It is perhaps unexpected to hear shmita, a year during which agricultural fields lie fallow, as an exciting year. But that is just how Rabbi Itzhak Dvir of the Torah and Haaretz Institute (the Institute for Torah and the Land of Israel) describes it.
The video is in Hebrew and the speakers' descriptions of what they found exciting this shmita year in English can be found below the video.
"We have come to the end of an exciting year, in which we were privileged to meet heroic farmers, who were willing to put aside their main livelihood in favor of the shmita. We have a lot to learn from these people - their connection to the Land of Israel, and their personal sacrifice for the sake of the Torah. We need to take this strength and continue it for six the next years".
In the seventh year of a seven-year cycle, farmers set aside tilling and working the land as commanded in the Torah. Also called the Sabbatical year, it is observed only in the Land of Israel. Jewish farmers outside of Israel do not observe the shmita.
Dr. Moti Shomron, agronomist and head of the Department of Scientific Research at the institute, adds, "This year we were very excited to see farmers who devoted themselves to keeping shmita in different ways. They took on the challenge of the shmita, understood its depth and significance, understood the connection of the Jewish People with the Land of Israel, and observed this year despite the difficulties and the loss of profits when they could have earned a lot more. I was amazed to hear one farmer from the Jordan Valley say that, after making all his calculations for the year, he hopes to come out without having earned a single shekel from the farm this past year."
While the land cannot be worked, that does not mean that fruits and vegetables that grow on the land naturally during the fallow year cannot be eaten. In fact, farmers have to let anyone onto the land to pick what is growing. The farmer cannot charge for this produce. But since it is generally inconvenient for many people to go out to the fields, themselves, an organization called Otzar Beit Din manages the picking, packaging, and transportation of produce to consumer distribution centers. The consumer pays for the cost of the handling so that those doing the work get paid but they do not pay for the produce itself and costs are lower than regular retail prices.
Tomer Goldenberg, of the Antman-Goldenberg Farm in Moshav Gimzo, says, "For 35 years, we have been working with Otzar Beit Din during the shmita year. In the current year, we are serving as Otsar Beit Din of Moshav Gimzo. The rabbis help us with any halachic question and also come to the field."
"Why observe shmita? My grandparents on both sides lived abroad, observed Shabbat and put on tefillin, but they had no possibility to observe the shmita year. We are privileged to live in the Land of Israel, work the land, and this is really part of Zionism: to keep the shmita and observe what was forgotten for almost two thousand years."
Shlomi Saban from the gardening company 'Yotzer Be Teva', which also owns a nursery, says that the shmita year is full of challenges, but it is permissible to maintain gardens and to establish new ones that only use synthetic grass. In the nursery, the volume of sales decreased significantly. "In terms of opportunities, we are happy that during the shmita year we have the opportunity to live by our pure faith and, of course, there is more time to dedicate to our families and develop other business ventures."
The Midrasha (women’s academy) of the Torah and Haaretz Institute will be holding a huge family event in the Mini Israel Park at Latrun. The event will take place on Thursday, the 28th of Av (25.8.2022) starting at 4:30 pm.