Reflections
Moshav Komemiyus
Moshav Komemiyus is a religious-Chassidic settlement that gained widespread publicity on account of the miracles its settlers saw in their fields during the year of Shemitta
Motty Meringer 18/05/2009 14:00
The settlement of Komemiyus is situated in the center of the land, between Kiryat Gat and Kiryat Malachi. The small moshav became famous due to its illustrious Rav, Rabbi Binyamin Mendelssohn, and on account of the wonders that occurred before their eyes as they toiled to keep every law and detail of the holy Mitzva of Shemitta.
Rabbi Binyamin Mendelssohn was born in Plotzk, Poland to a family of Alexander Chassidim. His father Rabbi Menachem Mendel was a prominent Chassid and served as Rosh Yeshiva in Poltzk; his mother was a descendant of Rabbi Mordechai Yoffe – the ‘Baal ha’Levushim’. Rabbi Binyamin himself became a Gerrer Chassid, in the days of the Admor Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter – the Imrei Emess.
Upon his arrival in Eretz Yisrael he served as Rav of Kfar Atta (known today as Kiryat Atta) near Haifa; later, on the advice of Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz – the ‘Chazon Ish’, he was appointed as Rav of Moshav Komemiyus.
The Jews of Komemiyus were all religious and known to be meticulous in every aspect of Mitzva-observance – the easy and difficult ones alike. The year 5712 (1952) was a Shemitta year, during which farmers are required to leave their fields fallow the entire year. This was a difficult test for the settlers who had arrived only a year earlier and had just begun to work the land - their main source of livelihood was agriculture, and leaving their fields for the year meant leaving their source of income for an entire year.
Under the leadership of Rabbi Mendelssohn and on instruction from the Chazon Ish and Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soleveitchik the ‘Brisker Rav’, the settlers on this Moshav indeed kept the laws of Shemitta in its entirety – with precise attention to the most miniscule halacha and detail. They did not try to run after leniencies such as ‘Heter mechira’ – a controversial issue amongst many Rabbanim, but a heter nevertheless used in many other settlements around the country during that year. In the fields of the Moshav only work that was strictly permitted during Shemitta was carried out, and the rest of the time was spent by the farmers in the Beis Medrash of the Moshav where they drank from the eternal wellsprings of Torah.
The miracle of the locust plague is one of the most well known anecdotes connected to Shemitta. Before the Shemitta year of 5719 (1959) began, the farmers of Moshav Komemiyus sowed their fields with seeds that would yield animal fodder – an activity that was halachically permitted despite the approaching Shemittah. At some point during that Shemitta year, the skies of Eretz Yisrael suddenly darkened as an enormous cloud of locusts approached from the south, and attacked the fields below. All the settlements in the vicinity of Moshav Komemiyus were smitten severely and suffered tremendous losses to their harvests; the farmers of Komemiyus rushed in panic to Rav Mendelssohn and informed him of the danger hovering over their crop. Rabbi Mendelssohn calmed them and said they should wait for heavenly assistance that would surely save them in the merit of their keeping the Mitzvah of Shemitta. They waited anxiously as the frightening black cloud began to approach the fields of Komemiyus, and then - as it approached the borders of the fields, the cloud stopped in front of their eyes, turned around and left the area. In that devastating locust plague, not one locust touched the fields of Komemiyus – an incredible miracle.
Two years before the Shemitta of the year 5717 (1957), the Jewish Agency decided to assist a number of settlements in planting orchards. Amongst the settlements eligible for this grant was Moshav Komemiyus. When representatives of the agency came to speak with the secretary of the Moshav to settle on a date for the project to begin, they were presented with an unusual condition: the Moshav was willing to accept the help in planting the orchards, on the terms that they would be allowed to keep all the laws of Shemitta regarding its upkeep. The agency rejected this condition, and the much needed assistance was suspended indefinitely. A year later, a conversation took place between Rabbi Mendelssohn and Mr. Vigodski, a member of the Jewish Agency, on the subject of Shemitta and the significance of its laws. In wake of this discussion, the Agency decided to accept the condition of Moshav Komemiyus and the orchards were planted. Another year passed and Shemitta 5719 (1959) arrived – and indeed, as per the agreement with the Agency, the orchards were tended in exact accordance with all the laws of Shemitta, under the guidance and instruction of Rav Mendelssohn.
During the course of that year, the farmers came to Rav Mendelssohn and stated that the way the orchard was being handled due to Shemitta posed a considerable danger to the trees and could cause irreparable damage. Rabbi Mendelssohn was not swayed and instructed them to continue taking care of the orchard in strict adherence to the halachos of Sheviis. When the year was over, the supervisor appointed by the Agency to oversee its orchards came to Rabbi Mendelssohn and declared - that of all the twelve orchards under his charge, the one in Moshav Komemiyus was the only one tended to in accordance with the laws of Shemitta – and yet, had yielded the highest and most bountiful crop of them all. This incident created a great Kiddush Hashem; in fact it was written for posterity in the records of the government orchards that ‘the orchard of Komemiyus was not cultivated the entire year of Shemitta, and was more successful than was estimated’.
