הלכות שמיטה 

                                         מאת הרב שליט"א  

Shmittah begins on Rosh Hashanah of the seventh year of the 7-year cycle and ends  on Rosh Hashanah of the eighth year. During this time, the land of ארץ ישראל  is הפקר – ownerless – and working the land is forbidden. 

PLANTS: 

Watering – It is permitted to water a plant only enough to prevent the plant from  dying. 

Dripping water onto plants – Eg. air conditioners, water pipes, sponga water, wet  laundry, washing hands over plants(picnic in park or sukkah on the lawn during chol  hamoed) – is permitted as long as there is no intention to enhance the plant. These  are all indirect and unintentional. 

Pruning trees is not allowed. However, breaking a branch for another purpose is  permitted, eg. to break a branch off a tree above a succah. 

Gardens – Speak to a frum gardener to know what is allowed during shmittah in  order to prevent the garden from dying – eg. how much to mow the lawn, water  the plants etc. 

Va’ad Bayit – try to get them to get guidance from a Rav or frum gardener. If not,  as long as they will not do new planting, you may pay. 

Potted Plants: 

Indoors or on a balcony with a permanent roof: 

All activities are permitted – watering, moving them around indoors, opening  windows, shutters and doors. According to some, it also permitted to plant new  ones during shmittah.  

Outdoors or on an uncovered balcony or on window bars open to the ground below: Halachos of shvi’is apply regarding upkeep. They may be moved from one place to  another outdoors in case of need (but not to make them grow better).

 It is prohibited to move an indoor plant to a new position outdoors or onto an  unroofed balcony. However, if the intent of moving the plant is not for the benefit  of the plant, it is permitted. For example, if the plant was moved indoors for succos  to build the succah, after succos it is permissible to move them back outdoors  because they are in the way in the house. 

Buying a plant: 

It is preferable to buy plants from a store with a reliable hechsher to make sure it  was not worked on during shmittah. 

One may bring the plant home by wrapping it in plastic or by going directly home, even if not wrapped. It is better to keep the plant 10 טפחים above the ground while  walking. If the flowerpot is perforated, block the hole. 

FLOWERS: 

It is permitted to buy flowers, but it is preferable to buy from a store with a reliable  hechsher. Flowers may be put into a vase of water, even if the intention is to  improve them or so the flowers will open, because otherwise they will die. The  flowers may be disposed of in the regular manner. 

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: 

Any vegetables grown in Jewish fields during the shmittah year are prohibited.  Fruits that blossomed during the shmittah year are permitted with קדושת שביעית. 

Stores with a reliable hechsher will receive merchandise from the following sources: • יבול נכרי  – produce grown in Arab owned land – they do not have קדושת שביעית) some treat them with קדושת שביעית ) 

• יבול חו"ל  – produce imported from חוץ לארץ ) There are different opinions  regarding the borders of ארץ ישראל  – eg. the Arava). 
• יבול שישית  – produce left from the sixth year, either vegetables picked in the  sixth year and kept in storage, or fruit from trees that blossomed in the sixth  year, even if purchased in the seventh year 

Vegetables grown in an outdoor flowerpot (see above) – permitted to eat with  קדושת שביעית  

No קדושת שביעית  – Mushrooms

:שוק 

Be extra careful to buy from a store with a reliable hechsher 

PICKING FRUIT OF שביעית: 

• The fruit is hefker, not the tree or the land; therefore one must be careful not  to ruin the tree or land. 
• It is preferable to cut the produce from the tree in an unusual manner.  • One may only pick in order to eat (not for other use) and not more than for a  few days at a time 
• After picking, do not linger in the fields – leave immediately • Thank the owner – he receives no pay 

:אוצר בית דין 

These fruits must be treated with the halachos of קדושת שביעית. 

HALACHOS OF קדושת שביעית:

It is prohibited to waste, destroy or deliberately spoil fruits or vegetables with  קדושת שביעית .The Torah tells us to eat them. 

Eating them in a normal way is permitted. A normal manner depends on what many  people do: juice – jam – cooking – baking – raw – squeezing – mashing etc. 

Leftovers and the פח: 

Leftovers with קדושת שביעת  should be placed in a small indoor bin until it has rotted.  Once it is rotten, it may be thrown into the regular garbage outside. This applies to significant amounts of leftovers that one would normally keep to eat  later on. Dishes with small scraps may be washed normally. 

Peels and pits: 

One is allowed to peel a fruit that is normally peeled.  

The type of peels that nowadays people throw away, may be thrown away, unless  some food is left on (eg. banana and orange peels) 

Peels that can still be eaten, or have some food on them, may not be thrown away. Apple peels – put in the פח 

Pits and seeds that are not for human consumption may be discarded in the normal  manner. 

