Buying from China?

This is the halachicly acceptable middle way - where beit din (rabbinic court) buys the produce from the farmers at a set price (around cost) and resells it - this way Jewish farmers do not starve whilst some people avoid eating holy sabbatical fruit and being holier than the farmers buy Palestinian produce

The mitzva of shmitta is on the LAND of Israel, not the farmer. So you'll buy from the Arabs who are farming the land so you can have a cucumber in your salad? For shame! Both the heter mechira and the hareidim have the same falsehood during shmitta. The only proper thing to do is Otzer HaAretz, which farms (removed from soil in greenhouses) and harvests (that which grows on its own and hasn't been planted) without violating shmitta. But then maybe you might not have that cucumber every day, eh? And you certainly wouldn't give the cucumber up for the sake of keeping shmitta.

seeing how this is on par with other loopy rulings, it seems the rabbi is saying that the other mitzvot less holy.

These are only Rabbis, they have to say something, generally bad. But very few people listen to rabbis nowadays so why does it really matter

...I'll give it to the Arabs. But I sure am not going to give it to the Chinese! I've been reading too much about their "product safety" recently.

that all of this is taking place in Israel in the 21st century. Perhaps the solution is to carve out a section of the country and give it over to the haredim to enable them to practice their religion as they see fit. That way the majority of Israelis can live their lives in accordance with their beliefs...or lack of them.

It's better to buy produce from Arabs then rape the earth in the shmita year.

This means that you won't let the ground rest . And that's against the spirit of this Shabbatical year for farmland . It's probably OK by halacha , but it is a hypocrisy if religious farmers do it . We all know that religious people are often hypocrites , so that's not different with this "heter Mechira"

What's the difference between 'selling' chometz and this 'heter?' In any case, a very small percentage of the population will even pay attention to this. The majority of people don't even care about Shmita year. And many aren't even aware of it!!

Shmita is a very wise way to keep the land healthy and avoid the use of pesticides. It is a Law for life as all Jewish Laws. You should suggest this in US,at least you would eat healthly,as Israelis eat. And ,of course,it is better to buy products from others than pretend the law has been followed.

I can understand seculars with no particular jewish values to ridicule the whole matter of shmita and any rabbis ruling this way or that way. To them its entirely irrelevant and archaic. However if you feel like I do with no particular religous inclination yet Eretz Yisrael is important to me as my people and heritage. I say Shmita is part and parcel of what living on the lands of Israel is all about. Its as important and relevant to me as the Temple 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Its as relevant to me as circumcision of my children. This is who we are. This is our covenant whether we like it or not. Without any faith in our obligations with this covenant, we have no right to be here in the first place. If you use our history and Bible as title deed to the land then so must we follow the rules of this particular land. It is clearly stated to lie the land fallow on the 7th year. No ifs and buts and no loopholes to get around it. You make provisions for it for the preceeding 6 years. So yes to all produce from outside the land of Israel and no to shortcuts and man made loopholes, I may not like it but thats who we are and what were all about.

Thank You

Various forms of crop rotation are used in the USA, usually ones that allow the land to be in constant use, but with crop rotation preventing the same minerals from being constantly taken from the soils

Please help me out again. If this is a religious law to not plant every 7 years so the land will, so to speak, recover, what's the difference who technically or legally "owns" the land? To an "outsider" like me, it looks like somebody is trying to pull the wool over god's eyes. Either there are good, agricultural reasons to let land lie fallow every X # of years or the practice, like stoning and polygamy, should be thrown out. Do I have the right "feel" for this or am I off in left field? (probably owned by some Arab for a year :-)

Let the land rest. It is the point! Taking things out of context or finding loopholes is what they did in Gan Eden. You your father asked you not to do something and you pulled a stunt like hiring someone else to do it, would not you be violating a trust and the spirit of his request? Let the land rest. Freeze, can vegtables and import. One God one love

The "holy rabbis" would sooner starve Jews and feed our Arab enemies and their foreign supporters whose exports flood our markets. BUY OTZAR BEIT DIN produce this shmittah year and show you truly treasure the holy soil of Eretz Yisrael while supporting Jewish farmers.

for us, stupid jews, there is no difference between 21 century and -21 century. We have The same faith, The same G-d and The same His commandments. So, your remark regarding the time we are living through is completely irrelevant.

Do you think that Israeli farmers don't use all the chemicals possible to help their plants grow ? Do you think that Israeli agriculture is providing us with healthy products ? There is only one form of agriculture that is healthy , biological one . And even this one is infested , less , by the whole environnement . But this is much to difficult to understand for your brainless stupid head .

Not only in the USA is this crop rotation in use , it's done in most parts of the world , and not for all the crops .

Not only the charidim are selling their chamets , all the religious , all the food chains , pharmacies and even the state does it . There is a difference . By Heter the main goal of this Shmitta law is contourned , the land can't rest .

We could grow some things hydroponically, eat frozen or canned and import the rest. Many of us will pay the extra expense to avoid transgressing the mitzwah. My bigger concern is how to easily recognize which is what at the yarkan during the Shemitah year. My wife does the shopping and probably knows, but I'd like to be sure. #2 How is the way you describe any less hypocritical? Fiction remains fiction, no matter the title and plot. #3 I'd rather look for imported or hydroponically-grown vegetables than transgress or try to fool myself; and my doctor insists I eat more salads. #4 Mike Israel (formerly USA) is a **self-identified** Christian and "goy immigrant" (2006.11.28). It's no surprise to hear goyim Christians say such misojudaic things. We've heard it for millennia. Probably some of the others who don't identify themselves are likewise. Misojudaic Christian goyim should be expelled from Israel. #6 &8 There are approx. 170 countries in the world that are neither Arab nor Chinese from which we might import vegetables during the Shemitah year. Don't impose, or think in, a false dilemma. #7 I have a better idea. Israelis in Israel can determine what we'll do and those who prefer to live like you can join you in NYC. #9 Huh?!? Charles is right! Kol ha-kavod! #10 No difference, you're right. Let's hope some logical and courageous rabbis make a stand over that too. #15 No part of Israel can be legitimately sold to a goyim. Such a sale, according to the Bible, is invalid. We may quarrel over where the borders should be but Israel belongs to the Jews. Period. #16 Your question is valid concerning the shameful practice of "Shabbos goy" as well. That should set just about everyone off. Some of the Israeli Jews who posted in support of Shemitah sound like we're almost into Shemot 19.6. PS: the most popular Israeli Jewish newspaper not publishing candlelighting times on Yom Shishi in its on-line counterpart is a disservice to Jewish readers and a disgrace to Israel. Even ha-Aretz publishes candlelighting times on Yom Shishi. Paqid Yirmeyahu Israeli Orthodox Jew Advancing Logic as Halakhic Authority Welcoming Jews & non-Jews www.netzarim.co.il

The Charedim are free to make these declarations, god forbid one of their members should engage in a "lowly" profession like agriculture, and actually be productive members of society (what a nightmare). The Charedim should stop trying to steal the livelihoods of good, productive Israelis (farmers in this case), or stop screaming every time someone tries to alter the Charedi unemployed welfare-state they've erected. Israel should be guided by Torah in spirit, not by the letter!

Any heter is better than giving money to the Arabs who will probably use at least part of it to buy weapons and pay terrorists to kill Jews. Pikuach Nefesh!

Fine to see that you agree with my tb where i say that the religious are hypocrites , including you who are of course not a Jew and has a fake website .

Check: http://www.hashmita.co.il/