Another incident connected to that Shemitta occurred at the end of the year, when the settlers began to search amongst the secular settlements nearby for grain to begin work on their fields; to their dismay the farmers could not find even one batch of grain that had not been grown during Shemitta – only one Kibbutz agreed to sell them seeds from the sixth year, but they were wormy and broken and did not look worthy of producing any crops at all. The farmers came to Rabbi Mendelssohn and presented their predicament, asking him how to proceed. He answered that if no grain was to be found that had not been grown in Shvi’is (the seventh year of the Shemitta cycle), they must take the wormy seeds and Hashem would help that only blessing will come forth from this grain.
The news spread amongst the neighboring settlements that the farmers of Komemiyus had invested their money to buy wormy grain, and they became the mockery of the entire region. The G-d fearing farmers however ignored their neighbors scorn and after the month of Tishrei had passed, they began to plough and sow the defective kernels. The work of planting the fields generally continues until the middle of winter, and during all that time there was no rain in the land – as though the rain was waiting for the farmers of Komemiyus - ‘the strong of spirit, who heed the word of Hashem’, to complete their work. Whilst in the surrounding settlements the seeds that had been sown in the summer of Shemitta had begun to decompose under the soil, it was only when the farmers of Komemiyus completed their work that the rains began to fall. Days turned into weeks, and in the fields of Komemiyus a marvelous sight was beheld: tiny, tender shoots began to push their way through the soil that had been sown with defective grain, and the fields turned green with the promise of a bountiful crop. That year the harvest of Moshav Komemiyus was as rich and abundant as if the fields had been sown with the highest quality grain.
The venerable Rav of Komemiyus - Rav Mendelssohn, set up the famous organization ‘Keren ha’Sheviis’, to ease the financial burden of those farmers who keep Shemitta. His whole life was dedicated to raising the banner of Mitzvas Sheviis.
The names of Rabbi Mendelssohn and Moshav Komemiyus made the headlines in the year 5722 (1962), at the time when the country was in uproar over the kidnapping of Yossele Shuchmacher – investigators claimed that Yosselle was hidden on Moshav Komemiyus in the home of Family Kut, under instruction of the Rav of the Yishuv, Rabbi Mendelssohn. They claimed that from there he was spirited away to France by the convert Ruth ben David. Due to these accusations many of the settlers were arrested for interrogations, but were released after a short while.
HaRav Binyamin Mendelssohn zt’l passed away on the twenty fourth of Iyar 5739 (1979) – the sixth year of the Shemitta cycle, and was interred on Har haMenuchos in Yerushalayim. His position as Rav of Komemiyus was taken over by his son Rabbi Menachem Mendel Mendelssohn.
Rabbi Binyamin Mendelssohn was born in Plotzk, Poland to a family of Alexander Chassidim. His father Rabbi Menachem Mendel was a prominent Chassid and served as Rosh Yeshiva in Poltzk; his mother was a descendant of Rabbi Mordechai Yoffe – the ‘Baal ha’Levushim’. Rabbi Binyamin himself became a Gerrer Chassid, in the days of the Admor Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter – the Imrei Emess.
Upon his arrival in Eretz Yisrael he served as Rav of Kfar Atta (known today as Kiryat Atta) near Haifa; later, on the advice of Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz – the ‘Chazon Ish’, he was appointed as Rav of Moshav Komemiyus.
The Jews of Komemiyus were all religious and known to be meticulous in every aspect of Mitzva-observance – the easy and difficult ones alike. The year 5712 (1952) was a Shemitta year, during which farmers are required to leave their fields fallow the entire year. This was a difficult test for the settlers who had arrived only a year earlier and had just begun to work the land - their main source of livelihood was agriculture, and leaving their fields for the year meant leaving their source of income for an entire year.
Under the leadership of Rabbi Mendelssohn and on instruction from the Chazon Ish and Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soleveitchik the ‘Brisker Rav’, the settlers on this Moshav indeed kept the laws of Shemitta in its entirety – with precise attention to the most miniscule halacha and detail. They did not try to run after leniencies such as ‘Heter mechira’ – a controversial issue amongst many Rabbanim, but a heter nevertheless used in many other settlements around the country during that year. In the fields of the Moshav only work that was strictly permitted during Shemitta was carried out, and the rest of the time was spent by the farmers in the Beis Medrash of the Moshav where they drank from the eternal wellsprings of Torah.
