Filtered wine for which bi’ur ma’aserot was not performed before the end of Pesach 5786
Question
I prepared wine from a private harvest of 5785—about 75 liters. After pressing, I transferred the wine into large demijohns. At the beginning of Adar, I performed the first racking (filtering). A second racking is planned for the end of Iyar. I did not separate terumot and ma’aserot, as I intended to do so after the second racking.
Unfortunately, I forgot that this year it is obligatory to perform bi’ur ma’aserot by the eve of the seventh day of Pesach. I also forgot to perform bi’ur on the coins I had designated for redeeming ma’aser sheni.
My question: What should I do now? If I open the wine now, it may spoil. Is it possible to separate terumot and ma’aserot and perform bi’ur after the second racking? Also, what should I do with the coins?
I would appreciate your guidance.
Answer
In response to your question:
Practically speaking, wine that has undergone initial filtering and has been placed in barrels is considered having gone through final processing (gemar melachah). Therefore, it became obligated in bi’ur during Pesach 5786.
However, one must distinguish between how to proceed after Pesach regarding ma’aser sheni versus the other tithes:
Regarding the other terumot and ma’aserot:
The mitzvah of bi’ur for them is to “remove them from the house,” meaning to give them to their designated recipients (priests, Levites, and the poor). Even though the proper time for this mitzvah has passed, you must still fulfill it afterward—i.e., separate the required portions and give terumah gedolah, ma’aser rishon, terumat ma’aser, and ma’aser ani even after Pesach.
Regarding ma’aser sheni:
Its bi’ur involves removing it from the world (destroying or redeeming it). The posekim disagree about its status after the bi’ur deadline:
- Some hold that bi’ur may no longer be performed (since its mitzvah is through burning), and it becomes forbidden to benefit from.
- Others hold that it is like the other tithes and may still be redeemed even after the deadline.
In practice, one may rely on the lenient opinion, especially in cases of significant loss, like your wine. Therefore, even though you did not perform bi’ur on time, you should now separate the tithes from the wine and redeem the ma’aser sheni onto a coin worth half a shekel.
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Regarding that coin and other coins you did not perform bi’ur for in time:
In principle, there is also room for leniency. However, since losing such coins is usually not a major financial loss, it is preferable to account for the stricter opinion. Therefore, the coins designated for ma’aser sheni should be destroyed (e.g., defacing them/throwing them into the sea).
With blessings of Torah and the Land,
Ehud Achituv