Giving & Returning

Some weeks it’s hard to wrap my head around the world, and how it seems to perfectly line up with the week’s Torah portion. This week was one of those weeks. I’ve been reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, in the same week the Torah presented the laws of shmitta in Parshat Behar. The shmitta tradition is all about our cyclical obligation to treat the Earth with integrity, trading the produce of our toil rather than the land itself, and I found it impossible to read both texts in the same week. ________ I'm not a rabbi, so every week I look at our Torah portion and try to put it in conversation with the modern world around me. Judaism is rich in tradition, and each of us deserves the chance to find our own meaning in the text. Just remember, like the text itself says, “there’s nothing new under the sun.” Modern Torah is published every week on Friday mornings, anywhere you get your podcasts. Learn more about me and any of my other podcasts at www.moderntorah.com. I’m not a rabbi, so every week, I look at our Torah portion and try to put it in conversation with the world around me. Judaism is rich in tradition, and each of us deserves the chance to find our own meaning in the text. Whether you’re studying Torah daily, or taking a moment to prepare for Shabbat, I hope you’ll make these ten minutes of Torah part of your week. You can learn more about me, and my work, on my website – www.nathanjvaughan.com New episodes weekly, anywhere you get Jewish podcasts. Subscribe on: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Google | iHeart Go deeper with my sources on Sefaria.