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Q&A

Terumot & ma'aserot in an open-air pavilion and from a crate

Agronomist Moti Shomron | 21 Sivan 5785 | 21:21

Shalom, on a farm there is a wooden open-air pavilion where meals are served, and salads are prepared from produce picked in the field. When vegetables are brought there, is there an obligation to separate tithes (ma‘aserot)? Additionally, if vegetables are placed in a small crate before being brought into the packing house, may one take from the crate and eat without separating tithes? All the best.

 

Perutah for ma'aser sheni - how does it work?

Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi Amichay

I didn’t quite understand the issue of the coin used for terumot and ma‘aserot. What exactly is this coin? Is it just regular money? Also, does this mean I can’t eat fruit from a garden if I don’t have the coin with me at that moment—for example, if I’m at the school where I work and there are fruit trees there?

 

Partnership with a kohen on a farm for terumot and ma'aserot

Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi Amichay | 22 Sivan 5785

Question:
Is it permissible to give terumah and terumat ma‘aser to a Kohen (with a confirmed family tradition) for the purpose of feeding animals? Furthermore, may a farm transfer ownership of a goat pen or chicken coop to a Kohen, and subsequently use terumat ma‘aser separated from its produce as animal feed?

 

Accidental advanced separation - status of fruit and future steps

Rabbi Netanel Oyerbach
I accidentally said the brachot plus the text for advance separation over the fruits we had picked and the tree in general. 
Are the fruits we already picked fully terumot and ma'asered or do I need to say something else for them? 
Going forward, should I wait until next Wednesday to pick any more plums and then do terumot and ma'aser over them with a bracha? (If it's within the week would it be a safek of bracha levatala?)

Orlah count when transplanting trees into the ground vs. into pots sitting on concrete outside Israel

Our shul in Whashington D.C. has recently planted a garden with blueberry bushes and apple and fig trees. I am trying to determine if there would be orlah concerns. The bushes and trees were planted in a mature, fruit bearing stage - I assume they are several years old, but am wondering if there are additional questions I should ask. Does the "clock" go back to zero every time the trees are planted or not if the roots remain entangled in dirt?
And one follow-up question:
The fig trees are in a large earthenware pot which rests on the cement steps of the shul - they are disconnected from the ground. Would that be a reason for their orlah count to restart?

Important halachic issues to consider when planting trees and vegetables in a private garden

Rabbi Netanel Oyerbach

I live in the Jerusalem area and have a garden. I would like to start a vegetable patch and also plant some fruit trees. Could you please tell me about the halachic issues I have to take into account?

How do I know which type of ma'aser (sheni/ani) to take from the fruit on my trees?

Rabbi Moshe Bloom
We have 2 apple trees, a lemon tree and a clementine tree. What is the ma'aser year for the fruit?

How long do I need to hold onto my coin for pidyon ma'aser sheni? What about Beit Ha'otzar members?

Rabbi Moshe Bloom

If in my case, I must have my own coin, how long is it used for? Somebody told me that it’s forever, which I didn’t think was the case, according to your notes?

 

If I become a member of your ma'aser fund, do I need to let you know each time I pick a cucumber?

Rabbi Moshe Bloom

I understand the importance of joining the fund, however, is joining the fund applicable to me? If I am a member of the fund, I understand then that its remote: because the fund holds the coin, as it were, when the text /Brocha is recited, I am designating various parts of the produce for a Kohen, Levi

But that in some years, when it comes to redeeming the holiness of ma'aser sheni and the ma’aser ani produce, in these cases, I must have my own coin.

Please explain how one works with the fund. I’m sure that I won’t have to let them know each time I have picked a cucumber.