It is time for these old rabbis and their out of touch followers in Yeshivot to step aside and let a new generation of rabbis lead us. All they manage to do is antagonize and alienate anyone who does not subscribe to their tunnel vision.

Do not buy arab produce and do not use the heter. What about the secular public, do we owe them the right to eat produce by observing the heter?

I think that while Otzar Beit Din might be the best option there is also a place for heter mechira and produce from non-Jews. What is unfortunate is that the chareidi world seems to ignore the ethical problems of encouraging produce from Gaza, Judea and Samaria. Lenin was famous for saying that the capitalists would sell the rope used to hang themselves. Subsidizing an Arab take over of the land is just stupidity.

Would thse rabbis be willing to give up their parnassa for 13 months? I think not! We must support our brothers & sisters & not our arab enemies.

Torah in spirit - dry that out and you can fertilize with it. How is it Torah in spirit to "leave" the land to the Arabs for a year? Was it in spirit top eat from the tree of Gan Eden? It doesn't appear the revelers of the golden calf who were doing it "in the spirit" of the G-d gathered any momentum as a movement. Nor does it appear that Korach, who was doing Torah in spririt, faired too well. It is like the innocence of a child, you do not want to "in-spirit" protect it - you want to keep it as a rule. Torah is rules, not some lay on your barker chair, eating ice-cream fantasy for armchair quarterbacks while their over weight labrador circles to go outside. It really requires you learn and do for G-d. Something your namesake should have taught you. The farmers in the US are paid to throw away food by the goverment and the top soil throughout the US is thinning from errosion. In Israel dirt falls from the sky. carried by the winds from the dessert. If the land rests without constant watering to wash away this fertile desposits, possibly this will maintain a good healty soil. Regardless, listening to G-d brings fertile and prosperous feilds. The early and the late rains, that help keep the flowers blooming and the bees humming. Something also mysteriously missing in recent days within the US. Who are you to question Torah for the benifit of the farmers profit? There is a way to handle this, let them do it and abide by Torah. It is not an empty thing.

halachachly, yes. Buying from a Pal is completely permisable. Thank god there is also something called derech eretz which is beyong Jewish Law. One must follow derech eretz and not purchase anything from Arabs if possible, for the money will end up being used against you.

"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! " Really? If you don't want to give money to the Arabs, then leave Israel! Who do you think builds the roads, infrastructure... the house you live in? Jews? No! Those are Arabs you're giving your money to.

Yes, it is a law in Judaism. It is written in the old Testament that every seven years will be a "Shnat Shmita". The first word means a year and the second word means to strike out or to leave out. It is the Biblical equivalent of leaving a field fallow. Actually it is a very good practice, in ancient times it was necessary, although today there are modern alternatives. I say this to you as a lifelong farmer. Obviously I agree that every land owner should be free to do with his property as he feels fit and I most certainly condemn the practice of the religious Jews who circumvent the "law' by "employing" or "selling to" a non Jew in order that he carry out the "forbidden" task. This is plain hypocricy and it is quite prevalent in certain circles. This is a bad practice, leaving a field fallow is a good practice.

I hope you all noticed the photo to the right of the Rabbi's photo. It does not bother me but I would call it "in bad taste".

ha! what is this "WE'VE heard it for millennia"?? i like that - born gentile, YOU didn't start trying to be like a jew until recently, yet you're saying this WE business like you're the old pro with the history. hilarious. i, for one, am glad you're back to publicly embarrass yourself further. no one does it better.

If we have to buy arab stuff , the Rabbis will have to check it very closely . Does it really come from arab producers ? And they need to be [ largely ] paid for this job ! Their bank accounts will be happy , and we will have to pay more for our farming products

There's no prohibition against buying from an Arab or any other non-Jew during shmitta year. Yes - that's what you're SUPPOSED to do. All you racist right-wingers want to lecture the Rabbonim on Torah.

For those who know anything about Heter Mechirah (looks like very few), you would know that the entire basis of selling their land to the Arabs so Jews can continue to work it (heter mechirah), is based on the fact that arabs are considered bnei noach. That being, if you support heter mechirah, halachically, you are stating that the arabs are bnei noach and keep the 7 mitzvos bnei noach (i.e. they don't kill). So, those who are supportive of heter mechirah are in reality telling G-d that the arabs are good, friendly people. So those of you attacking the chareidim for stating that the arabs are NOT bnei noach and CANNOT own the land, make up your minds! Are the arabs peaceful or violent? If they are violent, it's IMPOSSIBLE to hold of heter mechirah at the same time.

and they do not serve in the I.D.F. They do not want to make war against their arab brothers.

The Heter was originally made because their was fear their would be a famine in the old yishuv if they would stop cultivating. This heter was supported by leading Rabbis of the day, Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spector and Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, among others. While their is no concern of famine today, many Rabbis in Israel still support it because the only other choice is to buy produce from Arabs outside of Israek who will use the money to kill Jews, also a forbidden act. One should realize that according to many halachic decisors shmita today is not a Torah obligation but rabbinic one, in which case the heter can be applied. When, with G-d's help, most Jews live in Israel the heter will no longer be feasible and, in fact, be forbidden.

