Q&A
Performing two mitzvot with one mishloach manot
I have a lemon tree with lots of fruit on it. I want to avoid a situation in which there are fruits from different years growing on the tree, so I harvested all the ripe ones. Can I perform the mitzvah of hefker by including holy lemons in my mishloach manot?
Drinking holy lemon tea for a sore throat
I saw on the website that it's forbidden to use holy lemons to alleviate nausea. What about drinking honey-lemon tea for a sore throat? Is that also considered medicinal?
Mishloach manot with holy baked/cooked items
I was planning on preparing lemon meringue pies using holy shemitah lemons for mishloach manot. The lemon juice is just part of the pie. There are other ingredients, though (I know the whole pie is holy). Does this make a difference?
Identity of the witnesses of the hefker declaration
It says in the Consumer's Guide for Shemitah that you need three people, who can be related to one another, to declare the wine hefker on erev Pesach.
In your WhatsApp group posts. you also mentioned that they can't be dependent members who are part of your household.
We are having a family over for seder night: a couple and their teen daughter. Can they be my hefker witnesses? Or do they have to be men? Is it a problem that they will be our guests (dependents at our table for the night)?
Bi'ur on shemitah wine from last shemitah
Does otzar beit din wine from last shemitah require bi'ur a second time?
What happens if it is difficult to bring the wine into the public domain?
I have many cartons of shemitah wine and I'm not allowed to lift heavy boxes. It will be very difficult and time consuming to bring them out to the public domain to declare them hefker on erev Pesach. What should I do?
Bi'ur: What happens if you won't be at home on erev Pesach?
I'm going away for Pesach and won't be at home at bi'ur time. How should I perform bi'ur for my shemitah wine?
Selling my otzar beit din bottles to someone else
I bought several cartons of otzar beit din wine. My neighbor asked me if I could sell her three bottles. Am I allowed to do that, or is it considered forbidden transaction with shemitah produce?
Harvesting citrus trees now to avoid fruits from different years from getting mixed up
I have several citrus trees in my garden that are now starting to bloom. Can I (and should I) pick all the existing fruits so the new and old fruit don't get mixed up? I have kumquats, clementines, lemons, and pomelos.
Do distributors need to sign on a bill of agency with the otzar beit din to be considered an agent?
Many otzarot beit din rely on organized deliveries for their wine and grape juice distribution.
Individuals who agree to distribute the produce (now: wine and oil) locally usually receive a nominal fee for their time, effort, and at times even storage space. Sometimes people don't come to pick up their orders immediately; at times, the otzar beit din will leave an extra amount with the distributor.
With bi'ur time approaching, should these distributors sign a bill of agency shetar shelichut to render the wine exempt from bi'ur? Should they do so regardless of bi'ur to avoid issur sechorah, the prohibition of transacting with shemitah produce?