"The ridiculous words of vanity": The political debate has spawned a halakhic storm

The head of the Beit Midrash for Halacha in Agricultural Settlement, Rabbi Yosef Efrati, referred to the halakhic controversy surrounding the question of planting trees in the seventh year, following the political conflict over planting JNF in the Negev: "The government itself wants to use a seventh work permit

Aryeh Zamir, in collaboration with Shuva Israel

18/01/2022

Tuesday, 18 January, 2022, 11:25 Updated: 11:29

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

• Share on general

Stormy political debate (Photo: ShutterStock)

Following the political conflict over the planting of the KKL-JNF in the Negev, in recent days there has been a halakhic

controversy over the question of planting trees in the seventh year, in light of plantings carried out by the Likud party. Explaining why plantings in the year of the

shemita

are forbidden according to Halacha, even if they have an important need.

"To allow, instead of the government doing the minimum required of it, to tour the territories, make sure and take care that they are not taken over, the government itself wants to use a work permit in the seventh because of the property tax permit."

Rabbi Efrati referred to the allegations that were heard - according to which the late Hazon Ish permitted planting in the seventh in a similar way, In short, it is impossible to imagine a hearing before the Prophet Maran in the settlement of "Camp Israel", when he was afraid that in the absence of plowing foreigners would take over the lands of the moshav, since there was a fear of land takeover, when the gentile authorities in Israel "Israel Camp". On the other hand, in the cases before us, all that needs to be done to preserve the land is to monitor continuously throughout the year and prevent an invasion by law.

" It is clear to us that from a halakhic point of view, planting in the Land of Israel should not be carried out under the pretext of settling in the Land of Israel, and what is needed is to preserve the invading lands in the year of the shemita, and double the number of plantings in C.Tishrei 5733.

"The situation that existed in the settlement of" Camp Israel "is described in several letters from Maran the Prophet to Maran Ahiezer," said Rabbi Efrati, "Maran the Prophet writes: Nor are there orchards around them to get drunk in the work of the orchard, and they will be forced to move from their place, and strangers will inherit their property. " And in another letter (ibid.): "Indeed" the camp of Israel "has no orchards around them and they support the field crop, and their fate is hard in the seventh, and if they do not keep the seventh they will say: Brother! And for this we hope. Those who mock us in vain, we must strengthen the integrity of the front in Agudat Yisrael for the observance of the seventh, and whose observance is a tremendous impetus for the observance of the entire Torah. "

"In the midst of the year of the shemita, the settlers turned to ask the prophet Maran about performing a plowing work, which would prevent the foreigners from reaching their border. And this is the report that the prophet gave them; "The territories bordering on non-Jews and whose neighbors have already tried to reach their border, and that this leads to dangerous meetings, and that this can be prevented by plowing separately, and that this plowing will not benefit sowing on the evening of the seventh, close to this situation is important as arnona rape," he added.

"And as stated, the Prophet Maran only allowed the work of plowing, and only when plowing will not benefit the sowing that will be sown in this field on the evening of the seventh, and only in those areas bordering the non-Jews where there is further concern that settlers try to prevent a border border. "- Serech supervision of the soul, and therefore in his opinion is close to the fact that this situation is considered rape arnona. And in the seventh (c. 18 sec. In another note he gave them, the Prophet returned and wrote B. Deuteronomy. Sowing, and then the Prophet specifies how to perform the plowing, when he seeks to take advantage of any possible change in plowing that will not be normal plowing. "

"Well, the conviction and permit of the Prophet is not in doubt, because it is an existing fear of foreign takeover, when if the foreigners sow the fields then surely the Mandatory government will not work to reclaim the territory, and as the Prophet writes (in the above letter) that if not The settlers will have time to protest and the foreigner will sow, so he will surely win the land. And as Ahiezer writes (Letters of R. Chaim Ozer, ch. 2, letter to Tach): It should be noted that a few months ago a letter was published that was not known from the Prophet (and is probably the first letter he wrote to Ahiezer on this matter), in which he states that if the people of the "Israel camp" are forced to leave the place in Shmita, the foreigners will go up and dream. " "According to the prevailing law, it is impossible to prevent them from plowing a pit field, and after that it is difficult to get them out of them."

In conclusion, the Prophet Maran allowed nothing but plowing, and only in the absence of its execution would it bring about the takeover of the land by the foreigners. And the clarification of things shows that apart from the conservative prophecy did not allow but plowing, in the case of Didan there is no permit of Arnona at all, the prophet wrote in several letters regarding "Camp Israel" that the permit of Arnona is the taking of land from the Jews by the government. "The camp of Israel," the loss of their lands by the power of sowing the foreigners, and the kingdom will certainly not come to their aid to preserve their lands. "

Finally, Rabbi Efrati wrote in his letter: "But today, these are the lands of the government, and instead of the government doing the minimum required of it, touring the territories, making sure that they are not taken over, the government itself wants to use a seventh work permit." What is it like, for a person who needs to eat on Shabbat Kodesh, and when Shabbat arrives instead of eating allowed food, he cooks on Shabbat, claiming that in the absence of eating he may reach a state of mental supervision, and what would we respond to him? For the most part, they will be happy to give it to you, but he shouts bitterly in his tongue: In food cooked by I desire ...) ".

It should be noted that Rabbi Dov Lior replied to MK Itamar Ben Gvir that planting in the Negev should be allowed, according to him, in light of the situation in the Negev, and since these plantations preserve the Land of Israel, it is permissible to plant idle trees in the Negev, despite the year of shemita. Is the thing,But limited the permit to Jews not participating in plantations but only Gentiles.

• Judaism

• news

Tags

• Judaism