Interview with the founder of Kinyan Eretz Yisrael
Rabbi Meir Leibowitz
What could be more far-fetched than offering an American businessman the opportunity to perform the Mitzvos of shemittah, leket, shikhekha and pe’ah?
“Me, a farmer in Israel?”, he’d ask. “Are you crazy? I live thousands of miles away and I only know what a tractor looks like from picture books.”
But this dream has now been turned into a reality; with Rabbi Meir Leibowitz’s Chevras Kinyan Eretz Yisrael initiative, every Jew can now perform the Mitzvos that have solely been the domain of Israeli farmers – without any need to change their clean executive shoes for a pair of muddy boots.
Q: Rabbi Leibowitz, what gave you the idea for this initiative?
A: The Gemara (Sotah 14) tells us that Moshe Rabbeinu yearned to enter Eretz Yisrael to be able to perform the many Mitzvos that can only be carried out in Eretz Yisrael. Did you know that there are over 20 Mitzvos related to the growth of crops which are only performed by farmers? We have now found the way for everybody to fulfill these special Mitzvos, without any knowledge of agriculture.
The Chofetz Chaim said that the study of [seder] kodashim is considered a mes Mitzvah, because in his times the yeshivos or kollelim didn’t learn the kodashim masechtos. Because of this, the Chofetz Chaim opened a kollel where [they] are learned. I believe the same can be said of these Mitzvos hateluyos ba’aretz; they are also mesei Mitzvah, since these halachos are not learned in the yeshivos, despite the fact that they are noheg nowadays. Yet, Klal Yisrael seems to have left these halachos solely for the farmers!
Q: And have you found a way for anybody and everybody to perform these Mitzvos?
A: We have bought two plots of Land – in Mazkeret Batya, where we grow wheat and in Zichron Yaakov, for the cultivation of grapes. We then divided these parcels of land into many small plots of 4 by 4 amos, which we lease out to members of Kinyan Eretz Yisrael. When the crop is ready to be harvested, we offer the member two options: that he comes to harvest the crop himself under our guidance and thus fulfills all the Mitzvot hateluyos ba’aretz, or instead that he appoints us to be his [shluchim] to perform these Mitzvos.
Q: If a person wants, can he perform the Mitzvos without taking a course in agriculture?
A: That’s the whole idea! We guide the owner through the whole procedure, which is why the visit must be coordinated with us. Otherwise, if he doesn’t know how to harvest the crop, he could seriously damage the vineyard or the wheat. We also direct him in the Mitzvos of leket, shikhekha and pe’ah, and in how to separate terumos and ma’asros.
Q: So he can’t come whenever he wants?
A: The harvest takes about a week, so the owner can easily find a suitable time within that week to come.
Q: You said that your group leases out the ground to the new owners without actually selling them the plot. How does that work?
A: Yes, we lease it out for 5 years, and the poskim have ruled that this is a strong enough kinyan for the land, and the crop can be [considered] as belonging to the leaser. Im yirtzeh Hashem, in the future, we intend to offer the leaser the option of actually buying the land, but that’s not possible at the present moment – the bureaucracy of buying and selling land here is so expensive, it would cause the price to skyrocket. Only once we have enough members in our association will we be able to sell the land.
Q: You only grow wheat and grapes?
A: Exactly, because the Mitzvah min HaTorah of terumah and ma’aser only applies to wheat, grapes and olives, while the chiyuv for all the other fruits is d’Rabbanan. That’s why our organization only deals with wheat and grapes, which have a chiyuv d’Oraisa of terumah and ma’aser. B’ezras Hashem, we will soon be signing a contract to buy an olive grove.
Q: Does the buyer know which plot of land is his?
A: Of course! Every small plot has a number – in the vineyard the number is attached to the vine, while in the wheat field, a small sign on the ground verifies the number of the plot. Upon becoming a member of Kinyan HaAretz, the buyer receives an attractive certificate with the number of his plot.
Look at these pictures. One of our members, a religious Jew from Florida, arrived in Israel with his family and, stating his plot number, asked to see his piece of land. When we showed him his plot, he was so excited he started dancing around the field, and then posed with his family on his plot of Land!
Q: Excuse me, Rabbi Lebowitz, but do you really believe you invented the wheel?
A: Ah, I was waiting for that one, a question asked by many! First of all, the Vilna Gaon even bought a plot of land in Chutz LaAretz in accordance with the halachic view that these Mitzvos are noheg [there]. Later, his talmid, HaRav Yisrael of Shklov, mentions in his sefer on Hilchos Eretz Yisrael the opinion for those in Chutz LaAretz to buy land in Eretz Yisrael in order to fulfill these Mitzvos, and the Chazon Ish also urged Yidden [here] to buy land and to fulfill the Mitzvos. So we are not the first ones to come up with the idea.
