Bidspirit auction | Keren HaShemitah — Letter Signed

Keren HaShemitah — Letter Signed by Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer on the Eve of the Shemitah Year 5705 [1945] - Keren HaShemitah — Letter Signed by Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer on the Eve of the Shemitah Year 5705 [1945] An important letter issued by Keren HaShemitah (The Shemitah Fund) in anticipation of the Shemitah year 5705, containing an impassioned appeal to the public to support the farmers of Eretz Israel who had undertaken to observe the laws of the Sabbatical year. The letter was written at a time when hundreds of agricultural families throughout Eretz Israel had accepted upon themselves the observance of Shemitah in strict accordance with halachah, relinquishing their source of livelihood for an entire year. The authors emphasize the immense responsibility resting upon the public to stand by these farmers and support them during this difficult trial, enabling them to fulfill the mitzvah with devotion and without concern for the welfare of their families. The letter describes the activities of Keren HaShemitah, which had assumed responsibility for providing for the needs of Shemitah-observant farmers throughout the country. While noting the achievements already attained, the authors stress that thousands of individuals were dependent upon this undertaking and that the financial burden involved in supporting these families for the duration of the Sabbatical year was enormous. The leaders of the fund therefore appeal to benefactors, supporters of Torah, and observant Jews to join this communal effort and ensure the continued observance of the mitzvah of Shemitah in the Land of Israel. Typed on the official stationery of Keren HaShemitah, the letter bears the signatures of Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, author of Even HaEzel, and Rabbi Shmuel Kipnis, one of the principal activists involved in the administration of the fund. Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer (1870–1953), Rosh Yeshivah of Etz Chaim in Jerusalem and author of Even HaEzel, was among the foremost Torah authorities and communal leaders of his generation. Alongside his monumental scholarly achievements, he devoted considerable efforts to strengthening the mitzvot dependent upon the Land of Israel, particularly the campaign to preserve Shemitah observance in accordance with halachic standards. Before us is a document of considerable historical and public significance, reflecting the efforts of the leading Torah sages to uphold the observance of Shemitah in Eretz Israel during the Yishuv period, as well as the heavy economic sacrifice borne by observant farmers in order to fulfill this commandment faithfully. Typed letter on the official stationery of Keren HaShemitah, signed by Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer and Rabbi Shmuel Kipnis. [1] leaf. 27 × 22 cm. Good condition. Filing holes and minor marginal tears. An important documentary relic illuminating a central chapter in the struggle to preserve Shemitah observance in Eretz Israel, bearing the signature of one of the foremost Torah leaders of the twentieth century.