An impressive one-day seminar sponsored by the Jerusalem
Rabbinate's Department for Land of Israel Mitzvos and the
Center for Torah-Based Agriculture drew hundreds of
agronomists and kashrus professionals to Jerusalem just after
Tu BeShvat.
The participants, many of whom serve as mashgichim in
packinghouses, wholesale centers, factories, outdoor markets
and stores, heard lectures and briefings by rabbonim,
halochoh experts and inspectors on practical halachic matters
and kashrus policy guidelines.
Updates were provided on new arrangements and comprehensive
activities designed to prevent the sale of tevel and
orloh as part of work by the Jerusalem Rabbinate's
Department for Land of Israel Mitzvos, in cooperation with
the Center for Torah-Based Agriculture, to expand the
observance of Land of Israel mitzvos. For years the former
has been considered the leader in the field of fruit and
vegetable kashrus across the country, both for the general
and chareidi public.
HaRav Yosef Efrati, who serves as the rov and head of the
Department, spoke of the importance Chazal attributed to Tu
BeShevat and said the occasion called for introspection on
Land of Israel mitzvos. He then proceeded to survey
developments toward tightened control over terumos
vemaaseros and orloh, placing them at the top of
the priority list since these prohibitions are imposed on the
buyer, and therefore tightening control over problems of
chilul Shabbos would only be implemented in the second
phase.
One improvement has been to implement the inspection and
control apparatus at the packing and distribution stage in
order to save thousands of Jews who purchase produce around
the country from transgressing tevel prohibitions.
Overseeing produce in the packinghouses while it is still
marked according to where it was grown allows
mashgichim to prevent mixtures of produce having
different halachic statuses (e.g. produce grown by
goyim or in areas that may be outside Eretz Yisroel),
and to tithe produce from every farmer, field or orchard
separately. This practice also helps considerably in
preventing the sale of orloh, fruits and vegetable
acquired through chilul Shabbos and apples coated with
non-kosher substances.
Progress was also reported in the area of nursery oversight
in order to prevent the sale of fruit borne by young trees.
The halachic solution is to begin counting the age of trees
at the nursery, since they are later brought to orchards and
transplanted (from unsealed pots) along with their potting
soil. Throughout the shiur HaRav Efrati stressed that
this solution is only for standard kashrus, to save the
masses from orloh. Today over one million potted trees
around the country are under supervision.
HaRav Efrati also raised a number of halachic points, noting
for example that terumos vemaaseros must be separated
from citrus fruits according to the time of picking (rather
than chanitoh) and a doubt remains whether the correct
time is before Tu BeShevat or afterwards. Because of this
doubt the ruling is to clear packinghouse refrigerators of
citrus fruit before Tu BeShevat and to tithe according to the
outgoing year.
Department Director Rav Shlomo Shmulevitz cited statements by
Chazal on the importance of keeping Land of Israel mitzvos in
accordance with all relevant halochos, saying that only
through them do we have the power to sanctify the Land with
due holiness. He also spoke about the proper nusach to
be recited when separating terumos vemaaseros and
reemphasized strict adherence to matters of kashrus, such as
proper tithing times and keeping proper records.
