Shemitah
Status of undeveloped fruit dropping from fruit trees
We have two citrus trees in our yard. Due to the weather, lots of undeveloped fruits are dropping on their own. They are by no means edible.
What are we supposed to do with them? Do they have kedushat shevi'it?
Types of debts remitted at end of shemitah
I bought a present together with someone else at the end of the shemitah year, after I wrote up a prozbul. I paid for the gift, and my friend said he'd pay me back for his portion later on. Now that Rosh Hashanah (5783) has passed, does he still owe me the money, or was this debt canceled?
Tending to plants growing on a semi-covered porch
I'm a shomer-shemitah gardener. My client has a partially-covered porch on the seventh floor. In the uncovered portion there are plants that need to be pruned and fertilized. The plants are in perforated planters, but sit on the tiles and then cement of the sixth floor beneath it.
I want to know if it is possible to care for these plants during shemitah: prune, fertilize, and move from place to place in the uncovered area. Would it be possible to move them from the uncovered to the covered area?
Present of a mint in a flower pot during shemitah
I received as a present a flowerpot with mint inside. I don't know if the mint was planted during shemitah or if any shemitah solutions were used. What am I supposed to do with the plant? Am I allowed to smell it or use it for havdalah? May I use it to make mint tea?
covering fruit
I have a loquat tree in my yard, which I generally cover in paper bags regular years to prevent birds from picking at them.
BeFresh radishes from the Arava
I picked up baby radishes at Super Hatzlacha (in Beit Shemesh) of BeFresh. A Russian-speaking friend told me it says "Product of Israel" on it. Are these baby radishes heter mechirah? There is no hechsher on the package.
Yevul Lotan during shemitah - Chasalat
I bought Chasalat shredded white cabbage with an orange stripe marked with Rabbi Efrati's Mehadrin kashrut symbol. Yevul Lotan is printed on the side. What does that mean?
Debt to a friend at the end of Shemitah
I owe my friend NIS 42, and I was originally planning on paying her back before Rosh Hashanah (5783). The problem is I don't have the money now to pay her back now (end of Elul 5782). Do I have to pay her now or can I pay her later on?
Offering a non-Jewish caregiver kedushat shevi'it produce
My elderly father is cared for in our home by a live-in foreign, gentile caregiver. Can we offer him our kedushat shevi'it fruits and vegetables, or is this like using kedushat shevi'it produce as wages?
Covering a cherry tree with a net
I have a cherry tree growing on my porch. Am I allowed to cover it with a net?