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NEWS
Summer Fruit
By Yechiel Sever
The Shmittah Committee of Kashrus leMehadrin headed by HaRav Yosef Efrati seeks to remind the chareidi public that a large assortment of summer fruit such as peaches, cherries, apricots, nectarines, plums, grapes and lemons are already from the Shmittah harvest and must be bought only from stores with proper supervision where either non-Jewish (nochri) or Otzar Beis Din produce is sold. In a few weeks, the harvest of apples, pears, kiwi, mango, avocado and other new fruits will also arrive and towards the end of 5775, fresh citrus fruit and persimmons etc. will also find their way to the markets.
Since there are wholesale packing centers which deal with all kinds of fruit, some of which are still from the pre-Shmittah harvest, while also dealing with other forbidden seventh-year fruit, the Shmittah Committee is warning the chareidi public to take note and be vigilant.
The Shmittah Committee also seeks to clarify that there are outlets for summer fruit under the auspices of Beis Din representatives under HaRav Efrati. The Beis Din has hired workers to perform the permitted work and it is distributing the permissible Shmittah produce which have seventh-year sanctity to cover expenses alone. The prices of Otzar Beis Din fruit are carefully regulated to be lower than the going market price, as was ruled by HaRav Eliashiv. These fruits are distributed in various stations according to the Halacha of weights and measures, all under the directions established by HaRav Eliashiv.
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