Firstly, I do want to apologize for not following up on my
Shidduch Crisis post that I launched last spring. I do hope to get to it
eventually but for now, I need to digress. I hope to follow the crude advice of
Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel to "never let a crisis go to waste".
The Yomim Noraim of 5774 have come and gone. What did we
daven for?
Well, if you are like me, a heartfelt entreaty for parnassah
was probably at the top of the list. After all, the world economy in general
and Yechezkel Hirshman's economy in particular are what we call here al
hapanim (the pits). I mean really bad shape. My own trade deficit
(income vs. outgo) rivals that of Uncle Sam. My income cannot cover my basic day
to day expenses and I have been forced to supplement my meager earnings with
reserve money to the point of near total depletion. Cutbacks and mounting short
term debt have taken their toll. I have IOU notes in my cookie jar. Not to
mention at least 3 offspring on the Shadchan's sights (getting back to the
Shidduch crisis…)
Of course, the Yad Hashem is always evident. About six
months back I calculated that I have enough reserve to keep me afloat until
June. When June came around, a long overdue and hard fought payoff came through
and I revised my calculation that I now have enough to hold me until Rosh
Hashannah. To me this was quite significant because every Rosh Hashannah is
another chance to reset the tables. I saw that HKBH's plan for me for 5773 was
fulfilled. But what's in store for 5774?
So when the Days of Mercy came around three weeks ago, like
so many others, I poured out my heart for financial salvation.
But it struck me recently that perhaps, we who live here in
Eretz Yisrael didn't have to. For us, there is no need to worry about parnassah
this year. For 5774, parnassah is guaranteed. GUARANTEED!
And not just one year of parnassah. Three years. Three whole
years of parnassah to be dealt out in 5774. GUARANTEED!
Where is it guaranteed?
Right here in my chumash. In Vayikra 25:20,21. Here it
clearly states:
וכי תאמרו מה נאכל בשנה השביעית הן לא נזרע ולא נאסף את
תבואתנו: וציויתי את ברכתי לכם בשנה הששית ועשת את התבואה לשלש השנים:
Free translation:
And should you ask "What shall we eat on the seventh year?
Alas, we cannot sow and we cannot gather our produce?" And I will order
My blessing on the sixth year and it will yield its produce for the amount
of three years.
That's right, for those who intend to uphold the laws of
shemitta, we have a guarantee that on the sixth year the GDP will do a
threefold performance and we'll pull in enough to keep us afloat for three
whole years. What a deal!!
Of course this probably won't apply to everybody. There are
those Jews who rely on the Hetter Mechira and by so doing, treat the seventh
year like every other year.
In a previous post (see my post about Ki LiHaAretz - Eminent Domain), I wrote at length that the validity of the
Hetter Mechira needs to be reviewed because some of the key factors that were
used to justify it in the first place are no longer applicable. But regardless
of whether it is still Halachically valid it may not be a good idea to rely on
it.
Why?
Because it probably voids the guarantee.
You see, this guarantee is earmarked for people who ask: "What shall we eat on the seventh year? Alas, we cannot sow and we cannot gather our produce?"
G-d is making this guarantee for those who intend to follow
the basic laws and not to sow and not to gather the produce. For those who
will use Halachic loopholes to circumvent the prohibitions, I am sure G-d can find
some loopholes in His guarantee.
So now, 5774, the sixth year of the cycle, is the time for all
of us Jews living in E"Y to decide how we intend to keep the upcoming
Shmitta year. The genuine way that comes with a three year guarantee or the
convoluted way that doesn't.
Remember: הטורח בערב שבת הוא יאכל בשבת.
Now, I personally identify with the follow-the-rules-as-written
(WYSIWYG) clan so I do hope that the guarantee applies to me. Of course, one
may argue that this guarantee is only applicable to those who actually work the
land, not to those who get their sustenance from Technical Writing or the
benefits of a US based family business.
This may indeed be so. But since 5774 is indeed the sixth
year of the cycle, people like me can always fall back on preservation plan B…
…5774 is a Maaser Ohni year!
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