Legal Loopholes Allow Israeli Farmers To Avoid Sabbatical Year Strictures

JTA this week carries a report on the legal technicalities surrounding observance of the Biblical Sabbatical year for farmers in Israel.  With the coming of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) in late September, the Sabbatical year begins.  Various legal loopholes-- such as the fictional sale of farms to non-Jewish owners for a nominal amount for the year-- have been developed through the Chief Rabbinate and Religious Courts to allow Jewish farmers to avoid the complete shut-down of their farms that would flow from strict observance of the Biblical mandate.