[Avodah] shemitta

[Samuel Svarc]

>From: "Moshe Feldman" <moshe.feldman at gmail.com>
>Subject: Re: [Avodah] shemitta
>
>RETurkel wrote:
><< 1. Eda Hacharedit - use exclusively nonJewish produce. They have signed
>an agreement to import a large amount of vegetables from palestinians in
>Gaza!
>>>
>
>Rav Matanya Ben-Shachar (rav of Neve Daniel) pointed out that as shemitta
>nowadays is drabbanan, such a view avoids a drabbanan but may violate a
>deoraisa of lo sa'amod al dam rei'echa (given the fact that the Gaza
>farmers pay "maaser" to terrorist groups).

I think R' SBA has already responded to this (Areivim Digest, Vol 23, Issue
443), so I'll let his words speak for both of us.

>He also noted that such a position
>undermines the mitzva of yishuv haaretz (deoraisa according to Ramban), as
>Jewish farmers flounder financially and may abandon farming (and there is
>less and less farming in Israel today).

I highly doubt this goes into Yishuv EY, not facilitating someone else.
Furthermore, Yishuv EY today is not a mitzvah according to the Rambam and
many others, so there is no problem in not facilitating someone else's
Yishuv. Thirdly, we shouldn't lose sight of the many people struggling to
put food on the table, where higher prices will undermine their Yishuv EY.

With all that, I don't see why Otzar BD couldn't fulfill all of this, and
therefore I'm skeptical of the claim that the Badatz doesn't use OB. If it's
true, it would behoove those who feel it's wrong to attempt getting their
POV, as I'm sure they have one as well.  

>... Specifically, everyone is mentioning Otzar Ha'aretz, which
>is part of Machon HaTorah v'HaAretz (http://www.toraland.org.il/), which
>is DL.  Does anyone know if there is an Otzar Bet Din that is charedi?

When I was there for sheviis, IIRC, the Shearis Yisroel had OB.

>Rav Shlomo Levy (rosh kollel of Yeshivat Har Etzion) noted that according
>to the Ramban (as understood by Rav Kook, which Rav Levy believes to be the
>simple understanding of the Ramban), there is a mitzvah de'oraisa (when
>shmitta is de'oraisa) to eat peiros shevi'is (the pasuk says "l'ochla"),
>though the CI believes that according to the Ramban the mitzvah is just
>not to destroy the fruit (l'ochla v'lo l'hefseid).
>
><< Interestingly many charedim in Bnei Brak have given up on the "kulah"
>of the Chazon Ish and gone over to the Edah Hacharedit. One reason is not
to have
>to"bother" with the rules of shemitta produce.>>
>
>According to what I wrote above, this should not be viewed as a "bother"
>but a zchus to fulfill a mitzvah.  We don't normally try to put ourselves
in a
>position to be patur from fulfilling mitzvos.

I'm surprised that you'd insist on charedim applying R' Kook's understanding
of the Ramban instead of the interpretation of their manhig, the CI.

KT,
MSS