Do you trust me? I would understand if you may be a little hesitant because, honestly, how well do you know me?
In America, the phrase “In God we trust” is written on the currency. It is also hung up on the walls of the court houses. What does it mean to trust in someone? Can we really put our faith in anyone other than ourselves?
We like to think of ourselves as independent, but the truth is that we are dependent upon so many different people and appliances. We rely on our doctors to diagnose our health issues, we rely on our phones to keep us connected and we rely on our cars to take us to our destinations. Does this mean we trust them?
In this week's parashah, we read about the mitzvah of shmittah. It always amazes me to see how there are people, living in Israel, in this day and age, who truly trust in Hashem. Their trust is so strong that they are willing to leave their land fallow and their livelihood at risk for a whole year. These people don’t just say “we trust”, they live with that trust every single day as they watch their crops wither.
