A Question Not A Commandment

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Plantlife’s 'No Mow May' campaign doesn’t ask you to do much. In fact, it asks you to not do anything at all…Just lock up your lawnmower on May 1st and let the wild flowers in your lawn bloom, providing a feast of nectar for our hungry pollinators”.

In May we were encouraged not to mow our lawns, and let them lie fallow, which we embraced at home, both as a wildlife experiment, as well as a way to use less time mowing. The results were very encouraging. We left most of the corners of the garden untouched, about ⅓ of the whole area, and all through the summer we were surprised at the amount of insects that came into our garden, not to mention how beautiful swaying grass is in the wind. 

The idea of land lying fallow can also be found in the Torah, and it includes much more than not using the mower.  Shmita, meaning ‘release’ is the biblical concept of the sabbatical year for agriculture in Israel, where Jews are meant to let their crops and land lie fallow for a year, as well as forgive all debts. It is only a mitzvah (commandment) for Jews living in Israel, outside of Israel it becomes a question.

Release or letting go is not limited only to our outdoor areas or garden pots, it can be a question of letting go of control, and of allowing change. And it fits with the process of the High Holy Days where we reflect on our best and worst behaviour this past year, and repair our relationships with others. But where other years this process ends with Sukkot, this year it stretches until next Rosh Hashanah in 2022. 

Where the High Holy Days ask us to reflect and repair, Shmitta asks us to also rest and rejuvenate, to let not only our possessions, our consumption, or lawns lie fallow, but allow our souls the same space.  

As we gather in the marquees on Tuesday, in the beautiful green space at Eden, we have the opportunity to ask ourselves what we need to repair and what we would like to lay fallow.