[Avodah] shemitta

[mkopinsky at gmail.com]

On 5/15/07, Eli Turkel <eliturkel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 2. At the other side is the "heter mechira" which allows most Israeli farms
> to
> proceed almost as usual.
>
This year the Rabbanut is planning to very much limit the use of the
hetter mechira compared to other years.  They are going individually to
farmers and determining which farms actually need the hetter mechira to
not be destroyed financially, and when they perform the mechira, will be
mapping out which areas they are and aren't selling.  Aside from limiting
problems with selling EY to non-Jews, this is also planning for the future
elimination (IY"H) of the hetter mechira, especially since as soon as a
majority of Jews live in EY (a plurality of Jews already do, and according
to demographers, within the next few decades Israel will have the
majority), the hetter mechira doesn't work according most, if not all,
poskim.

I heard from a family friend who worked on a kibbutz dati during one
shemitta that they did all melacha with a shinui - rather than lowering
the plow and then starting to drive, they started to drive and then
lowered the plow.  What situation would that have been?  Hetter mechira?

KT,
Michael