WHAT'S A ZIONIST TO DO?

The Chief Rabbis in Israel have ruled that each local rabbi may decide which approach he will take to shmitta. Some may decide that the famous Rabbi Kook approach (sell the land of Israel to a non Jew for the year). Others may depend upon sale of the land to the beit din. Most of the Chareidi world, however, has rejected both of those approaches. They will only buy produce from either Arabs or other sources that are not Jewish and who live outside of Israel.

The young Zionistic, religious Jews have reacted sharply. They ask why should Israel reward the Arabs by buying their produce? Although, truth be told, Arabs sell produce in Israel all the time.

A shmitta year, however, is different. If a way can be found to continue to use Jewishly produced fruits and vegetables, why not use it? The young religious Zionists are calling the Chareidi rabbis anti Israel. They say that shmitta is hard enough on the Jewish state and its farmers without the Rabbis making it even harder. The recovery from a shmitta year is not immediate- it takes a few years for the farmers to recoup the losses they suffer in a shmitta year.

Our kids have told us that they will only buy heter mechira produce (ie based on Rav Kook’s heter), expensive as it is. Similarly their friends have all made the same decision.

We have to ask, what do the chareidi rabbis hope to accomplish in their blind march away from the famous heter of a beloved (late) Chief Rabbi?