Israelis should boycott ALL Palestinian and European products. Be sefl-sufficient. And don't let Olmert buy Gazan oil either! No more nice guy. Be tough on the bastards.

who unlike the Beilin Meretz types are not self-destructive.

I'm in.

Forget the fact that it is a SHNAT SHMITA...... For heaven's sake, why should we buy anything from the Palestinians???? Do they even have anything worth buying, and if so, BOYCOTT THEM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a stupid article !!!!!!!!!!

This is an issue that Jews can unify around.

I hope the stores will designate where the produce has come from!

These rabbaies declaring and defining mitzvots ever know the pain of life!!!! they know how to manipulate and controle people in mass...(worse than catolic priests and missinories in mid age) they don't know the pain of life because they are living with the perspiration from other's fore head ( remember gen--4--19) they declare themselves free for this command and make others sweat for them...... If the country of israel is not producing any fruit or vegitables in shmita the poor population will suffer or if ,,the administration of israel allready save some thing for the country's peasents and commons,, so the people have food .... . israel stop this preast hood act of missleading.. Finally they will tie you in the stale of slavery... be clear and active use your commensence. Feel what G-D mean by this year Shmita and think and act from your conscience the real sound of god you can hear ....

Normally I would buy Edah ("Edah Haredit"), Rav Landau, or Belz. Now I'm not so sure. The Edah (with which I am closely affiliated) is buying its vegetables from Gaza! As the other talkbackers know, I am a firm anti-Zionist chareidi. However, I do *not* intend to support Palestinian Jew-killers in Gaza by buying from them. Neither do I approve of technical 'innovations' and definitely not of 'land-sale' methods which are NOT valid according to Gedolei Yisroel. I suppose I'm going to have to find vegetables from chutz la'aretz for the coming year. Might be more expensive and difficult to find, but probably the only solution.

this is no less an act of STARVING PAlestininas- they are already fenced in- , with hardly ANY FOREIGN AID (unlike the jewish state) and now the little bit of economy they have by sellin tgheir produce the occupiers are going to DENY? Israel MUST BE BOYCOTTED BY THE WORLD- COMEON PEOPLE!!!!

this is morally wrong- Gaza and trhe west banks economy is in shatters- and THEY can NOT travel freely etc- so they CANT make it better- what with checkpoints and the like- buy their produce- it is most likely money used to EAT and take care of their families

So it is OK for you to buy produce from europe but not from Israel? That what I would call"enemy within"!.

B"H Perhaps there should be a voluntary system set in place for those who want to observe the commandment of Shmittah to be able to set aside 1/7th of the profits from each year to a fund. Then in the 7th year, that fund would pay for the people to live from that land without exporting the crops with the condition that the land is not pruned or trimmed and that others could eat from it. This would build the local economy and wealth of Israel up. It is like a retirement plan for the land. The poor could go and eat from these crops in the 7th year instead of hiring migrant workers. If I owned a farm in Israel, I would want to practice Smittah as a way to build independent wealth. There might be an opportunity to have busses that can take the poor to those farms practicing Smittah who later can work there.

OK , we will comply : - )

The ones who accuse Torah Jews of being the "enemy within" for trying to keep the Torah. I thought they had died out a long time ago. But every time you make that mistake, they raise their ugly head. Mark, the Torah is very clear about it. It is forbidden to eat anything grown on Jewish land in the Land of Israel. It is permitted to eat things from Arab land and from anywhere else in the world. There is nothing "enemy from within" about this. It is merely doing what the Torah says. If you have any complaints, I suggest you place a note in the Kotel (Western Wall) with your complaint and demand that the One who made this law rescind it.

It's all very well for a bunch of laymen and ignoramuses (including myself) to try and set the rules, but the many miraculous stories concerning farmers who kept shmittah (plus, if you like - the unknown phenomona of rain in May this year) give strength to the belief that those who keep shmittah according to the Torah are blessed. Most of the produce for sale with mehadrin hechsherim will be from Europe and further afield.

To sign up, you can call 1-700-709-177, or e-mail otzarhaaretz at gmail.com

Why doesn't every farmer simply divide their fields into seven parts. Then each year rotate and give one part a rest from any crops. Does this not make more sense than letting the whole field lay fallow for a year?

That isn't what the Torah tells us to do. In fact it is a nothing idea, similar to women thinking that a bathtub is equal to immersing in a mikveh

I agree with you on one point : the "land sale" . This is a true hypocrisy . Why is this Smita year intended for ? to let the land rest ! if you "sell" this land will not rest .

As a self-proclaimed anti-Zionist Haredi, why the hell are you, and the other fanatics who share your view, living in Israel? The thought that there are brave young soldiers who might have to risk their lives to protect you makes me sick.

Daniel, I respect you, so please accept this comment in the spirit of love in which it is intended. I won't tell you which Rabbis to follow; that is your perogative, but the Otzar Haaretz system does have the enthusiastic support of a number of Gedolei Israel, among them R. Mordechai Eliyahu and R. Yaakov Ariel. Furthermore, you state "the Torah is very clear about it. It is forbidden to eat anything grown on Jewish land in the Land of Israel." This is not exactly true. It is muttar to pick hefker fruit on Jewish land during shmittah, and "Otzar Beit Din" is a talmudic concept used by many yirei shamayim in this land throughout the millenia.

take your anti-zionist ass abroad. Then you can buy whatever you want and the rest of us won't be burdened in carrying your load.

Its about time they suggested the hareidim stop eating heter mechira on the shemita. The whole heter is a joke to start with, though politics isn't the best reason for it. The heter never should have been adopted to start with. Its a joke.

As far as I can see,gaza and west bank is Land of Israel. And ONE MORE TIME--- God gave Our people Ten Commandments,Tora was written by people.

they don't like something. Boycotts against Israel bad. Boycotts by Israelis good.

There is a big difference . Boycotts against Israel are instigated by university profs organisations , journalists trade unions or so . Here you have only private people . The rabbanut tell's peoplew not to buy products of palestinian origin because they can't supervise this production , and can't see if those products are kosher . But of course , for you it's all the same .

#21: Living in Eretz Yisroel has nothing to do with Zionism. Many great rabbis live and have lived in Eretz Yisroel, and they are/were far from being Zionists, ch'v. Ever heard of the Brisker Rov, for one? We have been living here for a long, long time before your 'soldiers' showed up. We never asked for war with the Arabs. It was only when you, secular Zionists, showed up, that the situation deteriorated to the current level. Don't expect us to clean up the mess which you created with the Arabs. Avi: Eliyahu and Ariel are not "gedolim" but heretical idiots, especially the latter. Eliyahu is an extreme-right wing Zionist who supports Kach, and Ariel told Jews to go on the Temple Mount (an issur karet). Andy: I see no need to respond to the first part of your comment. About the last part, I wonder exactly what you mean by "carrying your load" when speaking to a person who works 42 hours per week.

Many "great" jews lived here you wrote . But what did they contribute to this country ? nothing , effes, zero . The only thing they did , most of them . was awaiting money from abroad , charity . That's all . And if you think the seculars brought all this trouble here , you are free to leave , maybe to one of those countries , you ultra othodox , had no problems with . Maybe iran , you know the way , some have already done it , just follow your friends , but stay there please .