Q&A

Two-and-a-half years ago I received a gift of a bottle of wine from someone who is not scrupulously observant. The wine is Hermon wine from the Golan Heights and is marked otzar beit din 5775. I received the bottle several months after the bi'ur time. I know that this person is not a wine lover, and often passes on to others the wine he receives as a gift. I am concerned that he received the bottle as mishlo'ach manot on Purim and passed it onto me without performing the actions necessary at bi'ur time. I kept the wine until today since I was not sure what to do with it. I'm asking: is it permissible for me to drink the wine even though it might have passed bi'ur? If not, what should I do with the bottle? Thank you.

I searched the website and I couldn't find a comprehensive guide on the laws of shemitah for the private garden. Does such a guide exist? I'd appreciate the link.

What is the connection between Tu BiShevat and Orlah? Is this rellevent if I live out of Eretz Israel?

 What you need to do around Tu BiShevat (15 Shevat), if you have a tree now in its fourth year?

What does orlah mean?

Just this morning, we planted a garden in our new home (on Rechov Mekor Chayim in Jerusalem). We now have trees – apricot, peach, clementina, pomegranate – all beyond the four years, and a grape vine in its second year. If grapes do appear, what do we do with them?

How should I clean grape leaves from insects for cooking? Is it possible to buy leaves that are already insect-free?

If someone has a tree or a few trees in their yard, do they need to leave the matanot aniyim (gifts for the poor) on the trees and hang up a sign outside? Or should the home owner harvest some of the fruits and give them out, or their value, to poor people? While there might be poor people in the neighborhood, they may not know the halacha and they might not come at all. Does this exempt one of the obligation to give these gifts in the first place?

How and in what way do we perform the mitzvot of giving the poor leket, shichechah, and pe’ah today?

I separated terumot and ma'aserot from my potatoes, and accidentally cooked the potatoes that I set aside. How do I kasher the pot?