The mitzva to eat ma’aser sheni in a state of tahara within the walls of Jerusalem depends on the existence of the Temple (see above, 7:9). Therefore, while the Temple remains in ruins, even if we were able to purify ourselves from impurity contracted from the dead, we still would not be able to eat ma’aser sheni. Nevertheless, ma’aser sheni must still be separated, because the mitzva of separating terumot and ma’asrot does not depend on the Temple (MT, Laws of Ma’aser Sheni 2:1).
The ma’aser sheni produce, however, need not be left to go to waste. The Torah established a process by which ma’aser sheni can be redeemed onto money. Through that redemption, the kedusha of ma’aser sheni is transferred to the money, and the produce becomes permitted to everyone. Ideally, one is required to redeem the produce for its full value plus one-fifth. Nevertheless, if one redeemed it on a peruta, the redemption is valid. Therefore, in the present era, when the redemption money must be destroyed and cannot be used, one may redeem ma’aser sheni on a single peruta from the outset. In practical terms, that is its value, since the produce itself may not be used for benefit (MT, Laws of Ma’aser Sheni 2:2; 4:18).
A peruta is the smallest amount of money with halakhic significance for acquisition or redemption. Accordingly, ma’aser sheni cannot be redeemed on less than that amount. A peruta is the value of 1/45 gram of silver, which means that its value will fluctuate in accordance with the market price of silver. In recent years, it has generally been worth about four or five agurot.
Although redemption should ordinarily be done with money, in pressing circumstances one may redeem ma’aser sheni on food worth at least a peruta. Since the kedusha is then transferred to that food, it should be wrapped and placed respectfully in the trash, just as one does with teruma.
Someone who redeems ma’aser sheni regularly should designate a specific coin for that purpose. If a peruta is worth about five agurot, a five-shekel coin can be used for one hundred redemptions, and a ten-shekel coin for two hundred. To prevent the coin from being used accidentally, it is best to mark it with a sticker.[14]
After completing the separation, one recites the berakha before redeeming the ma’aser sheni: “Blessed are You, the Lord our God, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to redeem ma’aser sheni.” He then performs the redemption by saying: “This ma’aser sheni, together with its fifth, is redeemed on one peruta of the coin I have designated for redeeming ma’aser sheni.”
If he is redeeming it on food, he says instead: “This ma’aser sheni, together with its fifth, is redeemed on this food.” The food is then wrapped and placed in the trash, so that it is not treated disgracefully.
[14]. The value of a peruta is based on the weight of half a barleycorn of pure silver (SA YD 331:134). According to R. Ḥayim Naeh, this equals 1/40 gram of silver, and Ḥazon Ish writes similarly (ḤM 16:30). However, based on comparisons between the peruta, other coins, and the measure of a barleycorn, Middot Ve-shi’urei Torah concludes that a peruta equals 1/45 gram of silver (22:12; 25:4).
In practice, the monetary value of a peruta fluctuates with the price of silver. For decades, it was worth less than three agurot. In 5760 (1999–2000), its value began to rise; by 5765 (2004–2005), it reached about five agurot; and in 5772 (2011–2012), it peaked at thirteen agurot before falling again. In the three years before this was written, it ranged between four and five agurot. This was written in 5778 (2017–2018).
