Yeshiva
Beit Midrash
- Sections
- Chemdat Yamim
- Igrot Hare’aya
Recipient: This is a public letter to the residents and farmers of the agricultural settlements of Eretz Yisrael.
Igrot Hare’aya (200)
Beit Din Eretz Hemda - Gazit
128 - Making Sure There Will Be a Din Torah
129 - Preparation for Shemitta
130 - Work on Religious Papers
Load More
Body: The upcoming year, 5670, is a Shemitta year (Sabbatical year, during which there are major limitations in Eretz Yisrael on agricultural work and on use of the Land’s produce), according to the count that is customarily used. This is based on the accepted opinions from the times of the Geonim and the Rishonim from way back in history.
From the time the New Yishuv took root in the Land and started including agricultural work, the question of Shemitta has turned into a major question. This is because of our status as a small, vulnerable entity.
We are but a minority in the Holy Land, which is mainly occupied by non-Jews. Also, the main part of the Yishuv’s economy is based on production and marketing of wine and other produce of the Land. Due to these two fundamental reasons, as well other reasons, it is in no way possible to fulfill the mitzva of Shemitta according to all its laws and prohibitions, which would include stopping all work of cultivation, making all the produce ownerless, and having to treat the produce as possessing sanctity of Shemitta. This would by necessity cause the whole Yishuv to be totally destroyed, Heaven forbid. If during the course of the year, the commercial connections are stopped, the few farmers that exist will have to leave the Holy Land because of an inability to support themselves in this poverty. Because there are so few fellow Jews in the Land at this time, the agricultural communities will be desolate and abandoned. [This flies against the spirit of the Torah, which is a Torah of] "Its ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peaceful," and bring life and blessing forever.
Therefore, venerable, brilliant rabbis got together and dealt with this problem in previous Shemitta cycles and identified several factors that make the halachic imperative of keeping the laws of Shemitta weaker these days than they were in ancient times: 1. Many halachic authorities posit that the laws of Shemitta in our days apply only according to Rabbinic law. 2. The land of Eretz Yisrael is, based on the "law of the kingdom," owned by the king. Therefore, those who live on and work the land are only like sharecroppers on a non-Jew’s land. 3. There are also doubts as to the count of years, i.e., we do not know for sure which year is actually Shemitta. Other side reasons can also affect matters.
In truth, none of these reasons and even their confluence suffice to cancel the laws of Shemitta, Heaven forbid, as we will explain: The first reason, that it is only Rabbinic, does not [necessarily] take away at all from the obligation to keep it and from its severity. After all, we say: "The words of the Scribes are more beloved than the words of the Torah itself" (Yerushalmi, Berachot 1:4). The idea that the king owns the land is also not enough of a reason [to change things significantly] for a few reasons.
Also, the doubt about the count of years does not make it permitted [to ignore Shemitta]. For one, we have already decided and work with a clear assumption about the count of years, accepted by our great rabbis, the Rishonim and the most brilliant of the generations, with the concurrence of the head teacher, the Rambam. According to their count, 5670 is the year of Shemitta. Also, it is not possible to maintain a doubt about the year and be lenient based on that, as we would fully uproot a mitzva based on doubt. However, since we sometimes find that the Rabbis give permission to be more lenient regarding a law that they legislated than by a Torah law, this is significant when combined with other reasons to be lenient, especially when the need to be lenient is very pressing.
We will continue from here next time.
Beit Din Eretz Hemda - Gazit
Igrot Hare’aya Semi-solicited Advice to Calm Down Petach Tikva
#227 Date and Place: 8 Tishrei 5669, Yafo
P'ninat Mishpat Limits of Interest Rate for Loan with Heter Iska – part I
based on ruling 80033 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
P'ninat Mishpat Limits of Interest Rate for Loan with Heter Iska – part II
based on ruling 80033 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
Igrot Hare’aya Connecting Disciplines in Torah Study
Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook 103 – part III
Igrot Hare’aya Possibilities of Creating Religious Moshavot – #284 – part I
Date and Place: 1 Adar II, 5670 (1910), Yafo
Igrot Hare’aya Refuting Criticism by the Ridbaz – #311 – part I
Date and Place: 19 Sivan 5670 (1910), Yafo
Igrot Hare’aya Adding Elements to Strengthen the Heter Mechira – #313
Date and Place: 21 Sivan 5670 (1910), Yafo
Igrot Hare’aya The State of Religion in Eretz Yisrael – #277 – part I
Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook Date and Place: 9 Adar I 5670 (1910), Yafo
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
Various Events FOR WHOM NOT TO VOTE
Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook stressed that Israeli politics is G-dly, so I have no problem answering this common question on a Torani blog. Also, Free-Will is a G-d-given right and obligation, to "destine one's fate" (R. Soloveichik, Kol Dodi Dofek, 67), so I obviously don't tell others how to vote. But once not a few (especially young) have already asked, a couple of personal words from experience and thoughts from chazal & Rav Kook which may be of help to others, mainly for whom NOT to vote.
P'ninat Mishpat Fallout from Failure to Install Elevator – part II
based on ruling 85007 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
