Mendel from Givat Moshe asks:: I am having guests who, unfortunately, do not yet keep Shabbos. I am concerned that they should not cause the sh’mittah wine I intend to serve to become forbidden. Would I be permitted to boil up the wine to make it immune to prohibition through touching? It is permitted to…
Shprintzi from Geulah asks: I only buy from Eda Charedis fruit stores. I never use Otzar Beis Din produce and we keep Minhag Yerushalayim. Do I have to do bi’ur on any fruits and vegetables? The Eda Charedis do not allow any produce which (according to their opinion) has kedushas shvi’is into their fruit stores….
Rina from Ramot asks: I sometimes make a vegetable quiche. In the past, I have often served a slice to my non-Jewish cleaning help. May I continue to do so if the vegetables are sh’mittah produce? If she asks for a slice to take home for her husband, may I give it to her? The…
Shuli from Sanhedria asks: I usually prepare mezonos rolls using fresh orange juice. May I use sh’mittah orange juice for this purpose? One may only use sh’mittah produce in the usually accepted manner. It is accepted practice to squeeze oranges (and lemons) for their juice. There is therefore no problem in making orange juice from…
Yerucham from Neve Ya’acov asks: A tomato plant has recently started growing out of our concrete garden path. Are these tomatoes permitted or do they fall under the category of s’fichin? At this time of year, all tomatoes grown on Jewish-owned land are forbidden because of s’fichin. Even if they grew spontaneously (for example, from…
Hannah in Hadera asks: How do I take care of my houseplants during the shmittah year? There are two questions which one has to ask in order to determine the rules for care of houseplants. (a) Are the pots inside the house or outside, in the garden or on an uncovered porch? (b) Is the…
Boruch from Rechovot asks: My aunt, who lives in Yerushalayim, told me that she intends to bring us a jar of home-made apricot jam when she comes to visit this week. When I asked her whether she had performed bi’ur on the apricots (which had to be take place in Ellul), she answered, “These are…
Kalman from Telzstone asks: My wife is cooking for our son’s bar-mitzvah, which will take place in the middle of Ellul. She is using a number of kedushas shvi’is ingredients, including potatoes. She intends to freeze the food and serve it at the bar-mitzvah seudah (meal). I noticed that the bi’ur period for potatoes starts…
Leah in Ra’anana asks: The local supermarket has a special offer on my favourite washing powder – three for the price of two. I know that this store is, unfortunately, not sh’mittah observant. However, since the washing powder has no kedushas shvi’is, there should not be any problem in buying it from this store. Is…
Manny from Petach Tikva asks: May I use sh’mittah olive oil for lighting the Chanukah menorah? Sh’mittah oil may be used for lighting (see Chapter 8, Mishna 2 of Tractate Shvi’is). One is deriving a commonly enjoyed benefit from the oil while it is being consumed (hano’oso ubiuro shoveh). One may therefore use sh’mittah olive…