B"H I do not think many people realize what a miracle it is to see the crops grow again when the season renews. It really is something special in the seventh year, a real treat, to let the crops lie fallow and see them sprout from the land when the land is well cared for. It is a measure of the care of the land. If the land its properly cared for, then crops do not need planting in the seventh year. G-d's instructions have to be followed exactly though for this to occur. I think it is an inspirational opportunity to fulfill this mitzvah. Not everyone is able to do this mitzvah in Israel, but this particular one is a very special treat for those who are. The only way to guarentee wealth is to guarentee the poor. That way if one loses personal wealth, one fares no worse than the system in place for the poor person. This miracle of the seventh year is so important as an inspiriation that if someone is able to do it, I well recommend it. Even if only on a portion of the field is it possible to keep this mitzvah instead of the whole field, it is well worth it to see the miracle of G-d.

TheTorah directly says: Let the land Rest / Fallow every 7th year. This law is a test of faith that our CREATOR will provide for us in the Sabbatical year. The duration of the Babylonian exile was directly related to the ignored Sabbatical years. Those who ignore sacred history see history repeated.

What's all this about "the Arabs?" There's no more "the Arabs" than there is "the Jews," "the blacks," the "Puerto Ricans" etc etc. These are all just a bunch of racist generalizations, which I guess isn't much more than I'd expect to read from the usual crop of ynet talkbackers. No-one is selling land to "the Arabs" any more than the ones selling the land are "the Jews." And "the Jews" selling land to Arabs are no more hook-nosed greedy misers than "the Arabs" are terrorist murderers." I thought Jews were supposed to be smart. Apparently that's another stereotype that's been busted.

Not that you two are of the same group #48 You stated : "When, with G-d's help, most Jews live in Israel the heter will no longer be feasible and, in fact, be forbidden" It is already forbidden. Next if you dont follow Torah, G-d promises to promote your enemy in the land higher and higher, while you sink lower. So violating Totah until the Arabs are gone, is not going to work. Do Torah the straight reading #52 You mention how wrong it is to make generalizations, which I disagree. Why, because I was in Los Angeles during the riots and I watched "good" people team up. Each running to their own and ready to fight. Some 70 people were murdered that day because of the color of their skin. I have lived among the rich and the very poor and worked inner city, helping people on their worst days. There are ceratin behaviors and values that are shared in a community. People have two selfs, one that is a group personality and one that is a private one-on-one personality. Generalizations go towards the group personality of an indvidual. The one that doesnt stand up in the group and say "your wrong. One that follows what TV sells them-status quo. But that isnt the point I want to make. The point I want to make is that you end your post stateing your intention of changing one of your generalizations. I guess decernment is not your strongest quality. "I thought Jews were supposed to be smart. Apparently that's another stereotype that's been busted" - how ignorant is it to end with such a statement after all your preaching. The truth shines through the BS. Let me assure you, they (those that I live among) are simply blessed. In general they are no smarter than most people - and that is not a compliment. The smartest people I have ever met were Christians, and some quite cursed. Intellignece is not power next to being observant to Torah. For the tree of good and evil was good for knowlege, yet it is still not a good thing Adam and Eve ate from it.

Why not rotate the fields? In other words, divide all the farmland into 7 sections and have the sections take turns and maybe nobody would have to go through the farce of having to sell land to the Arabs for a year. After all, if the Arabs plant during the year the land should lay fallow, it doesn't do the land any good, and it's really kind of circumventing the spirit of that Torah law. Since I can't even manage to grow frigging tomatoes and know diddly about Torah law, maybe I need to take my feet out of my mouth and go to bed. I think, I'll just do that. Niters, all.

I'M NOT HAREIDI, ACTUALLY FAR FAR AWAY FROM IT , BUT I ALWAYS MANTAIN THAT IF G-D COMAND US TO KEEP SHMITA, SHMITA IS WHAT G-D WANTS US TO KKEP, NOT TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS TO OVERPASS THE COMMAND. THE SAME GOES FOR SELLING YOUR HAMETZ IN PESACH. APPARENTLY THE BIG RABBIS , FROM GENERATIONS FORGOT THE ESSENCE OF THE COMMANDS (MITZVOT) WHICH IS G-DS WILL (RATZON HA-EL). IF G-DS WILL WOULD BE REMEBER BY OUR SAGES, JUDAIMS WOULD BE MUCH DIFFERENT; MUCH MUCH BETTER

When writing that i can be right you refer to my # 28 certainly and not only to my # 9

I have no problem with crop rotation or any other method of agriculture that will provide people with more wholesome food. But, seemingly, that's not what this is about. If it were, would there still be this endless discussion about selling the crops...and would there still be some doddering old rabbi making pronouncements on the subject?

What do you propose that religious people , food chains and so on , should do with their chamets ? Throw away ? Is this not sinning to throw away food ?

Both these ideas - heter mechira and selling leavened products on passover - are a bad joke. They amount to legal fictions. Its only a very rare case where selling leavened products is actually permitted and even then, it has to be an actual sale - not this ridiculous play-pretend that's done today. In terms of heter mechira, there are permitted ways in the modern day for us to avoid buying from arabs, but it requires us to act in concert instead of arguing with one another. Otzar Beit Din is an acceptable middle group that could serve as a starting point, but in the long term, raised planting beds (almost all of gush katif's green-houses were raised beds) and hydroponics would allow us to produce food during the shemita. BUT - to do that the famers have to make significant investments, and the only way they can do that is if we commit to buying their products on the shemita en masse (letters of intent wouldn't hurt). Instead we'd rather bicker over legal fictions and pretend the God-given technology to address the problem doesn't exist.

With respect Sir, you now live in Israel. Chometz in Hebrew is vinegar. You meant Chametz. Please try and leave the Golah were it should be, far from israel.