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Shemitah

Terumot and ma'aserot during shemitah from vegetables and herbs growing indoors

Rabbi Moshe Bloom

I have several plants growing on my covered porch. I even have some inside on my kitchen counter. Some are herbs and some are vegetables. Do they have kedushat shevi'it? What about terumot and ma'aserot?

Hefker in my garden

Rabbi Moshe Bloom

How am I supposed to perform the mitzvah of hefker in my garden?

Cutting shoots from the base of trees

Rabbi Moshe Bloom

There are suckers that often sprout at the base of tree trunks, especially common with olive and pomegranate trees. They ruin the trees' aesthetics. Can I remove them during shemitah? What about citrus trees? Does it make a difference if the growths are from below the graft line?

Kedushat shevi'it in produce

Rabbi Moshe Bloom

Since Rosh Hashanah I have been handling the cucumbers that I bought as having kedushat shevi'it. Was this the right thing to do?

Mushrooms and shemitah status

Rabbi Moshe Bloom

What is the status of mushrooms vis-vis shemitah? It wasn't clear to me from the wrapper.

Mixing compost piles on the ground

Rabbi Moshe Bloom

I have a compost pile on the ground in my yard. Am I allowed to mix it during the shemitah year? If I mix it, I will be mixing soil.

Trellises and supports during shemitah

Rabbi Moshe Bloom and Dr. Mordechai Shomron, agronomist

Is it permissible to train climbing plants onto a trellis during the shemitah year?

What about adding supports to trees that have begun to grow crooked? If so, under which conditions?

Herbs growing on a covered balcony

Rabbi Moshe Bloom

I have herbs growing in my covered balcony. Do they have kedushat shevi'it? What about terumot and ma'aserot?

Hefker for herbs and vegetables growing on an open-sky balcony

Rabbi Moshe Bloom

Hi! Are all these rules exactly the same for a mirpeset open to the sky? How do I make plants on my mirpeset hefker?

Pruning fruit trees and bushes

Shoshan Raiz

I forgot to ask about pruning the bushes for aesthetics. Is that allowed? There are a couple of fruit trees too, I assume we should leave those alone altogether? Also, not to eat the fruit?