Jerusalem – Two municipal chief rabbis decided on Thursday to remove their signatures from a religious ruling forbidding Israeli Jews from renting homes to gentiles.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Dozens of Israel’s municipal chief rabbis had signed on to the letter, which came just months after the chief rabbi of Safed initiated a call urging Jews to refrain from renting or selling apartments to non-Jews.
Rabbi Simcha HaCohen Kook and Rabbi Yaakov Edelstein said they decided to remove their names from the letter because they did not agree with its content.
However, their decision is probably related to a statement made by leading rabbi of Israel’s non-Hasidic Orthodox sector, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, who denounced earlier on Thursday the religious ruling.
“I’ve said for some time that there are rabbis who must have their pens taken away from them,” Elyashiv remarked.
“It’s interesting that these same Zionist rabbis support symbolically selling their land to gentiles during the shmita year,” he added referring to the seven-year cycle when agricultural fields in Israel must lie fallow.
Ohh so Sharf. love the shmitta punch.
He knows the Fufteh Chelek Shulchen Orich Oich.
I guess you could say the reverse too: How come during the non-shmittah years its okay for Charedim to sell to goyim, but davka not during the shmittah year? Maybe its better to give business to our friends in Gaza….?
But i have to agree with the ikar thought. There are many rabbis who should have their pens taken away. In all camps.
The Rabbonim (big and small) in EY are becoming a joke…every day there is another broigas where Gadol A makes some naresh comment prompting Gadol B to disagree and/or disassociate himself from the comment. Even the second and third-tier rabbonim cannot seem to help themselves and seem to feel obligated to make at least some outrageous comment to keep their names in the media. Perhaps if they would limit their agendas to issues of real concern to their kehillahas we would all be better off.
“I guess you could say the reverse too: How come during the non-shmittah years its okay for Charedim to sell to goyim, but davka not during the shmittah year? Maybe its better to give business to our friends in Gaza….?”
You don’t have a clue about what you are talking about. Chareidim don’t sell anything to Arabs either during or not during Shemittah.
There are some Chareidim (notably those in Yerushalyim) who buy produce from non-Jews during Shemittah. THis is the view of the Edah Charedis. Those in Bnei Brak do not rely on this view. These Arabs do not have to be in Gaza — there are plenty in the Galilee and even the West Bank who are happy to sell their produce to Jews.
There is a prohibition in the Torah called lo sechanem which specifically relates to selling LAND to non-Jews in Eretz Yisrael. It does not apply to produce — only to Land.
It is for that very reason that the Chazon Ish opposed hetter mechirah — he held that the sale itself was an issur deoraysah, and hence was invalid, since ein sheliach le dvar aveirah.
First of all, as I understand it, Rav Elyahshiv didn’t say that it is Muttar to sell or rent land to a non-Jew. He basically said that the Halacha which forbids selling parts of Eretz Yisroel to Goyim should not be publicized. Secondly, to compare the sale of land to a non-Jew and a “Shmitta Sale” is inappropriate. The “Shmitta Sale” is only of the topsoil, in which the produce grows. Those same Rabbis who hold of the Heter Mechira are consistent in selling just the topsoil since selling all rights in the land would be prohibited.
Bottom line, this all would not be an issue if those Jews voluntarily remaining in the Galus would buy property in Eretz Yisroel. I am not saying that you have to live in it prior to the arrival of Moshiach. However, I do guarantee that you will not lose on your investment. Can you imagine the prices on property once Moshaich arrives!!! On the flip side, can you imagine how much the value of your homes in Boro Park, Flatbush and Monsey will go down when all the Jews started moving out.
Am i dreaming? Wasn’t the ban against renting specifically to ARABS?? If so why would H’aaretz distort that with their typical anti charedi agenda by saying that it was gainst all NON JEWS???
I’m confused. J.Post and JewishJournal reported that Rav Elyashiv was one of the rabbis who signed the edict to prohibit renting to goyim. So he is against it?
Why didn’t they discuss this with the Gedolim before they took it upon themselves to once again circulate a letter for signatures that will leave them with egg all over their faces. That is why Rav Eliyashuv talks about taking away their pens. They are too quick to sign because another Rav signed and not because they really thought things through.
Wow glad to see our sage harav eliashiv so bright and sharp at his age
His comments makes more sense then most of the comments on this tread that are just hog wash with no thought
when he wrote that you should help rav elior chen and famely did you have the same opinion?????????????????????/
He is right!
Where is his proof? The Rabbis who signed agains’t selling land to gentiles state the Rambam, Shulhan Aruch and other Torah sources. Where is the proof of the opposition?
Rabbi Isaac ha-Levi Herzog, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, wrote that “no rabbi with a brain in his head and with a modicum of common sense” would discriminate non-Jews. He specifically paskened, based on the opinions of Meiri and his own novel reasoning, that non-Jews must have full rights to buy land in Eretz Isroel, to build their houses of worship, to be elected for any public or political position etc.
However, there is no need for any “proof of the opposition”, because the entire Zionist entity exists in diametrical opposition to Judaism. What various Torah sources meant is that a Jewish inhabitant of the Mamluk or Ottoman Palestine should refrain from selling his house to non-Jews, in order to keep the local Jewish community intact.
It’s an entirely different picture that didn’t cause real discrimination and didn’t anger the Muslims. And many other Rabbis, including the Meiri, believed otherwise and didn’t see any problem of selling land or houses to non-Jews, especially to the monotheistic Muslims.
So, the authors of that letter have no brain in their heads and no modicum of common sense. It’s not my words. It’s a quotation from Rabbi Herzog – a famous goen and poysek.