Shmittah Calendar: Month of Sivan 5769

The month of Sivan started on Sunday.

Right now is Motzei Shmittah and items, starting with vegetables start to lose their Kedushat Shevi'it. Many items will still retain Kedushah, however, for quite some time.

The following list is not fully comprehensive at all but includes some common everyday produce most people use. It is largely based on Rabbi Marcus's "Shmittah 5768: A Pratical Guide" (which we recommend you order for yourself here) and other sources. For more information on what these dates mean see here.

Kedushat Shevi'it Starts

There are no items that Kedushat Shevi'it starts this month.

Kedushat Shevi'it for these items remains in effect (with *ed items in Sefichim):

Almonds
Avocado
Carob
Dates
Grapefruit
Grapes for Wine
Guava
Kiwi
Nectarine
Olives
Paprika*
Pecan
Peanuts*
Persimmon
Plums (Euro Longated)
Pomegranate
Pomelo
Popcorn*
Sabra
Sunflower Seeds*


Kedushat Shevi'it Ends

On 1 Sivan
Chickpeas


On 10 Sivan
Cherries
Litchi
Mango
Mustard
Pumpkin


On 15 Sivan
Butternut Squash


On 24 Sivan
Pears


------------------
Sefichim Begins

There are no items that Sefuchim begins anymore.

Additionally Sefichim remain in effect for the following:


Paprika
Peanuts
Popcorn
Sunflower Seeds

Sefichim Ends

Sefichim ends for the following this month:

On 1 Sivan
Chickpeas


On 10 Sivan
Mustard
Pumpkin


On 15 Sivan
Butternut Squash


------------------
Biur

On 1 Sivan 5769:
Medlar (Shesek)


On 4 Sivan 5769:
Oranges


On 6 Sivan 5769:
Olives
Olive Oil


On 20 Sivan 5769:
Grapefruit
Pomelo


Note: The following items already required Biur:

On 1 Shevat 5768:
Fennel

On 14 Adar Bet 5768:
Sweet Potatoes

On 15 Iyar 5768:

Broccoli

On 1 Sivan 5768:

Medlar (Shesak)
Peas in Pod

On 1 Tamuz 5768:
Artichoke


On 19 Tamuz 5768:
Apricots


On 1 Av 5768:
Mustard


On 15 Tishrei 5769:
Butternut Squash


On 1 Cheshvan 5769:
Pears
Sabra

On 20 Cheshvan 5769:
Peanuts
Plums (Euro Longated)

On 1 Tevet 5769:
Persimmon


On 15 Tevet 5769:
Carob
Mango

On 17 Tevet 5769:
Apples

On 26 Tevet 5769:
Almonds

On 1 Kislev 5769:
Barley
Nectarine
Paprika
Peaches
Popcorn
Pumpkin

On 11 Kislev 5769:
Chickpeas
Sunflower seeds

On 15 Kislev 5769:
Kiwi
Plums (Japanese Round)

On 16 Kislev 5769:
Guava

On 25 Kislev 5769:
Figs


On 14 Adar 5769:
Dates


On 15 Nisan 5769:
Grapes


On 10 Iyar 5769:
Pecan


On 18 Iyar 5769:
Etrog

The Fire From Sinai

If you were some sort of head of State, and you decided to pay an official visit to Israel on say, Lag B’Omer, you would probably return home and tell people, “it's a beautiful land, but the locals there, those Jews, they sure are a bunch of pyromaniacs!”

I’ve written before about how in America I used to think Lag B’Omer was about softball. After all the softball is symbolic of Torah and the light that shines forth from it symbolizes the light that Rav Shimon Bar Yochai brought to the world by authoring the holy Zohar. Now, however, I know that using bonfires in place of softballs fit the symbolism much more aptly.

This year I didn’t go to Har Meron. Instead, I hung out in Jerusalem. What struck me the most about last night, was not how many fires there were around the city, in every park, and open lot, but the absolute breadth of the types of people enjoying them. From the most charedi godal hador down to the most secular Jew that never even heard of the Zohar, let alone Rashbi, all were singing and smiling at a huge bonfire somewhere in the country.

And that got me thinking. Even if one isn’t particularly religious, just by living in the holy land of ours some religion is going to rub off on them. Take Purim as another example. Every single eight year old in this country - from ultra-secular to ultra-religious - dresses up for Purim and could likely relate to you the entire Purim story. This is not the case in America, where many secular Jews there never heard of Purim.

I came across an interesting Rashi on this week’s Parsha. Perhaps the most commonly found verse in the Torah is “And G-d spoke to Moshe saying.” This week the Parsha opens with an interesting variation. “And G-d spoke to Moshe, on Mount Sinai, saying.” Rashi asks, “Why here?” Hashem said all of the Torah to Moshe on Sinai! Why is only this one spot, which discusses the laws of Shmittah (the Sabbatical year) singled out?

