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Newsletter Kislev. 19

 

 

New at our Visitors Center: English Up and Running!

While our visitors center at Nitzan has been open to the general public since the spring, up until recently, all of the content was in Hebrew. Now, the center also features moving opening and closing movies in English (not merely subtitles), for a complete experience. Baruch Hashem, English has also just been installed in all of our exhibits (so the "English" button works!). We are still in advanced stages of QA, but this is an important step in making our center accessible to the English-speaking public.

The experience at Torah VeHa'aretz Center for large groups includes a guided tour of the visitors' center (interactive museum), botanical Garden of Mitzvot, and either a lecture or ClickIt (Cahoot) competition. Groups are also invited to pick herbs for tea and besamim from the garden, while seeing how the land-dependent mitzvot are applied in practice. Interactive learning about the special land-related mitzvot and our connection with the land strengthens the bond, love, and commitment to the Land of Israel, while increasing awareness of the mitzvot hateluyot ba'aretz.

With English installed, we can now reach out to new groups of English speakers, including yeshiva and seminary students here in Israel for the year as well as tourists from abroad. We already hosted 60 girls from Machon Maayan seminary (Givat Washington), who were the first to use our new hands-on English exhibits and participate in an exciting English ClickIt competition. We have also hosted other English speaking groups as well as individuals coming to Israel for a visit.

Rabbi Dovid Gross from Kehillas Beis Doniel in Ohio, receiving a tour by Rabbi Dr. Friedemann, a senior rabbi of Torah VeHa'aretz Institute.

Here are Rabbi Gross' impressions of his visit:

On my recent trip to Eretz Yisroel, I had the opportunity to visit Mechon Hatorah V'Haaretz. "Having made a siyum on Daf Yomi Yerushalmi Zeraim I was looking for a way to "experience" my learning and was directed to the Machon in Nitzan. What followed was an incredible experience. I spent most of my visit in the unique Gan Hamitzvot. The gan is made up of sections based on different halachic concepts.  There I saw many of the topics that I had learned about throughout Zeraim. Amongst them, I saw the distance one needs between different plants; sometimes one and half tefachim, other times six tefachim, 2 amos and sometimes none at all (rosh tor). I saw a "kerem" as well as vines near an aris. Each plant is identified by its name as well as the mitzvos and halachos that apply to it, i.e. orlahmaasros etc. Additionally, Rav Yoel Friedemann showed me different halachic shaylos about what brocha to recite and how to categorize bananas, papaya and eggplant. He also explained the halachic challenges of grafted trees and fruits. This is just a sample of my visit to the Mechon.  I thank Mrs. Raiz as well as all the Rabbonim and staff that I met who welcomed me so warmly and have created an unforgettable experience.

We are looking forward to hosting others English-speakers visiting Israel as well as seminary girls.

Hot off the press: The Mitzvot of the Land in a Nutshell

The English Department is continuing its activities to make the mitzvot hateluyot ba'aretz accessible to English speakers. Recently, we published a concise practical guide covering the various land-dependent mitzvot, along with the various formula for separating terumot and ma'aserot in regular and special situations, with a side by side translation. This handbook, presented in a user-friendly format, is available free of charge to our visitors at the Visitors Center in Nitzan.

QA: Separation with lack of intent: Oops—I didn't see those oranges!

Question: I picked oranges from my tree, placed them in a bag, brought them inside and put them on the counter. I emptied the bag (or so I thought!) onto the counter, cut off more than 1%, and proceeded with the berachot and saying the text of separating terumot and ma'aserot (including pidyon ma'aser sheni).

A few minutes later, I realized that two oranges were still in the bag! I wasn't sure if I need to do the whole process again, since I did intend that the separation was for everything I picked. Granted, the oranges were still in the bag, but the bag was open and it was right next to the other oranges. Later on, I discovered that I had put an orange in my jacket pocket (and it was there with me at the time I separated terumot and ma'aserot.

What I did do was separate a bit from the two oranges (this was before I discovered the third in my pocket), and said the berachah without Hashem's name. Then I realized that it's best to just ask Torah VeHa'aretz Institute. J What do I do now, and does my second separation count?

Answer / Rabbi Netanel Auerbach

Separating terumot and ma'aserot involves naming the gifts and designating their location from a specific group of produce – thus intention, kavanah, is crucial. If you are not aware of the existence of fruit, even if it is right next to the group of fruit you are separating from, you therefore do not intend to include them in the separation.

For this reason, too, merely putting a bit aside and reciting a berachah – with or without Hashem's name—does not constitute a separation, since the various components (gifts) have not been named and their location designated.

Keep in mind that when it is necessary to separate terumot and ma'aserot without a berachah (such as in the case where there is a doubt if the produce was tithed), no berachah is said – skip straight to the text. You need not say the berachah without Hashem's name.

Bottom line: Separate a little more than 1% from the three oranges with a berachah (or rather, berachot, since you also need to perform pidyon ma'aser sheni), since the previous separation did not apply to them.

Article

When it is possible to use produce for fuel, such as olive oil, should we separate more than the kolshehu (little bit) for terumah gedolah (as we do for other types of produce)? In honor of our upcoming Chanukah, we present you with an article on the topic, translated from Emunat Itecha 142, p. 53).

To the article>>

 

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