[Avodah] How does Prozbul work?

[Lisa Liel via Avodah]

On 9/13/2015 4:39 PM, Ben Waxman via Avodah wrote:
> In an article reviewing this shmitta, Rav Melamed threw in monkey 
> wrench that I had never heard before. In calculating the numbers of 
> Jews, the true number (at least as far as shmitta goes) includes all 
> those people who are Jewish through maternal descent. Therefore the 
> number of Jews is much higher than we believe it to be.

On the contrary. The number of people who identify as "Jewish" in polls
who are actually non-halakhic "converts" or children of non-Jewish mothers
is vast, so the number of Jews is much *lower* than we believe it to be.


[Email #2]

On 9/16/2015 1:09 PM, Micha Berger via Avodah wrote:
> The gemara assumes that yovel de'oraisa ended when the 2-1/2 shevatim were
> exiled from their land be'ever hanahar. Which is a bit of a question on
> Rashi. The loss of the lands there did not mean the exile of the majority
> of Benei Yisrael.

How do you know?

Lisa