B"H

PROZBUL

This article will assume at least some familiarity with the practice

of Prozbul and will not explicate what it is or why it exists. For

this knowledge you may ask any Orthodox Rav, if need be.

Before going on please reread Devarim 15:1-11.

Like many Orthodox Jews we were encouraged to sign a form of Prozbul allowing the Beit Din to collect whatever outstanding debts we may have from Jews who must pay us back before sundown on the 29th day of Elul this year.

The entire concept of Prozbul galls me and I discussed the issue with

my husband. He, in turn, consulted with Rabbis who told him that "in our times it is impossible to manage without Prozbul". But my heart pulled and I wanted to do the mitzvah of Sh'nat Shmitta d'Oreita, as was done by our forebears until close to the end of the Second Temple period. I didn't believe for one minute that HaShem could not find an infinity of infinite ways to allow us to do this mitzvah. I also believed in *us* to be able to accept HaShem's blessings.

We decided to do the mitzvah of Shmitta as is written in Torah and to let whatever debts may (or may not) be owed to us to go, to be wiped out. We took this decision Friday morning.

Directly thereafter my husband, tzaddik v'tamim yichieh, went to the

Old City to do errands for Shabbat. When he returned home he said:

"Here I want to show you something." Whereupon, he pulled the

largest and most beautiful cluster of white grapes from his

backpack. "Where did you get that!?", I asked in amazement. This is

a year of drought in Israel. It only rained a few times during the

winter, and those rains were little more than sprinklings. "How

could a cluster of grapes that large and beautiful be found in the

middle of August?", I wondered aloud. My husband said: "I went to the Old City (of Tzfat). There I saw a man cutting clusters of grapes

from a vine heavy with clusters like these. He was giving the

clusters away in great joy to all passersby calling: "Here. Come

take. It's hefker!" My husband told me that he too excitedly

approached to do the mitzvah of eating hefker in Sh'nat Shmitta in

Eretz Yisrael - grapes, no less. Happily the man cut him the

cluster.

Thinking about it I understood and was overcome with awe, gratitude and devotion to HaShem. We had done the mitzvah of Shmitta c'davar HaShem and HaShem was doing the mitzvah for us c'd'varo! He was saying to us. "Because you trusted Me, I will show you how miraculously bountifully I provide for those who beleive in Me".

This and more: HaShem was telling us that His promise to us was both for this world and for the World To Come as well, by providing grapes davka. We learn that white grapes in their season and out of their season are a sign that it will be well with us. Eating grapes is a

sign that one has their place in The World to Come promised to them, and that they will drink the secrets of wine in the World to Come because HaShem has hidden the wine in the grapes from Beraysheet.

There are those who keep the practice of giving nominal loans of very small amounts to Jews before Sh'nat Shmitta in order to do the

'mitzvah' of letting the loan go. To these I say: Please, do not

make HaShem's words a travesty. Allow HaShem to bring, or not to

bring, those who need real loans to you and behave in accordance with the various mitzvahs of lending to the Jews and to the Gentiles.

Achi V'achotai HaYakarim! Believe in HaShem and trust Him and love

Him with all your heart, with all your Soul and will all your might

(this last means your material goods). It is HaShem who gives us

life continuously and provides for us far better than we could ever

do for ourselves. We do not need to invent means for extorting money from those Jews who cannot repay their loans in order to survive.

Trust HaShem. Do not turn to the Beit Din with a request that they

collect your debts for you from other Jews in Sh'nat Shmitta.

L'Hader this mitzvah as you would the mitzvot which you may find

easier to keep. Shmitta is one of the mitzvot that HaShem wants us to go to the absolute observance level of observance of.

For those of you who are not in Israel: This mitzvah is incumbent

upon all Jews, male and female alike, in all places when we know when the Sh'nat Yovel is. We are not sure when the Yovel is. But, if you trust HaShem and let go all those Jews who are indebted to you, *your debts to HaShem will be wiped out* and you too will merit to drink the secrets of wine in the World to Come.

With blessings,

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan

Thursday, April 15, 2004