amida, he felt bad for the struggling individual and was just going to let him off from paying without involving his rabbi. After mincha, he saw that he had five missed calls on his phone. He called back to see what was so urgent, and he was told that he had just won a very expensive prize in an auction. He told me it was amazing. Within one minute of his decision to let that person off, Hashem let him win back much more. הרבה שלוחים למקום -Hashem has infinite ways of blessing a person financially. Another man told he received a bill from the electric company that was way overdue and way too much for him to pay. He only had a few days left to pay it before they were going to turn off his electricity. He's a rebbe in a Yeshiva and really didn't have any way of earning extra income. He also didn't want to borrow because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to pay it back. He decided to strengthen himself in Emunah and go directly to Hashem for help. He convinced himself of how easy it would be for Hashem to give him the money. He thought about how much Hashem loves him and he was able to calm himself down. Instead of tossing and turning all night in his bed, he fell asleep calmly with the chizuk that he gave himself. The very next day, his wife called him in the middle of the day with excitement in her voice, telling him that they had just won the lottery. He said he never bought a lottery ticket. She said it wasn't really a lottery, but it felt like it. Her mother had just come to the house and dropped off an envelope that her single brother decided to give them. It was a gift of money, something he had never done before. "How much money do you think it is?" she asked her husband. Her husband didn't want to guess too high because he was afraid of being disappointed, so he said, "500 pounds, maybe a thousand." She said, "No. 8,000 pounds." They were both in awe of how Hashem sent them this money out of nowhere. Hashem could bless us in so many ways. It is our job to trust in him and follow the Torah the best way we can.

The Land of Israel is special: It is the land of God. All other lands were given by God to humanity. The land of Israel He reserved for himself. The Torah gives us comprehensive laws regarding every element of our life. Many of the laws are only applicable in the land of Israel. The commentaries tell us that truthfully all of the laws can only be fully fulfilled in the land of Israel. Why is this land so special? In this very special Parsha Podcast we focus on one of the mitzvos most intimately associated with the Land - the mitzvah of Shemitah -- that the land must lay fallow every seventh year - and analyze it from several dimensions and facets. What we discover reveals a great deal about the Land and what the overarching objective of mitzvos are.– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –Email me with questions, comments, and feedback: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletterrabbiwolbe.com/newsletter– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe's PodcastsThe Parsha PodcastThe Jewish History PodcastThe Mitzvah Podcast This Jewish LifeThe Ethics PodcastTORAH 101 ★ Support this podcast ★

Being a farmer in antiquity was a hard job. Without any mechanized tools and plows, farming demanded a great deal of sweat and toil. But what choice did you have? If you want to feed your family, you need to work the land. Then comes the Shemitah. Every 7th year, the farmers in the Land […]

Being a farmer in antiquity was a hard job. Without any mechanized tools and plows, farming demanded a great deal of sweat and toil. But what choice did you have? If you want to feed your family, you need to work the land. Then comes the Shemitah. Every 7th year, the farmers in the Land are barred from working the field. For one year, the Land must lay fallow. Adhering to this mitzvah demands a great deal of faith and spiritual fortitude. But there is more: every 50th year is the Yovel where for the second year in a row, working the Land was prohibited. In this special edition of the Parsha Podcast, we take a deep dive into the fascinating and the mysterious subject of Yovel. Buckle up, because this podcast will plow (sic) your mind!– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –Email me with questions, comments, and feedback: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletterrabbiwolbe.com/newsletter– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe's PodcastsThe Parsha PodcastThe Jewish History PodcastThe Mitzvah Podcast This Jewish LifeThe Ethics PodcastTORAH 101 ★ Support this podcast ★