[Avodah] kosher cabbage

[Prof. Levine]

At 03:11 AM 7/26/2010, you wrote:
>To assist Prof. Levine, who hasn't had the opportunity and others who have
>not yet taken Terumot U'Maa'serot, here is a written instruction guide:
>
>http://www.toraland.org.il/web/project/project.asp?codeClient=1555&codeSubWe
>b=0&id=13248
>
>
>It is of course in Hebrew.
>
>Shoshana L. Boublil
>(posted following a moderator request)

The conclusions at  the end of the article at 
http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/faxes/rmjBroydeTerumah.pdf that Chana 
Luntz referred us to really sum up this issue. At the end the author 
states, "Particularly, since fruits and vegetables are currently 
obligated in teruma and ma'aser only rabbinically, even in Israel 
proper, the presence of these many factors is enough to eliminate 
completely the obligation outside of Israel." I think that it is 
worth quoting these conclusions in their entirety (without the 
footnotes) which I have done below.

Given this, I fail to see that there is any "special mitzva" attached 
to buying Israeli produce.  Furthermore, one is not avoiding doing a 
mitzvah by not purchasing them.

Of course, doing so does support the economy of EY, but one can do 
this in a variety of other ways also.  YL


----------

Conclusion

This article started with a discussion of the basis for the
obligation ,to separate teruma currently and concluded that
the obligation even in Israel is rabbinic in nature for all
fruits and vegetables, We then noted a dispute among the
rishonim, early acharonim, and modern commentators as to
whether one has to separate teruma and ma'aser from such
produce once it leaves Israel. Finally, we have discussed
various factual scenarios where one is uncertain if teruma
and ma'asa need be taken, A practical conclusion can be
suggested:

1] One who carries unseparated produce (tevel) directly
out of Israel proper, and thus knows that the produce comes
from a Jewish farmer in halachic Israel, should separate
teruma and ma'aser, since many authorities rule that to be
rabbinically required, and that is the custom. However,
one should do so without a beracha, since numerous
authorities rule that fruits and vegetables - even once
obligated in teruma and ma'aser in Israel - lose that obligation
upon leaving the boundaries of Israel proper.

2] One who encounters fruits or vegetables sold in the
United States as a "product of Israel", with no other
information given as to its origins or its rabbinic supervision,
need not separate teruma and ma'aser. This is so, based on
the presence of numerous halachic and factual doubts as to
the obligation to separate teruma outside of Israel. They are
as follows:

(a) Many authorities, cited above, rule as a matter of
halacha that outside Israel one never needs to separate
teruma;

(b) Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's factual analysis rules that one
need not separate teruma from fruit purchased in the market
even in Israel, since the fruit might come from Gentile
farmers or areas outside halachic Israel that are part of
Israel's political boundaries;

(c) According to some authorities, fruits produced
exclusively for export do not need to have teruma separated
from them.

(d) The fruits might have left Israel prior to ripening and
thus gemar melacha occurred outside Israel;

(e) The produce might already have had teruma separated
by Israeli rabbis;

(f) For the year 5754 (1993-1994) there might be no obligation
because it is a shemita year.

Particularly since fruits and vegetables are currently
obligated in teruma and ma'aser only rabbinically, even in
Israel proper, the presence of these many factors is enough
to eliminate completely the obligation outside of Israel. One
who wishes to be strict in this matter and separate teruma
and ma'aser without a blessing should do so.

This is a case of multiple factual and halachic doubts
concerning a rabbinic prohibition, and thus it is proper to
rule permissively according to halacha.




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