There’s an age old question—Who are you?

And, sadly, many people don’t have a clue.

We think we’re our clothes or our house or our car,

but many of us don’t know who we really are.

And most people have a funny quirk,

They define themselves by their work.

Being a doctor or a lawyer may be what you do,

but does not answer the question: Who are you?

Being a farmer used to be the job that everyone had,

it wasn’t a definition, didn’t make them good or bad.

It’s always been false that what a person was,

could be summed up by what he or she does.

“Shemitah” was a year when all took a rest,

and this posed people with a profound test.

Shemitah prompted a definition from inside,

facing potential, and choosing not to hide.

Every seven years, workers took a break,

had a chance to be more real, less fake.

May we be inspired by shemitah to become who we are,

and, in our unique service of God, to travel ever more far.

Based on a Shabbos morning speech of Rabbi Reuvein Drucker, which presented this approach.

 Rabbi Neil Fleischmann, an ordained rabbi from RIETS, has taught Torah for over 30 years, primarily at The Frisch School, where he coached the award-winning poetry team. As an integral part of the Yeshiva Poetry Society, Fleischmann is a passionate advocate for the arts within the Torah world. He was named New York’s funniest rabbi and has performed stand up comedy, as well as presenting as scholar in residence, across the city and country. His literary work includes the haiku collection, “In The Field,” and he has contributed close to 20 poems to the “Stories of Our Lives” anthologies, parts 1 and 2. Currently, Fleischmann is working on a book of parsha poems that combines meaningful content with whimsical formatting. You can reach him at [email protected].