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Farmers Declaration on Erev Rosh Hashonoh
by Yated Ne'eman Staff
On erev Rosh Hashonoh, many shmitta observant
farmers adopted the custom whereby they declare that they are
mafkir their fields, lands and produce. The
declaration, done at the suggestion of the Nationwide Center
for Shmitta Observing Farmers, is one that is made although
the hefker situation is afkaata deMalka meaning
that it comes from Above and takes effect even when no
explicit statement has been made on the part of the
farmer.
The source of this custom is a special prayer composed by
HaRav Akiva Yosef Shlesinger, author of Lev Ho'ivri.
HaRav Shlesinger was one of the first shmitta
observers after the renewal of the Jewish settlement in Eretz
Yisroel, on the lands of Petach Tikvah in 5642 (1882).
The text of the prayer as it appears in his sefer is:
"Blessed is our G-d who has created us for His honor, and has
separated us from the errant, and who has kept us alive and
sustained us in order to enable us to fulfill the positive
commandments and be heedful of the prohibitions regarding
abandoning our fields [and to observe this mitzvah] like the
other mitzvos that Hashem created. The entire land which I
own is all shmitta as He has commanded, and may others
behold my conduct and everyone who fears Hashem's word follow
suit. This is the dvar hashmitta."
It is also good to say: "I am prepared to fulfill the
positive commandments and to be heedful of the prohibitions
of shmitta, and Veyehi no'am Hashem oleinu . .
."
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