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A Sacred Call from the Gedolei Yisroel shlita
The shmitta year is drawing near, and it is in our
hands to return and to merit to fulfill the mitzvah of "and
the land shall rest, Shabbos for Hashem." Sefer Hachinuch,
mitzvah 84 explains at length that this mitzvah fixes the
foundation of faith in the creation of the world in our
hearts, and teaches us to remember that the land does not
produce fruits on its own, and that this mitzvah has the
power to strengthen and increase our trust in Hashem
yisborach.
Chazal already praised those shomrei shmitta, giborei
koach, at the same time stressing the immensity of the
sin of one who transgresses it, saying that he eventually
sells himself to avoda zorah. The also note that the
exile was caused by the nonobservance of shmitta, and
if we strengthen our observance of it, we will rectify the
reason for the extension of the exile, and will expedite the
Geula.
As a result, we turn to all G-d fearing farmers to let their
fields lie fallow during shmitta, to sanctify Sheim
Shomayim's, and to be counted among the legion of the
King, men of valor. Rabbonim and activists everywhere should
be do their utmost to increase the ranks of shmitta
observers.
A hundred years ago, under extreme duress which reached the
point of pikuach nefesh, there were some gedolei
Yisroel who permitted, on a one-time basis, reliance on
the selling of the land. However, it is clear that even those
rabbonim were not referring to our times.
Those who help advance the hetter mechirah are helping
to uproot the mitzvah.
Our opinion -- daas Torah -- is that is forbidden to
rely on this heter, and that this is a non-debatable
issue, which transcends all sects and communities. Every Jew
is obligated is obligated to observe shmitta according
to the halocho. Whoever assists or instructs the
public to uproot shmitta by the "hetter" causes
a chilul Hashem in that he publicly shows that it is
possible to mock this sacred and precious mitzvah.
In the merit of the observance of shmitta, the land
will desire its Shabbosim, and we will quickly merit to be
redeemed from all of our troubles, and to reside in peace and
security in our Eretz Hakodesh
(signed) Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, Aharon Yehuda Leib Steinman,
Moshe Shmuel Shapira, Shmuel Halevi Wosner, Michel Yehuda
Lefkowitz, Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, Zalman Rottenberg,
Avrohom Yaakov Zaleznik, A. Chaim Brim, Tzvi Markowitz,
Nissim Karelitz, Chaim Kanievsky, Shmuel Auerbach, Boruch
Rosenberg, Yehuda Shapira, Chaim Shaul Karelitz, Gershon
Edelstein, Yehuda Ades, Nissim Toledano
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