What you could ask, though, is why it was never done on such a large scale as ours. Well, this question also disturbed me – but only until I started working on the project. With the many setbacks and difficulties we encountered in launching the project, the question of why others didn’t do it was answered; the only question left was how we could do it!
Q: What hurdles are you referring to?
A: These were true yissurei Eretz Yisrael. The main problem was that in Israel, there are two types of land: 95% of the ground allotted for agriculture is under the legislation of the Minhal Mekarkaei Yisrael – the Israeli Land Administration – and is therefore bound by the law that doesn’t permit the sale of these lands for more than a certain length of time, and the poskim said that this means that even the owners of the land don’t have total ownership, enabling them to lease it out to others.
Therefore, we could only work with land that has a tabo, an official ownership registration. Second, we had to find a religious farmer who was willing to cooperate with the idea. And the only two places we found that fulfilled these two major conditions were the land’s owner by the Arkin brothers in Mazkeret Batya and by David Tzairi in Zichron Yaakov.
The Arkin brothers are grandchildren of one of the pioneers of Mazkeret Batya, Rabbi Zvi Arkin, who was one of the leading fighters to keep the moshav’s first shemittah.
Q: I’m sure that joining your association gives Chutz LaAretz Yidden a feeling of connection to Eretz Yisrael.
A: Certainly, and this is also a lovely way to get American Jews more interested and involved in Yiddishkeit. After joining the Kinyan HaAretz Association, the member is constantly involved in the Mitzvos hateluyos ba’aretz and the development of his vineyard or field.
Some people come up with very sweet ideas – for example, those who buy a plot as a bar Mitzvah present. Due to halachic problems, we can’t accept a member under bar Mitzvah, so buying membership in Kinyan HaAretz is an original and special way to mark a boy’s bar Mitzvah and coming of age.
And we have also had women buying plots as a unique and special present for their husbands.
Q: There are Jews in practically every country in the world, yet you are only targeting American Jewry?
A: Not at all – it’s just that we opened our first office in America since we had to start somewhere. However, we do intend to open offices all around the world.
Now that you mention that it is for all Chutz LaAretz Yidden, I would like to add that when we brought the original letter of approbation to HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman Shlita, he read through the text and stopped at the words “to [provide] merit [for] our Jewish brethren abroad” and asked, “what, this is only for the Jews in Chutz LaAretz? It’s also for Yidden in Eretz Yisrael!” So we deleted this [part] from the final letter that was signed by HaRav Shteinman and HaRav Yosef Shalom Eliyashiv Shlita.
Q: How did the Americans react to the idea?
A: Beyond all our expectations! At the recent Agudath Israel convention, many Rabbanim came over to our stand, asking us to visit their communities and explain what Kinyan HaAretz is all about.
One of the Rabbanim was so excited about the idea that after signing up and paying for both wheat and grape plots, he said, “whoever doesn’t become a member is a fool!”
In another instance, we received a phone call from a seminary teacher whose class collectively bought a plot of Land and they will arrive in Eretz Yisrael at the time of the harvest to witness and participate in the Mitzvos hateluyos ba’aretz.
I will tell you another thing that aroused American Jews. You know that nowadays people like all different types of segulos. Rabbanim often quote the segulos mentioned in Chazal concerning the Mitzvos hatluyos baaretz – giving ma’aser helps one become wealthy (Avos 3:17), and the Gemara in Shabbos (119A) similarly writes that the wealthy Jews in Eretz Yisrael merit their prosperity because they give ma’aser, while the Midrash writes that those who properly separate terumah and ma’aser are blessed with male offspring. These are segulos written in Chazal!
Q: Have you printed any literature about the Mitzvos hateluyos ba’aretz?
A: Oh, that’s a point I wanted to mention… we have printed a pamphlet about the many Mitzvos hateluyos baaretz and distributed it to those who are interested. We know of several communities that learn a section of the booklet every Shabbos, strengthening their connection to Eretz Yisrael. Iy”H, we will soon publish the booklet in English.
Q: Last question, Rabbi Leibowitz – can I please become a member?
A: Sorry, I will have to disappoint you, since we only accept membership from abroad. But don’t worry, we will soon be opening an office for Israeli buyers as well.
This interview first appeared in Hamodia printed Magazine 3 Adar, 5767 – February 21, 2007
