Rabbonim and kashrus organization heads are furious over the
Agricultural Ministry's attempt to force local rabbinates to
approve the sale of heter mechirah farm produce in
stark opposition to the opinion of gedolei Yisroel
shlita, who have publicly announced that it is prohibited
to rely on the heter mechirah and anyone who lends a
hand in this causes a chillul Hashem by openly showing
that one can make a laughing stock of the cherished, holy
mitzvah of shevisas ho'oretz.
Agricultural Minister Shalom Simchon announced on Monday that
if the Chief Rabbinate does not act to direct the local
rabbinates to approve selling heter mechirah produce,
the Agricultural Ministry would not approve requests to
import farm produce from abroad.
He called on the Chief Rabbis to immediately intervene at the
local rabbinates that are not permitting the sale of heter
mechirah produce.
The Agricultural Minister's announcement infuriated kashrus
organization heads, who expressed their surprise over the
threat not to authorize agriculture imports from abroad,
since the Agricultural Ministry is well aware that the
rabbonim who head the various kashrus organizations have no
intention of budging an inch from the directives of
gedolei Yisroel shlita.
A notice issued by maranan verabonon two weeks ago
read, "He who lends a hand to [using] the heter
mechirah lends a hand to uprooting the mitzvah, and our
opinion, daas Torah, is that one may not rely on this
`heter.' The matter does not hinge on disputes among
Jews from differing backgrounds and communities. Every Jew
must keep Shmittah according to halochoh and anyone
who takes part in issuing instructions that uproot Shmittah
through the `heter' causes a chillul Hashem by openly
showing that one can make a laughingstock of this cherished,
holy mitzvah."
The Torah-observant public in Eretz Hakodesh is hoping that
the call by gedolei Yisroel will fall on attentive
ears and those individuals who insist on uprooting the
mitzvah of Shmittah by relying on a doubtful dispensation
should abandon this dangerous development.
