Once our relation to the Land changed, after the destruction of the Temple and the advent of the Exile, our Halachic obligations to the Land changed as well. But once Jews have not only resettled within Israel but also taken political control, does that mean that the Biblical laws of the Land have reactivated... including Shemitah?
To ensure that Jewish-owned fields did not fall into disorder, some prominent rabbis endorsed the Heter Mechirah, which facilitated the temporary sale of fields to non-Jewish owners. Other rabbis saw it as an inappropriate work-around and opposed the legal innovation.
In this class, we explore the justification for the Heter Mechirah and ask whether it's a capitulation and surrender of Shemitah, or, like Prozbul, is it a way to reapply the ideals of Shemitah in our very real world?
