Will the IDF strictly observe Shmita? It depends on who you ask.
The Shaffit Company and the IDF signed a contract, according to which the company will supply vegetables under strict supervision without fear of a Shmita or 'over-sale', in the upcoming Shmita year.
However, a petition filed with the court seeks to cancel the deal.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
In a petition filed with the Tel Aviv District Court by the South Field Firsts Company, it was claimed that the IDF made a commitment to the company without any tender, and therefore the deal, which is worth 80 million shekels, should be canceled and a public tender should be held.
There are also voices from the Jewish Home Party protesting the fact that the IDF 'folded' and yielded to Haredi pressure, which asked not to rely on the famous 'sale permit'.
It should be noted that the army's new policy of providing all soldiers with strictly kosher vegetables during the year of sabbatical has received approval from the Exemption Committee to carry out the transaction without a tender.
The hearing will take place before Judge Vardi in about three weeks, and the Haredim - as well as members of the Jewish Home - are expecting his ruling, which will in any case disappoint one of the parties.
The legal issue arises in the question of the secular court's attitude to the issue of the 'sale permit', which is a distinct halakhic variable.
