Question:
Ha Rav, I have the following questions: 1. Carrots (approx. Date of Kedusha) from Tishrei 5782. Is that Tishrei 5782 to 5783? 2. How is a person supposed to know when the vegetables were grown? 3. Orange (approx. Date of Kedusha) Elul 5782 to Kislev 5784, is that a mistake? Thank you so much.
Answer:
Hello,
It is hard for me to explain the dates that you are giving, as I don’t know where you are quoting from. In general, though, vegetables have kedushas shevi’is depending on when they are picked, and therefore vegetables that were picked after Rosh Hashana 5782 will have kedusha to them. This does not automatically mean that we can eat all vegetables that were picked after Rosh Hashana 5783, because there is a term called sefichim, which is that the Rabbis forbad us to eat from vegetable that “grew during the 7th year, because people would plant them and then say that they “grew on their own”. Therefore, all vegetables that grew during shemitta, even if they were picked afterwards, cannot be eaten. Due to this factor, coupled with the fact that nowadays we have refrigeration, and the vegetable can be stored, the kashrus agencies say that we should be careful with vegetables that we buy until Chanukah 5783, which in a about another 7 weeks.
Regarding fruits, they would have kedushas shevi’is if the bloomed during the year of shemitta, even though they were picked afterwards. Therefore, shemitta will apply to most fruits for another while still, because we have to calculate the time they will still be picked, and then the amount of time that will be stored and refrigerated. Kislev 5784 sounds like a long time, but it depends on when they will pick them, and how long they will store them. The stores with reliable hechsherim for shemitta will have signs posted for all the various fruits, if they still have kedishas shei’is or not.
Best wishes