The miracle of the locust plague is one of the most well known anecdotes connected to Shemitta. Before the Shemitta year of 5719 (1959) began, the farmers of Moshav Komemiyus sowed their fields with seeds that would yield animal fodder – an activity that was halachically permitted despite the approaching Shemittah. At some point during that Shemitta year, the skies of Eretz Yisrael suddenly darkened as an enormous cloud of locusts approached from the south, and attacked the fields below. All the settlements in the vicinity of Moshav Komemiyus were smitten severely and suffered tremendous losses to their harvests; the farmers of Komemiyus rushed in panic to Rav Mendelssohn and informed him of the danger hovering over their crop. Rabbi Mendelssohn calmed them and said they should wait for heavenly assistance that would surely save them in the merit of their keeping the Mitzvah of Shemitta. They waited anxiously as the frightening black cloud began to approach the fields of Komemiyus, and then - as it approached the borders of the fields, the cloud stopped in front of their eyes, turned around and left the area. In that devastating locust plague, not one locust touched the fields of Komemiyus – an incredible miracle.
Two years before the Shemitta of the year 5717 (1957), the Jewish Agency decided to assist a number of settlements in planting orchards. Amongst the settlements eligible for this grant was Moshav Komemiyus. When representatives of the agency came to speak with the secretary of the Moshav to settle on a date for the project to begin, they were presented with an unusual condition: the Moshav was willing to accept the help in planting the orchards, on the terms that they would be allowed to keep all the laws of Shemitta regarding its upkeep. The agency rejected this condition, and the much needed assistance was suspended indefinitely. A year later, a conversation took place between Rabbi Mendelssohn and Mr. Vigodski, a member of the Jewish Agency, on the subject of Shemitta and the significance of its laws. In wake of this discussion, the Agency decided to accept the condition of Moshav Komemiyus and the orchards were planted. Another year passed and Shemitta 5719 (1959) arrived – and indeed, as per the agreement with the Agency, the orchards were tended in exact accordance with all the laws of Shemitta, under the guidance and instruction of Rav Mendelssohn.
During the course of that year, the farmers came to Rav Mendelssohn and stated that the way the orchard was being handled due to Shemitta posed a considerable danger to the trees and could cause irreparable damage. Rabbi Mendelssohn was not swayed and instructed them to continue taking care of the orchard in strict adherence to the halachos of Sheviis. When the year was over, the supervisor appointed by the Agency to oversee its orchards came to Rabbi Mendelssohn and declared - that of all the twelve orchards under his charge, the one in Moshav Komemiyus was the only one tended to in accordance with the laws of Shemitta – and yet, had yielded the highest and most bountiful crop of them all. This incident created a great Kiddush Hashem; in fact it was written for posterity in the records of the government orchards that ‘the orchard of Komemiyus was not cultivated the entire year of Shemitta, and was more successful than was estimated’.
Another incident connected to that Shemitta occurred at the end of the year, when the settlers began to search amongst the secular settlements nearby for grain to begin work on their fields; to their dismay the farmers could not find even one batch of grain that had not been grown during Shemitta – only one Kibbutz agreed to sell them seeds from the sixth year, but they were wormy and broken and did not look worthy of producing any crops at all. The farmers came to Rabbi Mendelssohn and presented their predicament, asking him how to proceed. He answered that if no grain was to be found that had not been grown in Shvi’is (the seventh year of the Shemitta cycle), they must take the wormy seeds and Hashem would help that only blessing will come forth from this grain.
The news spread amongst the neighboring settlements that the farmers of Komemiyus had invested their money to buy wormy grain, and they became the mockery of the entire region. The G-d fearing farmers however ignored their neighbors scorn and after the month of Tishrei had passed, they began to plough and sow the defective kernels. The work of planting the fields generally continues until the middle of winter, and during all that time there was no rain in the land – as though the rain was waiting for the farmers of Komemiyus - ‘the strong of spirit, who heed the word of Hashem’, to complete their work. Whilst in the surrounding settlements the seeds that had been sown in the summer of Shemitta had begun to decompose under the soil, it was only when the farmers of Komemiyus completed their work that the rains began to fall. Days turned into weeks, and in the fields of Komemiyus a marvelous sight was beheld: tiny, tender shoots began to push their way through the soil that had been sown with defective grain, and the fields turned green with the promise of a bountiful crop. That year the harvest of Moshav Komemiyus was as rich and abundant as if the fields had been sown with the highest quality grain.
The venerable Rav of Komemiyus - Rav Mendelssohn, set up the famous organization ‘Keren ha’Sheviis’, to ease the financial burden of those farmers who keep Shemitta. His whole life was dedicated to raising the banner of Mitzvas Sheviis.
The names of Rabbi Mendelssohn and Moshav Komemiyus made the headlines in the year 5722 (1962), at the time when the country was in uproar over the kidnapping of Yossele Shuchmacher – investigators claimed that Yosselle was hidden on Moshav Komemiyus in the home of Family Kut, under instruction of the Rav of the Yishuv, Rabbi Mendelssohn. They claimed that from there he was spirited away to France by the convert Ruth ben David. Due to these accusations many of the settlers were arrested for interrogations, but were released after a short while.
HaRav Binyamin Mendelssohn zt’l passed away on the twenty fourth of Iyar 5739 (1979) – the sixth year of the Shemitta cycle, and was interred on Har haMenuchos in Yerushalayim. His position as Rav of Komemiyus was taken over by his son Rabbi Menachem Mendel Mendelssohn.
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