Judaism: Spirituality in the Parsha: Shmitta
Published: Friday, August 17, 2012 5:20 PM
Torah from the hesder yeshiva at Otniel in the hills of Hevron.
Rabbi Dr. Yakov Nagen
The writer, a musmach of YU and Ph.d. from the Heb. Univ. of Jerusalem, is head of the Otniel hesder yeshiva kollel..His books (Hebrew) include “Nishmat HaMishna”, “Water, Creation and Divinity: Sukkot in the Philosophy of Halacha” and “Awaking to a New Day: Stories and Insights from Life”.'What Does God have to do with Social Justice?'
The Torah is a guide both to social and interpersonal relations and also to our relationship with God.
Some see the essence of the Torah as its messages relating to human society whereas others focus on the connection to the divine.
Ultimately these two essences are interconnected as a study of the mitzvah of shemita demonstrates.