Maranan verabonon, the gedolei haposkim; HaRav
Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, the pillar of halachic authority,
HaRav Shmuel Halevi Wosner and HaRav Nissim Karelitz, have
issued a fervent appeal to Torah-observant Jews as well as
to yeshivos and institutions to rally to the aid of the
shmittah observant farmers, those "mighty men of
valor," and to use the fruits of the Otzar Beis Din headed
by HaRav Nissim Karelitz.
Farmers in many settlements throughout the country,
including Beis Chilkiya, Chofetz Chaim, Tirat Yehudah, Yesod
Hamaaleh, Dalton, Chazorim, Peduyim, Achuz, Tsafaria and
others approached ga'avad HaRav Nissim Karelitz even
before the onset of shmittah, asking that they be
authorized to transfer their fields and vineyards to the
Otzar Beis Din. HaRav Karelitz complied with their request,
and set up a special beis din for that purpose. He
appointed members of his own beis din to this beis
din: HaRav Pinchos Schreiber, HaRav Yehudah Sillman,
HaRav A. Dvir and HaRav Yosef Efrati, who has been very
active among the farmers.
The beis din stipulated a number of conditions for
the farmers' acceptance. They must be Torah observant and
agree to follow all beis din directives. Farmers
accepting the conditions then transferred the authority over
their fields and vineyards to the Otzar Beis Din.
The beis din designated the farmers as its proxies
with respect to the performance of all permissible work in
the fields and vineyards, in accordance with their
directives. When these farmers have sheilos, they
address them to the beis din, which guides them on an
ongoing basis, sending special inspectors to their fields
and vineyards to supervise their work. HaRav Yosef Efrati
and HaRav Dvir have personally visited many vineyards and
fields in order to assess practical halachic issues. They
then discussed these issues with the other members of the
beis din, which then decided on the appropriate
measures.
Now, at the height of the harvest of the summer fruits under
their supervision, activity at the Otzar Beis Din is at its
height. Its delegates have hired workers to pick the fruits
and distribute them in centers throughout the country, among
them Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, Modi'in Illit, Zichron Yaakov and
Telshe-Stone. The fruit is distributed at special stations
only, as directed by the beis din. This form of
distribution makes it clear that no commerce is taking place
and also precludes the possibility of non-shevi'is
observers and non-Jews availing themselves of the fruit.
Distribution stations will soon open in other chareidi
centers throughout the country. The money charged for this
fruit covers the wages of the delegates of the beis
din. The community at large is pleased with the
arrangement, which enables it to assist the shevi'is
observant farmers in a proper manner, as well as to have the
zchus to eat kedushas shevi'is fruit from the
Otzar Beis Din.
Maranan verabonon, the gedolei haposkim who
are making all-out efforts to help the farmers, have issued
letters in which they appeal to the community to help the
beis din cover the costs of its delegates.
HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv has written a letter in which he
expresses his joy over the rise in the number of farmers who
have resolved to keep shevi'is. He praises their
special mesirus nefesh and perseverance. He notes
that the fields and vineyards are under the supervision of
the beis din, headed by the ga'avad, and that
the farmers strictly follow beis din directives that
ensure that no forbidden work is performed; no prohibition
against commerce is violated, and that the distribution is
executed within the framework of the Otzar Beis Din.
HaRav Eliashiv also said that the kashrus
arrangements are implemented with the utmost hiddur.
He calls upon the community and Torah institutions to use
the produce distributed by the Otzar Beis Din, stressing
that there are those who maintain that eating
shevi'is fruits is a mitzvah. He then mentions the
efforts of the Ridbaz to reinstate shmittah
observance in Eretz Hakodesh by distributing kedushas
shevi'is wine for kiddush. In conclusion, HaRav
Eliashiv notes that those assisting in the observance of
shevi'is will be blessed from the Source of
Blessing.
HaRav Shmuel Halevi Wosner, ga'avad of Zichron Meir,
joins the appeal and adds, "I join the abovementioned appeal
and I heard about the way it is done properly."
HaRav Nissim Karelitz, av beis din of the Otzar Beis
Din, testifies in his letter that the "gibborei hakoach,
acheinu shebasodos" are braving many difficulties, and
have followed all the directives of the beis din. He
calls upon the community -- including yeshivos and
institutions -- to strengthen those who observe shmittah
kehilchoso by using the fruits which have no
chashash of shomur vene'evad and hopes that
everyone will bring the blessing into their homes and eat
these fruits bikedushas shevi'is.
The beis din is currently in the advanced stages of
discussions with the Carmel Mizrachi Winery for them to
manufacture high-quality wine and grape juice from the
grapes of the Otzar Beis Din. The wine will be manufactured
in a special production line under the special supervision
of the beis din, as in previous shmittah
years. It will be the Tirosh brand of Carmel Mizrachi grape
juice and high quality dry and sweet wines. The beis
din expenses as well as the costs of cultivation and
picking the grapes will be paid to the delegates of the
Otzar Beis Din, while the manufacturing costs will be paid
to the Carmel Mizrachi wineries. The wine will be
distributed at the end of the summer.
The beis din also appointed delegates to tend the
Otzar Beis Din esrog orchards, so that the community
can have kosher esrogim without the chashash
of commerce or chashash of shomur vene'evad.
They will be available in closed boxes in time for
Succos.
Speedy distribution of the new summer fruit will help the
farmers who have braved such difficult trials, enable them
to cover the expenses and wages of the shluchim and
to continue to be mekadesh Shem Shomayim.
