CORRECTED: Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar Attacks Discusses Heter Mechira At YU

There are some from the "kibbutzim and the moshavim who sell their land
to goyim, and this is not correct."
        – Sefardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, speaking at Yeshiva University in New York City today.

This is diametrically opposed to the position of his mentor, former Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who has been a strong defender of heter mechira.

[Hat Tip and quoted by: Tzippora.]

UPDATE 3:40 PM CDT – YU's Rabbi Yosef Blau was at the talk and has this to say:

I heard the talk and he did not say that the heter mechirah was not valid. The person who reported misunderstood what Rabbi Amar said.

Comments

[Abe]

Only those who are besotted with irrational halacha can fail to to laugh at the senseless eloquence of these two indoctrinated fools. Two uber-gedolim engaging in rhapsodic bombast over ancient biblical absurdities. Just another manifestation of the devolving world of the hareidi.

[Yosef Blau]

I heard the talk and he did not say that the heter mechirah was not valid. The person who reported misunderstood what Rabbi Amar said.
Yosef Blau

[Ezra]

This information is false, a misquote, if not entirely made-up. I was at the speech today.

[Tzippora]

First of all, my husband was at the speech, and this quote is what Rabbi Amar said.

While I didn't intend for this to end up as a headline blog post, I am sorry that my comment was unclear. Rabbi Amar did not say that heter mechira was assur. "Not correct" I believe was used to refer to it as a philosophical issue , rather than being halachically not valid - and in that sense Rabbi Blau is correct.

However, I still am interested in the fact that YU has shown so little interest in the RCA conversion issue.

[Yosef Blau]

Let me clarify what Rabbi Amar said. The heter mechirah serves to circumvent the prohibitions of Shmitta and the observance of Shmitta is preferable. That does not imply that the heter is not neccesary. There is no difference between Rabbi Amar's position and that of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. The major portion of the shiur was on what work on the land is permissible for one who is observing shmitta.
The topic of Geirut is the basic reason for Rabbi Amar's visit. The Roshei Yeshiva in YU are involved in the discussions about standards for Geirut. It is not being discussed publicly.
Yosef Blau

[Neo-Conservaguy]

The Roshei Yeshiva in YU are involved in the discussions about standards for Geirut.

With all due respect, those standards were clearly established by our sages a long time ago, and were far more straight-forward and obtainable than the current Orthodox/OU view of such matters. In addition, the legal history is one of almost always accepting conversions, even those that had significant specific issues; again, this is quite different from the current Orthodox/OU view on such matters. Ironically, in this matter, "hashiveinu haShem eilekha v’nashuva, chadeish yameinu k’kedem", would be a more progressive mentality.

[anon]

Just another honest Satmar chosid discriminating against non-Jews.
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