The two new Chief Rabbis - Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yonah Metzger - will launch their ten-year terms today with the traditional selling of the nation's chametz. In an official ceremony at the Chief Rabbinate offices in Jerusalem this afternoon, they will receive power of attorney from Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to sell the country's leaven, which is forbidden to be eaten or owned by Jews during the seven-day Passover holiday. Shortly afterwards, Jabar Hussein of Abu Ghosh will make an advance payment of 20,000 shekels, and will thus receive possession of the State's chametz. Jews all around the country will similarly sell to non-Jews whatever chametz they still own tomorrow. If the terms of the sales are not completed by the end of the holiday, the chametz will revert back to its original owners.
Rabbi Metzger's election victory over Rabbi Yaakov Ariel yesterday was a disappointment to most of the religious-Zionist camp, and particularly the National Religious Party, which had backed Rabbi Ariel. MK Sha'ul Yahalom said that the election represented a victory for the hareidi public, that the NRP must undertake to investigate why it failed to have its candidate elected, and that the Chief Rabbinate would lose some of its respect among the religious-Zionist public. Rabbi Ariel has been the Chief Rabbi of Ramat Gan for approximately a decade, while Rabbi Metzger has never served as a Chief Rabbi of any city, nor has he been a member of a Rabbinical Court. Deputy Education Minister Tzvi Hendel (National Union) says he has good basis for asking Attorney-General Elyakim Rubenstein to suspend Rabbi Metzger's appointment, "in order to prevent the Chief Rabbinate from being disgraced."
Chief Rabbi Metzger denied yesterday that he had promised Rabbi Shalom Yosef Elyashiv, leader of the Ashkenazi hareidi public, to place additional stringencies on the conversion process or to do away with the controversial practice of selling fields during the Shemittah year. He said that he is confident he will be able to find a solution that will be agreeable to all by the time Shemittah comes around again in 5768 (2007-8).