"And the land shall rest a sabbath to Hashem" – The Controversy of the Shemittah and the War with the ‘Baron’s Officials’ – Petach Tikvah, 1903 – Heroes of Strength, Doing His Will!
A letter from the "Moshav Committee" of Petach Tikvah, dated 9th of Sivan, 1903, with an addition from the respected teacher of Petach Tikvah, Rabbi Aharon Arlainsky, regarding an inquiry made by Mr. Gladschmidt Dan of Amsterdam to Rabbi Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld zt"l, seeking clarification about the situation of the Shemittah in the Land of Israel (apparently to assist financially those keeping the Shemittah). The letter was sent to the Moshav Committee of Petach Tikvah, and it seems they sent a response to Rabbi Zonnenfeld.
The "Moshav Committee" members attest that they kept the Shemittah year of 1889 according to halacha and express their firm desire to continue observing the Shemittah properly, as well as their perseverance in past challenges: "…A respected gentleman informed us that your esteemed honor asked him if there are indeed those who observe the Shemittah properly in the settlements in the Holy Land. Alas, we were grieved by this question, for woe to the generation in which such a thing has arisen… Regarding the same matter which caused us to leave our land… all of our fields remained barren, with no plowing, sowing, or reaping because of the Shemittah… and there is no doubt that there are those who observe the Shemittah properly in the other settlements as well… They can be called ‘Heroes of Strength, Doing His Will’…". The writers end by requesting support and help from the addressee.
At the end of the letter, a few lines are written in the hand of Rabbi Aharon Arlainsky zt"l, the Rav of Petach Tikvah.
This letter presents the courage of the residents of Petach Tikvah who firmly resolved to keep the Shemittah according to halacha, following the opinion of the Gedolim in Jerusalem. Blessed is the eye that saw such heroes of strength!
The Shemittah Controversy in the Settlements of the Holy Land, 1889
At the end of the year 1888, just before the Shemittah, the settlers of the Holy Land, including Petach Tikvah, who had been established by the G-d fearing, decided to keep the Shemittah according to halacha by halting all agricultural work – without relying on any ‘Heter Mechira’ (sale of land) or similar permissive approaches. This move was led in Petach Tikvah by Rabbi Aharon Arlainsky, the teacher of the community.
Once it became known that the settlements of the G-d fearing intended to truly observe the Shemittah in the upcoming year of 1889, a debate arose among the leading figures of the generation on whether it was permissible to use tricks to avoid halting work on the land. Under pressure from the Baron Rothschild’s officials, there were those who sought to permit the ‘Heter Mechira’, while on the other hand, the Gedolim in Jerusalem strongly opposed it, saying, "In the counsel of the permissive, his soul shall not enter."
In practice, as is known today, only some of the landowners in Petach Tikvah ultimately followed the instructions of the Gedolim in Jerusalem, led by Rabbi Arlainsky and his followers, but not all. In the end, the only settlement that kept the entire Shemittah year properly according to Torah was ‘Mizkeret Batya’, where the residents stood firm against the pressure of the Baron’s officials.
