Using shemitah oil to polish antiques
Question
Regarding olive oil, I have antique card catalog from a library. I was told to only use extra Virgin olive oil to polish. It's worth about $1,500. Is that still considered a degraded use? I haven't polished it since I made Aliyah last year.
Answer
Rabbi Moshe Bloom
Short Answer
This type of use is forbidden.
Expanded Answer
Rambam writes (Hilchot Shemitah 5:1) that the permitted uses for shemitah produce are as follows:
- Eating
- Drinking
- Smearing on the body (cream, oil)
- Lighting candles
- Paint
However, he writes explicitly that oiling other things besides the body is forbidden (ibid., 5:7): "Oil from the Sabbatical year should not be used to seal an oven or a range, nor should it be applied to a shoe or a sandal." Elsewhere (ibid., 6:10) he adds: "One should not apply oil from the Sabbatical year to utensils or hides."