Working in Vineyards in Israel and Abroad – Kilei HaKerem, Part 1

Question

I live in the United States, I study winemaking and viticulture at the university here and I have some questions concerning my situation.

A Am I allowed to work in a winery that makes non-kosher wine (not kosher, meaning just stam yeinam)?

B Is it permissible to work in the vineyard of such a winery? And what should I be careful of when working in the vineyard?

C It is customary here in the region to sow between the rows (there are certain areas where cover crops are planted right under the vines themselves) all kinds of seeds such as clover, rye, etc. as nitrogen binders. Am I allowed to actually do the sowing myself? Does kilei hakerem apply to vineyards outside of Israel? Does it apply in a vineyard belonging to a non-Jew? Is it considered kilei hakerem before flowering occurs (usually in the middle of the growing season they mow everything over)?

Answer

A Today, stam yeinam, wine handled by a non-Jew, is forbidden for eating and not for benefit (hana'ah). So, from a halachic perspective, as long as you don't drink the wine, it is not prohibited. That is, you may work in such a winery but abstain from drinking the wine. While there are opinions that forbid buying and trading with such wine (Shulchan Aruch YD 123:1), the Rama (ibid.) is lenient even in the case of actual trade; he was not concerned that one would come to drink or eat it, and therefore as long as the work does not involve tasting the wine, it is possible to be lenient.

B Regarding working in the vineyard of such a winery, there is no problem. However, kilei hakerem does apply in vineyards outside of Israel. This may be a problem, as we will discuss next week.

We