Kashrus Kurrents, Summer 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyone\nwho has had the opportunity to visit Yerushalayim<\/em> Ir HaKodesh<\/em>, as\nI recently did, will tell you that a must-see experience is a trip to the Geula\nneighborhood on Erev Shabbos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rechov\nMalchai Yisroel could very well be dubbed the commercial heart of the Chareidi community.\nThe stores pulsate with energy and electricity, while the streets teem with\ntraffic tie-ups, both on and off the sidewalks. It could be termed a\nbusinessman\u2019s dream or nightmare, depending on one\u2019s ability to handle the\nsheer crush of consumers. The side streets, on the other hand, are a labyrinth\nof quiet residential apartments. One such quiet street is Rechov Yonah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For six\nout of seven years, the Stern family\u2019s mirpeset <\/em>(balcony) on Rechov\nYonah looks like any other mirpeset<\/em>, but this year is not like the\nothers. During this year, shnas haShemita<\/em>, the Stern\u2019s mirpeset <\/em>undergoes\nan amazing transformation. Welcome to the Otzar<\/em> of Bnei Brak \u2013 Jerusalem\nBranch!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In brief,\nthe Otzar Beis Din <\/em>is the legal entity that the rabbis have established\nto serve as the legitimate agent to pick and halachically<\/em> distribute the\nproduce of farmers who are observing Shemita k\u2019hilchasa<\/em>. Farmers cannot\nengage in normal commercial endeavors such as planting, harvesting and\nmarketing produce as they normally do. Their produce may be eaten, albeit with strict\nadherence to the laws of Shemita<\/em>. Additionally, the land may be maintained so that it will not fall\ninto ruin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To meet\nall the halachic<\/em>\nrestrictions, the Yerushalmi Otzar Beis Din<\/em> is\nset up on this residential mirpeset<\/em>. Agents of the Otzar Beis Din<\/em> tell the farmer that they will\nsend their community representatives to pick and distribute the produce. The Otzar\nBeis Din<\/em> also establishes fixed costs for the produce; it also covers the\ncosts of labor, delivery and distribution, since the produce cannot be sold in\na typical commercial manner \u2013 not by weight nor by count. A fixed container\nprice list is posted on the railing of the Stern\u2019s mirpeset<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Otzar Bais Din<\/em> pays the farm workers a set fee for\ntheir efforts in the field. These costs include picking and packing the produce\ninto sturdy corrugated boxes, shipping the produce to the Stern home, and\nmaintaining the Otzar Bais Din<\/em>. Trucks can\ntransport a thousand cases of produce per delivery and, according to Yidel\nStern, Mrs. Stern\u2019s son, there can be up to four deliveries a\nday!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Walking\nby the Stern\u2019s mirpeset<\/em>, one can view a tower of empty cartons piled\nhigh to the sky, ready to be sent back to the farm to be refilled. Produce\narrives from a variety of destinations; the major shipments are currently coming\nfrom the Golan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yidel Stern\nnotes, \u201cWe get some of the best fruit that you won\u2019t see during the other six years\nof the cycle, because they are generally exported. This year, the produce must\nstay within Eretz Yisroel<\/em>.\u201d The fixed prices for containers of\npremium-quality plums, pears, apples and mangoes are often a fraction of the\nregular market price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both minhag <\/em>Yerushalayim and minhag <\/em>Bnei Brak follow the custom is to eat produce grown on land and in orchards owned by non-Jews, yivul nochri<\/em>. According to minhag <\/em>Yerushalayim, this produce is not vested with kedushas shevi\u2019is<\/em> and so does not require special handling; minhag<\/em> Bnei Brak follows the ruling of the Chazon Ish, which considers yivul nochri<\/em> to be vested with kedushas shevi\u2019is<\/em>. (Produce imported from chutz la\u2019aretz<\/em>, outside Eretz Yisroel, is not vested with any special sanctity.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n According\nto both customs, produce purchased from the Otzar Beis Din<\/em> are\nvested with kedushas shevi\u2019is<\/em> and must be treated with special\nsanctity. Disposing of any portion of produce with kedushas shevi\u2019is<\/em>\nis not a simple matter. One must be careful to wait until the produce rots\nbefore depositing any peels, pits and leftovers into a special pach Shemita,<\/em>\na dedicated Shemita<\/em> garbage pail. One may actually purchase ready-made,\nfully waxed and lined disposable Shemita<\/em> containers for this purpose,\nsold in packs of six, ready for the garbage in a day and a half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nselection of produce offered by the Otzar Beis Din<\/em> varies. While you\nwon\u2019t find the cornucopia of fruits and vegetables available in Machane Yehuda,\nwhat you will find is an array of gorgeous and delicious produce supplied by a\nselect group of champion farmers who strictly adhere to the laws of Shemita<\/em>.\nThe Otzar Beis Din<\/em> facilitates the distribution of rarely available,\ntop-quality produce throughout Eretz Yisroel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked why she and her family have undertaken such a daunting task, Mrs. Stern answers simply, \u201cI was born and raised on Komemiyut, and my father z\u201dl<\/em> was unbelievably dedicated to the mitzvah of Shemita<\/em>. In fact, he was able to convince other farmers to observe shevi\u2019is k\u2019hilchasa<\/em>, and through their adherence to this precious mitzvah<\/em> they became 100% observant Yidden<\/em>. I want to preserve my father\u2019s legacy, and that is why I maintain the Otzar Beis Din<\/em>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yidel Stern chimes in, \u201cAnyone who wants to see the Otzar<\/em> in action really should come by on Erev Shabbos.\u201d I would wholeheartedly second that! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kashrus Kurrents, Summer 2022<\/p>\n Anyone Rechov For six In brief,
\nwho has had the opportunity to visit Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh, as
\nI recently did, will tell you that a must-see experience is a trip to the Geula
\nneighborhood on Erev Shabbos.<\/p>\n
\nMalchai Yisroel could very well be dubbed the commercial heart of the Chareidi community.
\nThe stores pulsate with energy and electricity, while the streets teem with
\ntraffic tie-ups, both on and off the sidewalks. It could be termed a
\nbusinessman\u2019s dream or nightmare, depending on one\u2019s ability to handle the
\nsheer crush of consumers. The side streets, on the other hand, are a labyrinth
\nof quiet residential apartments. One such quiet street is Rechov Yonah.<\/p>\n
\nout of seven years, the Stern family\u2019s mirpeset (balcony) on Rechov
\nYonah looks like any other mirpeset, but this year is not like the
\nothers. During this year, shnas haShemita, the Stern\u2019s mirpeset undergoes
\nan amazing transformation. Welcome to the Otzar of Bnei Brak \u2013 Jerusalem
\nBranch!<\/p>\n
\nthe Otzar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[224,27,318,227],"tags":[229,271,269,217],"class_list":["post-9492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kashrus-kurrents-2022","category-kashrus-kurrents","category-kashrus-kurrents-in-app","category-summer-kashrus-kurrents-2022","tag-kashrus-kurrents","tag-kedushas-sheviis","tag-otzar-beis-din","tag-shemita"],"yoast_head":"\n