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20 Ellul 5760 - September 20, 2000 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Opinion & Comment
Preparing for Shmitta -- 5761

By Rabbi Nochum Eisenstein

The controversy over the upcoming shmitta has been blown out of all proportion and turned into a political issue which by definition tends to alter the true facts and figures. As a person born and raised in Chicago, I feel an extra obligation to defend the truth out of respect for the former Chief Rabbi of Chicago, the Gaon the Ridvaz who, after leaving Chicago, became the Chief Rabbi of Tzefas and took the lead in advocating proper shmitta observance in 5670 (1910), especially against those who defended the heter mechirah based on distorted facts.

It therefore troubles me that a very respectable former Chicagoan, Rabbi Berel Wein, a well known rabbi, educator and historian, took issue with those who are working with mesiras nefesh to avoid using the heter mechirah in a recent article in the Jerusalem Post without properly checking out the true current facts.

Rabbi Wein wrote, "Some in the religious factor use the issue of shmitta as a political and economic weapon, decreasing the unity of our people based on a rabbinic ruling that has been in force for almost 120 years. . . . And what of the financial burden that will be inflicted on the poorest section of our population?"

The three premises that Rabbi Wein takes issue with are all based on misconceptions.

1) There are no political or economic gains to the religious sector. The decisions are based on clear rulings of our gedolei haposkim after carefully reviewing all the relevant current factors. Implementing these decisions requires much time and hardship. The goal is to strengthen proper halachic observance in those sectors which may rely on questionable rulings.

2) The rabbinic ruling known as the "heter mechirah" was given at the time as a temporary decision for which it was explicitly stipulated that it must be renewed every shmitta. This clear condition of the original heter was reinstated in the official Chief Rabbinate shmitta guidelines for 5754, seven years ago. Economic changes and new trade agreements with neighboring Arab countries now allow for shmitta observance without having to rely on the heter mechirah.

3) Accordingly no hardship will be imposed on anyone since, with proper cooperation, the price of kosher produce during shmitta does not have to go up.

I want to conclude by publicly supporting my colleague HaRav Yosef Efrati, head of Beis Medrash Lehalacha Behityashvut Hayehudit, for working lesheim Shomayim to be mezakeh es horabim and supply halachically acceptable produce for the general public without having to raise prices. HaRav Yosef is the true ish sholom who wants to unite Klal Yisroel with a Torah achas lekulom.

Rav Eisenstein is the rav of the Ma'alos Dafna community in Yerushalayim.


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