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Re: Pruzbul: A Rabbinic Takana (decree) that allows the Beis Din (A Rabbinic court) to collect debts during the Shemittah year.
Re: Pruzbul: A Rabbinic Takana (decree) that allows the Beis Din (A Rabbinic court) to collect debts during the Shemittah year.
Note: Mention of Rabbinic Leaders in this comment do not necessarily include Chabad Rabbanim who follow the Rebbe's leadership not to give away Eretz Yisroel or other Rabbanim that have come out against any territorial concessions. To Chabad Chasidim: Perhaps the time has come to move one step further and question whether Pruzbul is the ideal way to observe Shemittah's Kesafim. Each of our souls were at Sinai and I believe the Rebbe would encourage each and every Jew to be Goleh Amukos, and be Mechadesh Chidushim regarding the Mitzvah of Shemittah which has not been properly observed for thousands of years. Torah is not static and I doubt the Rebbe would want his Chasidim to remain static with their learning basing everything on just what the Rebbe wrote and not on Torah. The Rebbe would want to be the conduit for the Study of Torah and not a replacement.
Moshe Rabbeinu knew he was not entering the Land. So he instructed the Nation how to survive without him specifically, in the Land of Israel. The entire book Devarim (Deuteronomy) are Mitzvoth that pertain to the Land. It's apparent that the way we are presently observing these commandments are not working. G-d is true to keep His promises. Obviously our observance is at fault and not G-d's ability to fulfill His end of His Promise, that of granting us blessings. I would not put the blame on the secular or even observant Jews who are not following Shemittah according to halacha. I would instead focus on the halacha of today as being problematic. Where is the spirit of Shabbos of sharing and Meain Olam Haba regarding Shemittah observance? Halachic solutions of today include buying from those that wish to destroy us empowering our enemies and/or selling the Land to the Non Jew. There are no vegetables to be had from Eretz Yisroel because of Issur of Sfichin (also a Rabbinic addition). Food is more expensive than before or simply not available. Where is the year of eating as the Torah describes? Shemittah is a year of openhandedness. Today we retrieve our loans being the messenger of the Beis Din. Rather than looking elsewhere let's instead look inward. G-d is capable of fighting off our enemies... all of them. I believe that without the help of Hashem, we are unable, no matter how we try, to effectively convince the world and ourselves of the dangers facing us even when they are so obvious, let alone act effectively to combat these threats. Proof of this is the Silence of our Rabbinic Leaders. They really can't believe that there are threats against our very existence and continue to remain silent to the desecration of Har Habayis and the establishment of a Palestinian State. If we truly kept Shemittah the correct way the Rabbanim would not be so timid. They would say that the Land belongs to G-d and we are the caretakers. We kept Shemittah properly. Is the "peaceful" Palestinian State planning on keeping Shemittah? Siata Dishmaya (Help from the Above) will come when it is truly earned. G-d can save us from these dangers but we in turn have to try to the best of our ability to yearn and ACT to keep the Torah commandments such as release of loans and partying in the Shemittah year from fruits of the Land that have Kedushat Shviis without losing track of our ultimate objective. Our goal is to achieve the Spirit of Shabbath through keeping the halachos of Shemittah.
Pruzbul was instituted by Hillel after Churban Bayis Sheni in response to weakness in spirit and in Emuna. In fact Shemittah possibly was never really observed properly. 70 years between Churban Bayis Rishon and Churban Bayis Sheni represent 70 years of Shemittah not kept properly. So not keeping Shemittah properly goes pretty far back. Before even Bayis Rishon. Given the catastrophic dangers we are facing today and being in Ikvese De'meshicha, Moshiach times, let us contemplate what Shemitta year would be like w/o Pruzbul. Once we agree that keeping Torah properly is the key, and focus on all the Mitzvoth read at Hakhel, from Sefer Devarim,(Deuteronomy) perhaps we will be on our way towards earning G-d's favor and sweetening of Judgement. A catastrophic episode creates chaos and havoc where everyone is forced to share what they have. Examples are the experiences following the expulsion of Gush Katif, the War in Lebanon and Hurricane Katrina. If releasing of debts creates chaos, and a communal lifestyle, it also reaches the objective of recognizing what we have comes from the Above. Everything that we receive is H-ly and from Hashem, and has the status of Kedushat Sheviis. It is my hope and prayer that as a result of this positive Shemittah learning experience we will not need the lessons learned from a catastrophic episode which are basically similar lessons learned but in an extremely painful way.
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