Without going into depth (see it inside for details) Rashi answers that we could learn out from here that all commandments with all the details and fine points they involve, were taught on Har Sinai and completely repeated with full details by Moshe “at the Plains of Moab.”

A question that came to me is that the Torah could still have applied the words “on Mount Sinai” to any other commandment in the Torah and we would have been able to come to the same conclusion. Why did it specifically choose the commandment of Shmittah?

Shmittah is an example of something, even the most religious Jews living in America know very little about. It’s something that simply doesn’t apply there and so not much effort is spent studying it. The Talmid Bavli (which was written in Babylonia) doesn’t even have a tractate on it. Whether one was written but lost or never written is debated but the reason for either scenario would simply be because those laws “didn’t apply” to them. (Incidentally, the Talmid Yerushalmi written in the Land of Israel does contain a tractate on the laws of Shmittah.)

Two years ago, I remember being terrified by the upcoming Shmittah year, which I knew nothing about! I attended shiur after shiur trying to get up to speed on what all the laws are (and there are many of them!) The shiurim were all very heavily attended which demonstrated that lots of people felt the same way. Now that we have to keep these laws we should learn what they are.

And now we can understand why Hashem chose this commandment out of all the others to apply the words “on Mount Sinai.” First, this commandment was given to us by G-d via Moshe on Har Sinai just like all the other ones. There is no reason not to be studying it regardless of where you are living. Don’t forget about it! And second, just like all the other commandments, this one, was also given on Har Sinai and it’s one that you should be keeping too. And if the only way to keep it is by living in the Land of Israel, then what are you waiting for?

Make Aliyah!

Shmittah Calendar: Month of Iyar 5769

Right now is Motzei Shmittah and items, starting with vegetables start to lose their Kedushat Shevi'it. Many items will still retain Kedushah, however, for quite some time.

The following list is not fully comprehensive at all but includes some common everyday produce most people use. It is largely based on Rabbi Marcus's "Shmittah 5768: A Pratical Guide" (which we recommend you order for yourself here) and other sources. For more information on what these dates mean see here.

Kedushat Shevi'it Starts

There are no items that Kedushat Shevi'it starts this month.

Kedushat Shevi'it for these items remains in effect (with *ed items in Sefichim):

Almonds
Avocado
Butternut Squash*
Carob
Chickpeas*
Dates
Grapefruit
Grapes for Wine
Guava
Kiwi
Litchi
Mango
Mustard*
Nectarine
Olives
Paprika*
Pears
Pecan
Peanuts*
Persimmon
Plums (Euro Longated)
Pomegranate
Pomelo
Popcorn*
Pumpkin*
Sabra
Sunflower Seeds*


Kedushat Shevi'it Ends

On 1 Iyar
Barley
Lemon


On 10 Iyar
Apricots


On 18 Iyar
Apples
Etrog


On 20 Iyar
Figs


On 22 Iyar
Plums (Japanese Round)

------------------
Sefichim Begins

There are no items that Sefuchim begins anymore.

Additionally Sefichim remain in effect for the following:

Butternut Squash
Chickpeas
Mustard
Paprika
Peanuts
Popcorn
Pumpkin
Sunflower Seeds

Sefichim Ends

Sefichim ends for the following this month:

On 1 Iyar
Barley


------------------
Biur

On 10 Iyar 5769:
Pecan


On 18 Iyar 5769:
Etrog


Note: The following items already required Biur:

On 1 Shevat 5768:
Fennel

On 14 Adar Bet 5768:
Sweet Potatoes

On 15 Iyar 5768:

Broccoli

On 1 Sivan 5768:

Medlar (Shesak)
Peas in Pod

On 1 Tamuz 5768:
Artichoke


On 19 Tamuz 5768:
Apricots


On 1 Av 5768:
Mustard


On 15 Tishrei 5769:
Butternut Squash


On 1 Cheshvan 5769:
Pears
Sabra

On 20 Cheshvan 5769:
Peanuts
Plums (Euro Longated)

On 1 Tevet 5769:
Persimmon


On 15 Tevet 5769:
Carob
Mango

On 17 Tevet 5769:
Apples

On 26 Tevet 5769:
Almonds

On 1 Kislev 5769:
Barley
Nectarine
Paprika
Peaches
Popcorn
Pumpkin

On 11 Kislev 5769:
Chickpeas
Sunflower seeds

On 15 Kislev 5769:
Kiwi
Plums (Japanese Round)

On 16 Kislev 5769:
Guava

On 25 Kislev 5769:
Figs


On 14 Adar 5769:
Dates


On 15 Nisan 5769:
Grapes

A FREE LUNCH?

I was asked to post the following:

A FREE LUNCH?

