Associates of Hagr"s Cohen: "Heter mechira is not intended for avreichim'

Storm of heter mechira: following the letter published this morning, associates of President of Shas's Moetzet believe that Harav Ovadia was of this opinion too

Storm of heter mechira in Shmita: this morning (Tuesday) Yated Neeman published a letter by the Sephardi Gedolei Yisrael that one should not rely on the heter mechira.

The letter was signed by the President of the Council of Torah Sages Hagaon R' Shalom Cohen, Hagaon R' S. Ba'adani, Hagaon R' Moshe Tzadka, Hagaon R' Benzion Mutzafi and Hagaon R' Yosef Chaim Sofer.

Under the heading "Guard the sanctity of the seventh year" it was written: "In the Shmita year of 5775, all rabbis who allowed to date did not allow for the next Shmita, therefore one should not rely on the heter mechira and should disable the ground and not do any work on the seventh year or bought the crops of those who worked the land of Israel during the seventh year even if sold to a gentile."

The letter caused a storm this morning among the Sephardic public who goes by the opinion of Harav Ovadia Yosef, who allowed the heter mechira, and many were perplexed about their signatures against the opinion of Harav Ovadia zt"l.

Sources close to the President of the Council, Hagaon R' Shaom Cohen, say to Behadrey Haredim that he did not sign the letter as published, and he is of the opinion that only avreichim and bnei Torah should be machmir and not rely on the heter mechira. According to them, a clarification is expected to be issued in the coming hours.

To reinforce their words, they point out that the book Yalkut Yosef Hilchot Shevi'it recently published, brings Harav Ovadia's opinion that bnei Torah should only eat Mehadrin and not rely on the heter mechira.

Even the Beit Din Beit Yosef - which rules by all chumros – does not give a hechsher to the heter mechira, since a Badatz, according to Harav Ovadia, should give the public the best possible.

On the other hand, causes in the Sephardic public say to Behadrey Haredim that already in 5768, the Rabbis joined the opinion of Gedolei Yisroel – Hagaon Harav Elyashiv, Hgrm"i Lefkowitz, Hagaon Rabbi Moshe Eliyahu and Hagry"s Yosef zt"l, and yibadel lechayim Hagr"s Vosner, Hagaon R' Aharon Leib Steinman, HAgaon R' Chaim Kanievsky and others, that one is forbidden to sell land in Israel to a gentile.


The letter from this morning and the letter from 5768 (the previous Shmita year)

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!