The central theme of this week's Torah portion is that of the Sabbatical year, known as "Shemitta". Every seven years the land of Israel must lay dormant -- no agricultural work may be performed on the land. Right to this very day, the rules of Shemitta are observed and many Jewish farmers do not plant, prune, or even harvest. After seven Shemitta years -fifty years in total - was the "Yovel" - the Jubilee year.

New Years may be over, but did you know that there is another New Year holiday being celebrated this month? The Holiday of Tu B’shvat takes place on the 15th day of the Hebrew month Shevat, January 26 this year (falls on Shabbat), and marks the New Year for Trees. That’s right, trees.