Rare Booklets about the Shmita

A. Hilchot Shvi'it (The Laws of the Seventh Year), Rabbi Yechiel Michl Tikutzinsky. Jerusalem, 1910.
This booklet was published during the Shmita of 1910.
The booklet, which deals with the laws of the Shmita, was written with the assistance of Rabbi Shmuel Salant, who died in the process of its writing. The Ridbaz, Rabbi Chaim Berlin, Rabbi Diskin and Rabbi Kook added their comments. The profits from its sale went to the soup kitchen of Etz Chaim Yeshiva, two years after the Yeshiva moved to Jaffa Street.
Among others, there is an interesting discussion of Rabbi Shmuel Salant and Rabbi Kook whether oranges have the same law of citrons.
28 pp.
Condition: good.
B. Bedin Ha'Shmita (The Law of Shmita), Rabbi Arye Leib Rashkess. Jerusalem, 1910. Rare.
This booklet was also published in 1910, the third Shmita after the first Shmita polemic. The polemic arose again before this Shmita. At the eve of the Shmita, Rabbi Kook announced his opinion supporting the sale of the lands of Israel to a gentile. The Ridbaz objected to Rabbi Kook's opinion.
The booklet deals with the various opinions about how to observe the laws of the Shmita at this time and tries to contribute to the debate regarding "what to do for the benefit of our brothers the farmers in the various settlements". In addition to the halachic discussion, there are letters of rabbis answering questions that had been sent to them by farmers about the laws of the Shmita. The author offers the solution of renting the land instead of selling it and rules that "it is better to rent the land to a gentile than to sell it to him" .
The booklet was written by Rabbi Arye Leib Rashkes (1838-1914), one of the greatest rabbis of Vilna and Jerusalem. After his move to Jerusalem, he managed the 'Pri Yitzchak' Kollel at the Hurva Synagogue, which was related to Etz Chaim Yeshiva.
The booklet was edited by Rabbi Arye Leib Gordon (1848-1913), a publicist, author and teacher in Jerusalem. He was among the founders of 'Ohavei Zion' Association. He immigrated to Israel in 1891 and worked as a teacher in several schools. When he moved to Jerusalem, he contributed much to the public beside Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Ha'Cohen Kook. His most famous book is 'Otzar Ha'Tfilot'.
67 pp.
Condition: Good.
C. Venitzdak Kodesh – For those denouncing Heter Shmita (the sale of the Land of Israel for the Shmita), Rabbi Aharon Yitzchak Zaslansky. 1945.
The author supports the Heter Mechira. At the end of the book there is a list of rabbis who also supported the Heter: rabbi Naftali Hirtz, Rabbi Diskin, Rabbi Shmuel Salant, Rabbi Kook, Ha'Aderet, Rabbi Yitzchal Elchanan of Kovna, Rabbi Yehoshua of Kotna, Rabbi Mordechai Rbinowitz, Rabbi Shmuel Mohilever, Rabbi Shmuel Zanvil Clapfish of Warsaw, Rabbi Yehoshua Lang of Stovisk.
Rabbi aharon Yitzchak Zaslansky (1886-1977) was born in Lithuania and immigrated to Jerusalem. He was a Torah scholar and public activist. He was the secretary of the Chief Rabbinate and the religious council of Jerusalem. He edited many books as well as the religious journal 'Sha'arei Zion'. He was involved in many polemics about the Shmita. This booklet is the first among several he published on the subject. During the first years of the State, he served as head of the Shmita department of the Chief Rabbinate.
Condition: Very Good-Excellent.