TORAH VEHA'ARETZ BY RABBI MOSHE BLOOM INSTITUTE www.toraland.org.il/en and ma’aserot from one type of crop to The exempt the other, since they have two different levels of obligation. Obligation Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank (1873–1960), close to Rabbi Salant, disagreed with To Separate him. He distinguished between the land- dependent mitzvot and the mitzvot tied Terumot & to the Temple. As opposed to Temple- Ma’aserot related matters with eternal sanctity, the sanctity associated with land-dependent in Jerusalem mitzvot does not apply to Jerusalem, since it depends on the majority of Part 2 the Jewish People living in the Land of Israel. It follows that even in ancient Jerusalem, terumot and ma’aserot are ast week we cited the Minchat rabbinic obligations. Rabbi Yehuda Chinuch’s understanding of HaLevy Amichay, Head of the Halachic Rambam, namely that it is possible L Unit at Torah VeHa’aretz Institute, rules that crops growing in the ancient accordingly. Jerusalem area are biblically obligated in terumot and ma’aserot. Ancient Jerusalem mentioned above does not refer to the modern greater Rabbi Shmuel Salant (1816–1909), Jerusalem area and not even to the Old the rabbi of the Ashkenazi community City within the Ottoman walls. Rather, it is in Jerusalem, ruled according to the Jerusalem of Second Temple times, which Rambam and Minchat Chinuch, that crops includes David’s City in the South and growing in the ancient area of Jerusalem Northwest to the Russian Compound (the are biblically subject to terumot and third wall). ma’aserot, since the sanctity of Jerusalem and the Temple never ceased. Thus, we To the best of my knowledge, no have two types of crops: those growing commercial produce is grown in these in the ancient Jerusalem area and those areas, there are fruits and vegetables that grow in all other areas in the Land of grown in private and public gardens in the Israel. It is forbidden to separate terumot Old City and David’s City. 74 TORAH TIDBITS / BAMIDBAR 5780.