Senior Rabbi Rules Against Purchasing Oil from Arab-Harvested Olives
Translated & summarized from Kipa by baba
Rabbi David Bigman ruled that purchasing olives or olive oil harvested from Arab groves in Judea and Samaria without owner permission is forbidden by Jewish law. The ruling, based on opinions from Gush Etzion rabbis, states that such harvesting is considered theft and a desecration of God's name when done by Jews. The prohibition extends to buying oil from presses that acquire these olives, as it aids transgressors and encourages further theft.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Rabbi David Bigman ruled it is forbidden to buy olives harvested from Arab groves without permission.
- The ruling applies to olives and olive oil from Arab lands in Judea and Samaria.
- Harvesting without owner consent is considered theft and a desecration of God's name.
- The prohibition extends to purchasing oil from presses that acquire these olives.
- The decision was based on opinions from rabbis in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc.
Rabbi David Bigman has issued a halachic ruling stating that it is forbidden by Jewish law to purchase olives or olive oil derived from groves belonging to Arabs in Judea and Samaria, if the olives were harvested without the owners' permission. The ruling came in response to a query about an olive press that promotes its support for Israeli settlements and purchases olives from harvests that include those from neighboring Arab plots.
Rabbi Bigman based his decision on the opinions of rabbis from the Gush Etzion settlement bloc. They determined that even if Arab grove owners are unable to access their lands, this does not permit others to harvest the olives. The rabbis emphasized that the olives should not be considered abandoned property and that harvesting them without permission constitutes theft.
Furthermore, they clarified that when such actions are carried out by observant Jews, they also involve a desecration of God's name. Rabbi Bigman extended the prohibition to include the purchase of olive oil produced from these illicitly harvested olives. He explained that even if it's impossible to know for certain whether a specific bottle contains oil from stolen olives, it is not permissible to buy from an olive press that boasts about acquiring such olives.
The rabbi reasoned that the very act of purchasing from such a source provides assistance to those violating the law and could encourage continued theft.
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