 One is allowed to cut a shvi’is fruit in half with the intention to eat only one half. 

Feeding infants and children: 

It is normal when a child eats for some food to be wasted. It is permitted to give a  child food with שביעית קדושת to eat, but do not give it to them just to play with. 

Wine or grape juice from שביעית פירות : 

• קידוש or הבדלה – not to spill over the wine 
• May not be used to put out הבדלה candle, put in pocket, eyes etc.
• • ליל הסדר – may not be used for the second כוס when we spill out for the מכות 

It is prohibited to feed פירות שביעית to a גוי 

:חוץ לארץ 

     • אסור מדרבנן to take פירות שביעית  out of א״י

• In חוץ לארץ  ,be careful of shmittah products exported from א״י. If  bought by mistake, they must be treated with the halachos of קדושת שביעית. 

Canned fruits or vegetables – care must be taken that they are not from fruit of  shmittah (even many years later). 

Restaurant or hotel – may leave the remnants on the plate for them to take care of 

:היתר מכירה 

We do not rely on the מכירה היתר because of the validity of the מכירה .In case of  need, speak to a Rav. 

Wine – bottles must be checked carefully – bottles with identical labels may have  been made using heter mechira grapes 

:אוצר הארץ 

Speak to a Rav 

ביעור – at the end of the season, when there is no more produce in the field, there  is a mitzvah to empty the house of that product.

                                                                                                              
                                     הלכות יום כיפור 

                                      מאת הרב שליט"א  

Erev Yom Kippur:

• Kapparos – one should not think kapparos will give him forgiveness. Rather, one should have in mind  that whatever happens to this chicken should really happen to me, but Hashem has mercy on those who do teshuvah.  
• There is a mitzvah to eat on Erev Yom Kippur. Possibly it is a mitzvah d’Oraysa, therefore it needs  kavanah that you are fulfilling a mitzvah with your eating. 
• Tevilah – There is a special inyan to go the mikvah on Erev Yom Kippur. One may tovel all day, some wait  until an hour before chatzos (11:34) 
• Mincha – viduy is said at the end of shemoneh esrei. One must stand by viduy and not lean on anything. • There is a minhag brought down by the Chayei Adam to bentch the children on Erev Yom Kippur. The  nusach is found in the Chayei Adam and in many machzorim. 
• After mincha there is a seudah hamafsekes. Some have the custom to have another seudah earlier in the  day. 
• One yahrzeit candle is lit for the live people in the house – one is enough for a husband and wife, and the  children do not need. More candles are lit for the niftarim, one for each parent that has passed away. • One should put on his tallis before shkiah. If one did not, he can still put it on after shkiah. The custom is  that married men wear a kittel. 

Yom Kippur: 

• The issurim of Yom Kippur apply to the night of Yom Kippur and the day, beginning from השמשות בין until   .צאת הכוכבים 
• Melacha is forbidden – the same issurim apply as on Shabbos.  

Fast Day – Prohibition from Eating and Drinking 

• One does not need to spit out his saliva. 
• Chewing gum is forbidden. 
• Pills, tablets, capsules and bitter syrups for medication purposes, or for discomfort, may be taken on Yom Kippur. In case of need one is permitted to swallow them with a small amount of water (less than the  shiur), preferably bitter water (like dark tea essence, unsweetened).  
• In cases of great distress one may rinse his mouth with water, however he should bend over when  rinsing to make sure that none is swallowed. 
• Pregnant and nursing women should consult a Rav regarding fasting. 

Bathing and Washing 

• Washing for enjoyment is prohibited. 
• Washing dirt off hands or other parts of the body is permissible. 
• Washing the hands in the morning when waking up, after using the bathroom and before davening is  permissible. The minhag is to wash only until the end of the knuckles.  
• After washing hands in the morning, one may wipe his face with wet hands, even when intended for  pleasure. 
• When preparing food for children, one may do it as usual, even though one’s hands will get wet. • Tevilah is not permitted on Yom Kippur.  

Anointing 

• Anointing for pleasure is prohibited. 
• Deodorants which are permitted on Shabbos are permitted to remove or prevent sweat. • Perfume is not permitted.

Wearing Shoes Made of Leather 

• Shoes made of leather are prohibited, even if only partially made of leather. 
• Shoes made of cloth, rubber or plastic are permissible, even though they protect the foot and are  comfortable. 

Cohabitation 

• On Yom Kippur evening, this includes the prohibitions of negiah and all other harchakos. During the day,  only negiah is prohibited. 

Havdalah 

• It is permitted to drink water before havdalah, however, one should first say לחול קודש בין המבדיל ברוך • For havdalah, the fire has to be lit from before Yom Tov.

                              G'mar Chasima Tova!