Rabbonim and kashrus supervisors, along with scores of
mashgichim working in markets, factories and packaging
companies all over the country, held a special meeting last
week. The purpose of the meeting was the study of
halachos and practical guidelines related to the year in
which the obligation to take ma'aser oni applies: the
forthcoming year of 5660.
There is a six year cycle of different ma'asros. Every
year of the six we have to give terumah. The first two
years we give ma'aser rishon and ma'aser
sheini, the third year we give ma'aser rishon and
ma'aser oni. The fourth, fifth and sixth years repeat
the pattern of the first three. The seventh year (5661) is
shmittah when we do not give any matonos from
whatever produce grows because it must be left as
hefker.
The meeting, held in the auditorium of the Religious Council
in Jerusalem, was opened by the Director of the Department
for Land-Related Laws, Rabbi Shlomo Shmulevitz. He, along
with Rabbi Binyomin Chazan, spoke about Department
preparations for the year of ma'aser oni, while
detailing the pertinent procedures from both an
halachic and a practical point of view: separating of
ma'aser oniand actually giving of it to the poor when
the produce is certainly tevel.
Rabbinical authority of the department, HaRav Yosef Efrati,
opened with an halachic discussion in which he noted
the need to deepen the awareness of the land-related laws,
including the matter of the separation of ma'aser oni
which we are required to separate and give to the poor when
we are separating from absolute tevel, according to
Torah law.
"In order to not to be guilty of stealing from the poor, we
have made an arrangement with Rabbi Yaakov Wiesel of Yad
Eliezer, who will serve as an agent of the poor. We will
purchase all of the ma'aser oni from the owners and
transfer it via an agent to Yad Eliezer, that is to the poor.
Then the organization will forego the ma'aser it
acquired in exchange for a specific quantity of fruit which
it will receive, or for monetary compensation which the
owners will pay to Yad Eliezer," he explained.
He then explained the authorization process, in which the
owner of the produce agrees to pay the organization the
amount of money (or a corresponding amount of fruit)
according to the agreement made between him and the Chief
Rabbinate of Jerusalem.
In the course of the discussion, the practical procedure of
the transfer was explained. It will be carried out by a third
party (who is not a shaliach), by means of hagbohas
sudar, whereby he will rent four square tefochim
for one hour in the doorway of his own home to Rabbi Wiesel
of Yad Eliezer. Along with that property (agav), Rabbi
Wiesel will purchase the ma'aser oni of the particular
store or factory. Yad Eliezer will receive the fruit or
monetary compensation for the purpose of distributing it to
the poor.
It should be noted that the procedures and guidelines which
were issued for the inspectors and mashgichim
constitute a summary of many earlier discussions. The
questions which were raised were decided upon by the posek
hador,, HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv. These guidelines
offer practical answers to the separation of ma'aser
oni in markets, factories and packing houses, and the
giving of them to the poor, all in line with all the
shittos and the greatest hiddurim.
Greetings were delivered by the Chairman of the Religious
Council, Rabbi Yitzchok Ralbag, who mentioned the unique
capacity of those who safeguard kashrus. While
involved in their sacred labor, they are able to spread the
light of Yiddishkeit and teshuvah to fellow Jews who
are distant from Torah, he said.
Deputy Chairman of the Jerusalem Religious Council and
Director of the Kashrus Department, Rabbi Yehoshua
Pollack, expanded on the devotion demanded of the
mashgichim and those involved in the matnos
kehuna and levia, noting that fulfillment of the
mitzva of ma'aser oni, which is considered one of the
mitzvos between man and man, has the capacity to expedite the
building of the beis hamikdosh. When it is rebuilt, we
will also be able to observe the mitzvos of ma'aser
rishon and ma'aser sheini according to
halocho.
At the end of the meeting, the inspectors and
mashgichim were praised for their dedication and
strengthening of the walls of kashrus through their
devotion to strict, meticulous procedure.
