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TORAT MIZRACHI

Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon Rabbanit Sharon Rimon

Shemita

Another Reason to Come to Israel

here is a prohibition of harvesting In my opinion, otzar beit din is the best And truthfully, it is not so difficult to keep
produce during Shemita. However, solution for Shemita. Let’s imagine a reality a Shemita kitchen. Here are the main rules:
it is permissible to eat the actual in which everyone keeps Shemita. All the
Tproduce of the seventh year. Chazal orchards and fields in Israel are hefker. The 1. It’s desirable to eat the fruit entirely,
because of their kedusha.
taught us that it is permissible to pick the week begins. A family needs apples, dates
produce with a shinui. Some hold that a and cherries. Where should they go? Their 2. Leftovers: One can place them in a bag
shinui is needed for the method of picking journey begins with a trip to the Golan. and dispose of them in the garbage (or
(דועו ,ו”מ ח”פ תיעיבש ארונטרב). For example, There they will find apples for the week. place all the leftovers in one bag, and at
cutting with scissors instead of a pruning Afterwards, they travel to the Jordan Valley the end of the day tie it up and throw
hook. However, the Rambam (ד”פ הטימש for dates, then to Gush Etzion for cherries. it in the garbage). The scrupulous
א”ה) holds that one can pick the produce place the leftovers in a special utensil
as normal, but only a small quantity. Why? This trip will take a good number of hours, (kedushat sheviit container) in a bag, and
It is prohibited to plant even one seed, so maybe even a whole day. It’s clearly not only after a number of days, when the
why would picking be allowed in a small realistic. leftovers begin to decay, they put them
quantity? The Chazon Ish explains that the in the garbage. One need not remove
prohibition of picking applies only when Shemita vegetables from a mixture; one
one is acting as the owner of the land. can place all of the leftovers in the she-
The earth is not ours. Therefore, it viit container.
is permissible to pick and harvest Today, we do not have korbanot, 3. A dish which was cooked together with
a household amount of produce, as we cannot eat maaser sheini
much as a person would buy for his or neta revai. Kedushat sheviit Shemita produce and absorbed its flavor
family in the store (one should try to is the closest thing we have takes on the status of sheviit, and one
may not throw it out, but must place it
cut even this with scissors and not
a pruning hook). to a Beit HaMikdash reality. in a bag before placing it in the garbage
(in this case, even the scrupulous may
However, the Tosefta (תיעיבש do so).
א ,’ח) expounds The only realistic solution is otzar beit din.
that the beit The beit din picks the fruit for all of Am Yis- 4. One may cook things one normally
din can appoint rael and distributes it around the country. cooks. The poskim were divided regard-
workers (or the Additionally, the produce of otzar beit din is ing squeezing sheviit fruits, but the
field’s owner) as its holy with kedushat sheviit! Chazon Ish was lenient regarding fruits
emissaries, who pick Why is it so worthwhile to eat kedushat one normally squeezes. Therefore, one
all of the produce on sheviit? There are those who hold there is may mash fruits for children or adults.
their behalf. How is a mitzvah to eat Shemita produce (ן“במר). One who cooks normally in the kitchen
that possible? Here too, should have no special difficulty, and
we can understand that Even for those who do not hold that it is can use sheviit produce as normal.
since the act is not done for a mitzvah, they still agree there is kedusha We are living in the times of Geula. How
an individual, there is no in Shemita produce. Today, we do not have fortunate we are to eat the fruits of Israel
“ownership” of the land. korbanot, we cannot eat maaser sheini or neta in kedusha!
The workers are picking revai. Kedushat sheviit is the closest thing we
on behalf of the beit din, have to a Beit HaMikdash reality. We have the Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon is Rosh Yeshiva of
who are acting on opportunity to eat holy food from the Holy JCT–Machon Lev and Head of Mizrachi’s
behalf of Am Yisrael, Land! Therefore, even if it creates certain Educational Advisory Board.
and therefore it is difficulties, we should be so happy for this
permissible (ןוזח ואר incredible zechut which we merit once every A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
ו ,ב”י תיעיבש שיא). seven years. mizrachi.org/speakers

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