Perutah for ma'aser sheni - how does it work?
Question
I didn’t quite understand the issue of the coin used for terumot and ma‘aserot. What exactly is this coin? Is it just regular money? Also, does this mean I can’t eat fruit from a garden if I don’t have the coin with me at that moment—for example, if I’m at the school where I work and there are fruit trees there?
Answer
In Temple times, ma'aser sheni was brought by the owner of the produce to Jerusalem and consumed there in a state of ritual purity. Today, since we are all impure, and thus it is no longer possible to eat the produce in Jerusalem, we fulfill the mitzvah by transferring the holiness of the ma'aser sheni in the produce to a coin, also known as redemption – pidyon ma'aser sheni. After the redemption is performed, it is permissible to eat the produce.
Since the redemption is not for the purpose of consumption, the amount required is the value of a perutah plus an additional fifth (20%).
This redemption is typically performed using a designated coin (such as one of 1, 5, or 10 shekels). As of today (21 Elul 5785), the value of a perutah is approximately 15 agorot, so a 1-shekel coin may contain the value of around six perutot, and may therefore be used for six redemptions.
Note: the value of a perutah fluctuates based on the value of silver. For the updated value, see here.
Once the coin is "filled" with redemptions, it must be replaced or rendered unusable for sacred purposes (e.g., by defacing or destroying it, depending on the halachic guidance).
If you are a member of Torah VeHaAretz Institute's Beit Ha'otzar, your designated coin is held at the Institute on your behalf. You may separate ma‘aser sheni and perform the redemption onto your personal perutah located at Beit Ha'otzar, even if you do not physically hold the coin at that moment. It is not necessary to hold the coin in your hand; rather, the verbal declaration that the redemption is taking place on your designated coin (located at Beit Ha'otzar) is sufficient.
For individuals who are not registered with Beit Ha'otzar, a physical redemption coin must be kept in a secure and designated place. Once it becomes "filled" with several redemptions (typically after several perutot’ worth), it must be properly dealt with in accordance with halachic instruction.
(Addition by Rabbi Moshe Bloom: Any fruit on trees now still belong to the ma'aser ani year, since all of the fruit began to form after 15 Shevat 5785 and before 15 Shevat of this year, 5786. Ma'aser sheni currently applies to vegetables and will apply to fruits that develop between 15 Shevat 5786 and 15 Shevat 5787).
With blessings of Torah and the Land,
Rabbi Yehuda HaLevy Amichay
Torah VeHaAretz Institute