The next sabbatical year, or shemittah, comes in 2014. This biblical-era practice has always been focused on the land of Israel, with no formal application in the Diaspora. But as the Jewish food movement has taken off in recent years, everyone from farmers to sustainable consumers have turned to shemittah as a model for a more humble, sustainable agricultural practice. We will look at a range of sources concerning the application of laws specific to the Land of Israel to the lands of the Diaspora.