We are clearly experiencing the "Birth pangs of Mashiach". Both Rav Ulla and Rava said, "Let Mashiach come, but we don't want to witness it because of the difficulties we will experience." There is a simple and easy way to significantly reduce our pain. Chazal say that King Achav was always successful in his military campaigns (despite the fact that he encouraged Avodah Zarah) because of the unity of Klal Yisrael in his day. Chazal say that if we have unity we will be spared from suffering. True, the suffering comes from HaShem to encourage us to do Teshuvah, which we must do. But here is a quick and painless way to gain significant protection from HaShem. We lost the second Beis HaMikdash because of Sin'as Chinam (baseless hatred among Jews). Now we need Ahavas Chinam (baseless love among Jews). We need to change our attitude towards other Jews; this will promote unity.

Here are some practical and easy ways to express Ahavas Chinam (baseless love for fellow Jews):

1) After reading or hearing about some Jew’s problem anywhere in the world, we should say a short prayer for him/her and end our prayer with one chapter of Tehillim (Suggestion: Psalm 13 is very appropriate because it is a prayer for the end of our long Galus and it is a short perek). Choose an easy chapter that you know by heart so you can do this at a moment's notice without any preparation. We must show HaShem that we are concerned about ALL Jews, whether or not they are similar to us.

2) Try to greet all Jews with a "Good Morning!" or a "Good Shabbos!" especially if you don't know them. If you don't know them, then it is definitely Ahavas Chinam.

3) Try to do at least one extra Chesed every day for any Jew that you were not doing before. If in addition, you happen to dislike the Jew you are helping out, then you are definitely creating Ahavas Chinam and saving yourself from much suffering. One easy Chesed is to call up someone to wish him a "Good Shabbos!"

4) Try to mention at least one Choleh in what one can add during "R'fa'einu" in the silent Sh'moneh Esrei, and try to have in mind one person out of work during "Bareich Aleinu" in the silent Sh'moneh Esrei.


Please share this with all of your Jewish friends. Thank you!

Shmittah Calendar: Month of Nisan 5769

The month of Nisan 5769 began last week.

Right now is Motzei Shmittah and items, starting with vegetables start to lose their Kedushat Shevi'it. Many items will still retain Kedushah, however, for quite some time.

The following list is not fully comprehensive at all but includes some common everyday produce most people use. It is largely based on Rabbi Marcus's "Shmittah 5768: A Pratical Guide" (which we recommend you order for yourself here) and other sources. For more information on what these dates mean see here.

Kedushat Shevi'it Starts

There are no items that Kedushat Shevi'it starts this month.

Kedushat Shevi'it for these items remains in effect (with *ed items in Sefichim):

Almonds
Apples
Apricots
Avocado
Barley*
Butternut Squash*
Carob
Chickpeas*
Dates
Etrog
Figs
Grapefruit
Grapes for Wine
Guava
Kiwi
Lemon
Litchi
Mango
Mustard*
Nectarine
Olives
Paprika*
Pears
Pecan
Peanuts*
Persimmon
Plums (Euro Longated)
Plums (Japanese Round)
Pomegranate
Pomelo
Popcorn*
Pumpkin*
Sabra
Sunflower Seeds*


Kedushat Shevi'it Ends

On 15 Nisan
Grapes


------------------
Sefichim Begins

There are no items that Sefuchim begins anymore.

Additionally Sefichim remain in effect for the following:

Barley
Butternut Squash
Chickpeas
Mustard
Paprika
Peanuts
Popcorn
Pumpkin
Sunflower Seeds

Sefichim Ends

Sefichim ends for the following this month:

There are no items that Sefuchim ends this month.

------------------
Biur

On 15 Nisan 5769:
Grapes


Note: The following items already required Biur:

On 1 Shevat 5768:
Fennel

On 14 Adar Bet 5768:
Sweet Potatoes

On 15 Iyar 5768:

Broccoli

On 1 Sivan 5768:

Medlar (Shesak)
Peas in Pod

On 1 Tamuz 5768:
Artichoke


On 19 Tamuz 5768:
Apricots


On 1 Av 5768:
Mustard


On 15 Tishrei 5769:
Butternut Squash


On 1 Cheshvan 5769:
Pears
Sabra

On 20 Cheshvan 5769:
Peanuts
Plums (Euro Longated)

On 1 Tevet 5769:
Persimmon


On 15 Tevet 5769:
Carob
Mango

On 17 Tevet 5769:
Apples

On 26 Tevet 5769:
Almonds

On 1 Kislev 5769:
Barley
Nectarine
Paprika
Peaches
Popcorn
Pumpkin

On 11 Kislev 5769:
Chickpeas
Sunflower seeds

On 15 Kislev 5769:
Kiwi
Plums (Japanese Round)

On 16 Kislev 5769:
Guava

On 25 Kislev 5769:
Figs


On 14 Adar 5769:
Dates

Only in Israel...

...do the buses wish you a Happy Purim instead of telling you where they are going!

The Falafel King

They call him the Falafel King. If you ever stop by Afula in northern Israel be sure to drop by and buy a falafal just to watch him make it. He installed special stainless steel on the ceiling over the counter, cleaned daily, so don't get too grossed out by the falafal balls that hit the ceiling. This video is just a small taste of what he could do, as I didn't have time to film some of the cooler tricks.