When Does Shemitah Sanctity Apply to Fruits?

Fruits, vegetables, or grain from the Shemitah year have sanctity, as it is said about the Jubilee year "For it is a Jubilee; it shall be holy to you," and our Sages taught that just as it is holy, so too is its produce holy. Below we will explain how this sanctity is expressed.

Several conditions must be met for Shemitah sanctity to apply to fruits or vegetables. Only produce that meets all conditions has Shemitah sanctity, which are:

Grown in soil under the open sky (not grown indoors or in a greenhouse).

Grown in soil in the Land of Israel.

Grown in soil owned by a Jew.

Grown for human or animal use.

Products where the benefit and consumption occur simultaneously (meaning products that are consumed as they are enjoyed).

Products equally valued by all people (meaning products intended for eating, not for medicinal purposes, etc.).

Fruits that blossomed during the Shemitah year (meaning the fruit reached one-third of its growth during Shemitah, not before or after).

Vegetables that were harvested during the Shemitah year (meaning vegetables picked during Shemitah, not before or after).

Several examples of produce that do have Shemitah sanctity:

Any produce that meets all the conditions mentioned above.

Fruit peels suitable for human or animal consumption, such as apple, pear, peach, banana peels, etc.

Watermelon seeds (not the hard shell, just the seeds).

If someone cooked fruit in water, and the fruit gave good flavor to the water, it is forbidden to waste this water. Instead, one must treat it with the same sanctity as the fruit itself.

For example: compote water, water from canned preserves, etc. Similarly, if one boiled sage, mint, or lemon verbena in a finjan on the fire, one must treat this water with Shemitah sanctity. However, if one added sage, lemon verbena, or mint to a cup of tea, this water does not have sanctity, since a secondary vessel (kli sheni) doesn't cook at all.

Cucumbers that don't have Shemitah sanctity but were pickled with spices that do have Shemitah sanctity, such as dill that has Shemitah sanctity, the cucumbers must also be treated with Shemitah sanctity.

Herbs and spices (even those not eaten on their own) have Shemitah sanctity since they are considered human food, such as: sage, lemon verbena, rosemary, mint, paprika, turmeric, black pepper, cumin, turmeric, etc.

Fruits, vegetables, and grains that do not meet all the conditions (mentioned above) do not have Shemitah sanctity, and therefore one does not need to observe the laws of sanctity with them at all.

Halachic rules and examples of produce that do not have sanctity:

Any produce lacking even one of the conditions mentioned above.

Indoor or greenhouse produce (since they didn't grow under the open sky).

Produce grown on land owned by a non-Jew (even if the land is in Israel).

Produce grown on land sold to a non-Jew (even if the land is in Israel).

Ornamental plants and flowers (since they aren't food for humans or animals).

Grass (since it isn't food for humans or animals).

Fruit that blossomed before Shemitah but was picked during Shemitah doesn't have sanctity laws.

Vegetables harvested before or after Shemitah don't have Shemitah laws.

Fragrant plants and ornamental plants are not subject to Shemitah laws since they aren't food for humans or animals, such as: myrtle branches, roses, ornamental flowers, etc. Therefore, fragrant plants that have been smelled and are no longer wanted, such as myrtle branches distributed after Shabbat that were used for Havdalah, can be thrown in the garbage as usual.

Wood intended for fuel doesn't have Shemitah sanctity because the benefit and consumption don't occur simultaneously - people enjoy the heat while the wood is intact, and only later does it burn and turn to ash.

 Mushrooms - even if they are edible by humans or animals, they don't have Shemitah sanctity (since they don't have roots and aren't considered land produce at all, just as the blessing for eating them is "shehakol" because they aren't considered land produce).

Flax and cotton intended for the clothing industry (however, flax or cotton intended for human or animal consumption certainly has sanctity).

Orlah fruits.

Any produce that is not fit or intended for consumption, such as inedible fruit pits like bitter etrog seeds, grape seeds, persimmon seeds, date pits, carob seeds, orange or clementine seeds, apple seeds, pear seeds, apricot pits, peach pits, plum pits, etc.

Fruit peels unfit for human or animal consumption such as nut shells, pistachio shells, etc.

Regarding orange peels, there is a dispute whether they have sanctity or not, and according to the basic law, they do not have sanctity. However, one who is stringent to treat them with sanctity will be blessed.

Seeds of fruits that have Shemitah sanctity where only a very small amount of fruit remains on the seed do not have sanctity (although some disagree and believe that even this small amount has Shemitah sanctity). However, according to all opinions, if a significant amount of fruit remains on the seed, one must treat these remnants with Shemitah sanctity.

 Bones that were cooked with vegetables or fruits that have Shemitah sanctity.

Water used to cook fruits or vegetables with Shemitah sanctity where the water's taste is secondary, such as: water used to cook potatoes, or water used to pickle cucumbers that have Shemitah sanctity.

Any produce that has lost its flavor and is no longer fit for eating or flavoring, such as spices with Shemitah sanctity that were used in cooking and have lost their flavor and are no longer suitable for flavoring or eating (like mint leaves, sage, or lemon verbena boiled in a finjan on the fire that have lost their flavor and are no longer suitable for flavoring or eating).

Tobacco for sniffing or cigarettes, since they aren't made for human or animal consumption, and also because most tobacco is imported from abroad and doesn't grow in Israel.

Cotton wool.

Honey produced from wildflowers.

Fruits picked before they are ripe for eating, although they have sanctity, may be made into juice since they are not currently fit for human consumption.

Very important: All the produce mentioned above that doesn't have Shemitah sanctity doesn't need to be protected from waste, and may be thrown in the trash as usual and treated as in any regular year.