- Family and Society
- Shmitta
- General Questions
260
Question
Are the citrus that are already ripe on the trees in Erezt Israel consider of kidush a shmita
TIZKU le mitzvot
Answer
Shalom,
Thank you for your question. The kedusha of the fruit of trees is determined by the time of budding – that is only fruit which budded during the seventh year will have the holiness of smitah. Because of the length of time it takes for the citrus fruits to grow, the citrus fruits that will become available at the end of the shmitah year, next Elul and later (during the eight year) will have kedusha. (The exception to this is the etrog, which according to the Rambam has kedusha if it was picked during smitah – and many people try to follow this opinion as a stricture).
So, those citrus fruits on the market at the moment (Shvat 5775) do not have kedusha shvi'it on them.
Blessings.

Laws of Shmitta for private garden
Various Rabbis | 28 Elul 5767

Shmita planting
Various Rabbis | Adar II 18, 5768

Building out during Shemitta
Rabbi Baruch Finkelstein | 17 Av 5767

Orlah fruit trees
Rabbi Ari Shvat | Adar I 5, 5771

Source of lesbianism prohibition 2
Rabbi Yoel Lieberman | Iyyar 7, 5770
Can a husband be present at his child’s birth?
Rabbi Gideon Weitzman | 4 Adar I 5763
Yichud at work
Rabbi Gideon Weitzman | 11 Adar I 5763
