Avigdor Arbel of Moshav Masuah is a farmer in the Jordan Valley who grows mainly Majul dates on his 400 dunams (100 acres), as well as figs and pomegranates. He has been studying with his Ayelet Hashachar chavrutah Shimon Goldberg for over a year.
Another farmer, Shimon Galem, has 50 dunams of date trees, and studies with Yaakov Rosenberg.
What are they studying? Shmittah, of course! Ayelet Hashachar is pulling out all the stops to encourage farmers around Israel to put down their tools during the coming Shmittah year and learn all about it. Study sessions are underway in many parts of the country, focusing on the intricate laws unique to this year, as well as the concepts behind them.
The commitment on the part of farmers is a great merit for them, their families and for Klal Yisrael.
Yaakov Rozenberg also studies the laws of Shmittah with Shimon Cohen of Moshav Vered-Yericho. Shimon grows vegetables and his goal is to be able to observe the Shmittah year in its purest form.
