Q&A

I have a strange question… we were at a public park that had tons of pomegranate trees in RBS. They were big so there is no doubt in my mind that they are old enough… is it halachically allowed to take pomegranates from a public park if they’ve already fallen to the ground? 

Am I allowed to take cuttings from overgrown wild sage or rosemary at the side of the road in public areas? A few people I know have said that you’re allowed because they grow back and it’s actually good for the trees to take cuttings… but is there an issue of stealing? What about terumot and ma'aserot?

Am I allowed to take cuttings from overgrown wild sage or rosemary at the side of the road in public areas? A few people I know have said that you’re allowed because they grow back and it’s actually good for the trees to take cuttings… but is there an issue of stealing? What about terumot and ma'aserot?

I recently planted celery in my garden and used the leaves for soup. Since we don't actually eat the leaves, I thought it was exempt from terumot and ma'aserot since it only imparts flavor. Following the conversation I just had with you about celery, you said since most people do eat celery, it is obligated in terumot and ma'aserot with a berachah, I'm wondering what to do now.

I know it's a ma'aser ani year, and the gifts to both the Levi and the poor are monetary obligations. We finished the soup. Can I give now the monetary value of the ma'aserot to a Levi and poor?  

Dear Rabbi Yehuda Halevi Amichai,

I read with great interest the detailed explanation published on this site regarding the issue of “cutting down fruit trees for the sake of a mitzvah.”

I am a civil engineer specializing in transportation, and as part of my training, I work as a traffic planner on various projects across the country.

Many projects involve designing new roads, which often leads to the need to cut down or relocate trees, including fruit trees.

The clients are usually the Ministry of Transportation, Netivei Israel, Netivei Ayalon, local municipalities, or private developers (for residential projects).

When we plan a new road, we as traffic planners don't necessarily have information about which trees — and whether they are fruit trees or not — are located along the road's path.

During the project, an agronomist typically joins and classifies the trees according to their importance. Based on this, decisions are made about which trees will be cut down, which will be relocated, and in rare cases, which trees should be preserved even if they interfere with the road layout.

In smaller projects, an agronomist is not always involved, and sometimes the decision to cut down the trees is made within the project team (of course, after obtaining the necessary permits).

My question is: What is my level of responsibility as a traffic planner regarding this issue?

After all, it is my job to design the road in the best possible way (usually the utility of the road outweighs the importance of preserving the trees).

Of course, we make every effort to preserve existing trees, but in many cases, tree cutting or relocation is necessary — and sometimes these are not national infrastructure projects but smaller ones serving different needs over the years.

It's also important to note that I have no way of knowing whether the tree cutting is done by a non-Jew or a Jew.

I would greatly appreciate a response on this matter, as it concerns me due to my frequent involvement in such issues.

Thank you very much.

1. Does the prohibition of kilayim apply to two types of vegetables grown using hydroponics?
2. Assuming it does apply — in hydroponic cultivation, there is usually more than 12 cm between seedlings, although the tops of the leaves sometimes touch. What is the halachic status in such a case?
3. What about cucumbers and similar spreading plants grown in such systems?

If you’re growing vegetables in a hydroponic system, does kilayim apply? Could you grow tomatoes, lettuce, herbs and cucumbers next to each other in the same larger system? Their roots would likely touch at some point.  Above the surface it would look like they are divided.

Are plums and peaches in the same halachic category so it’s not an issue of kilayim? Or is it an issue? I’ve been saving peach pits and someone in my house added a plum pit to the container by accident. 

I have a compost heap. Naturally, seeds of various kinds also end up there together with the waste, unintentionally germinating.
Recently, pumpkin seeds sprouted there, and I decided to use the seedlings.
Is there a problem of kilei zera'im because there may be seeds of other kinds in the pile (which so far haven’t sprouted or at least haven’t grown to a noticeable size)?
Does it make a difference if I grow the pumpkin seedlings inside the heap or if I remove them and plant them in the garden?

What is the halachic status of hyssop (a.k.a. za'atar) vis-a-vis orlah?