{"id":12068,"date":"2026-07-07T00:12:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T21:12:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=12068"},"modified":"2026-08-03T17:04:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T14:04:40","slug":"17-07-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-07-12\/","title":{"rendered":"12. The Mitzva of Bi\u2019ur Ma\u2019asrot"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ma\u2019aser<\/em> cycle is built around two repeating three-year patterns. During the six working years, terumot<\/em> and ma\u2019aser rishon<\/em> are always separated; what changes is the additional tithe. The first two years of each pattern are years of ma\u2019aser sheni<\/em>, while the third is a year of ma\u2019aser ani<\/em>. Thus, ma\u2019aser sheni<\/em> is separated in the first, second, fourth, and fifth years, and ma\u2019aser ani<\/em> in the third and sixth. In the seventh year, the produce is ownerless, and terumot<\/em> and ma\u2019asrot<\/em> are not separated.<\/p>\n

At the end of each three-year cycle, the Torah requires one to complete the separation and distribution of all terumot<\/em> and ma\u2019asrot<\/em> from the previous years. This is the mitzva of bi\u2019ur ma\u2019asrot<\/em>, as it says: \u201cAt the end of three years, you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year and leave it within your gates\u201d (Devarim 14:28). In other words, by the time of bi\u2019ur<\/em>, one must have completed all the obligations of terumot<\/em> and ma\u2019asrot<\/em> for the produce of the three years that have passed: the terumot<\/em> and \u1e25alla<\/em> must be given to the kohen, ma\u2019aser rishon<\/em> to the levi, and ma\u2019aser ani<\/em> to the poor. The produce of ma\u2019aser sheni<\/em> and neta reva\u2019i<\/em> must be brought to Jerusalem and eaten there in purity. If the time of bi\u2019ur<\/em> arrives before one has brought them to Jerusalem, he must remove them from his possession by burning them or destroying them in some other way. The kohen, levi, and poor person, however, do not need to finish eating the gifts they received before the end of the bi\u2019ur<\/em> period. Once the gifts reached their possession before the time of bi\u2019ur<\/em>, the mitzva had been fulfilled (Yerushalmi<\/em>, Bikurim<\/em> 2:2; Rash Sirilio; Sha\u2019arei Tzedek<\/em> 11:22).<\/p>\n

The time for bi\u2019ur<\/em> is at the end of Pesa\u1e25 following each three-year cycle \u2013 Pesa\u1e25 of the fourth year and Pesa\u1e25 of the seventh. This allows enough time for all the produce of the third year to become obligated in ma\u2019asrot<\/em>. Fruit that grows from the rains of the third year reaches \u1e25anata<\/em> by Tu Bi-Shvat of the fourth year, and its harvest is generally completed by Pesa\u1e25. Only then can all the ma\u2019asrot<\/em> of the third year be completed. Grain, legumes, and vegetables that become obligated in ma\u2019aser<\/em> during the fourth year before Pesa\u1e25, however, already belong to the fourth year. Their bi\u2019ur ma\u2019asrot<\/em> therefore takes place at the next bi\u2019ur<\/em>, on Pesa\u1e25 of the seventh year (Yerushalmi<\/em>, Ma\u2019aser Sheni<\/em> 5:3, 5:5; MT, Laws of Ma\u2019aser Sheni and Neta Reva\u2019i 11:7).[8]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

The mitzva of bi\u2019ur<\/em> was especially effective with regard to ma\u2019aser sheni<\/em> and neta reva\u2019i<\/em>, which ultimately had to be brought to Jerusalem. Since the journey could be difficult, and people might find reasons to keep postponing it, one could otherwise hold on to the redemption money indefinitely and never use it for its intended purpose \u2013 buying food to be eaten in Jerusalem in purity. The Torah therefore establishes a time of bi\u2019ur<\/em>: by then, the money must either be used in Jerusalem or destroyed. Ideally, one goes up to Jerusalem and uses it to buy food there. If he cannot, he may give the money to relatives or friends who will use it in Jerusalem. If that too is not done, he must destroy it by the time of bi\u2019ur<\/em>. As for terumot<\/em> and the ma\u2019asrot<\/em> given to the levi and the poor, other mitzvot require them to be given earlier, as explained below, section 14.<\/p>\n

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[8]<\/a>. By Torah law, the time for bi\u2019ur<\/em> is the end of Pesa\u1e25, since ma\u2019aser sheni<\/em> produce may still be eaten until then. In practice, however, the bi\u2019ur<\/em> cannot be performed on the festival itself, because one may not burn<\/strong> the remaining produce on Yom Tov. The Sages therefore moved the time of bi\u2019ur<\/em> earlier, to before the beginning of the festival. According to Rashi, R. Shimshon, Tosafot, and Yere\u2019im<\/em>, the correct text of the Mishna is that bi\u2019ur<\/em> takes place on the eve of the first Yom Tov of Pesa\u1e25. According to Rambam (MT, Laws of Ma\u2019aser Sheni and Neta Reva\u2019i 11:7), Meiri, Smag, SA YD 331:144, and the Vilna Gaon (Bi\u2019ur ha-Gra<\/em>, YD 331:144), it takes place on the eve of the final Yom Tov of Pesa\u1e25.<\/p>\n

According to all views, however, vidui ma\u2019asrot<\/em> was recited at Min\u1e25a on the final Yom Tov of the festival. This is because some ma\u2019aser sheni<\/em> produce was left out of the earlier bi\u2019ur<\/em> so that it could be eaten until the end of Pesa\u1e25. Only toward the end of the festival, once the ma\u2019aser sheni<\/em> had truly been finished, could one recite the vidui<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The ma\u2019aser cycle is built around two repeating three-year patterns. During the six working years, terumot and ma\u2019aser rishon are always separated; what changes is the additional tithe. The first two years of each pattern are years of ma\u2019aser sheni, while the third is a year of ma\u2019aser ani. Thus, ma\u2019aser sheni is separated in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[228],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-17-07"],"yoast_head":"\n12. The Mitzva of Bi\u2019ur Ma\u2019asrot - Peninei Halakha<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-07-12\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"12. The Mitzva of Bi\u2019ur Ma\u2019asrot - Peninei Halakha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The ma\u2019aser cycle is built around two repeating three-year patterns. During the six working years, terumot and ma\u2019aser rishon are always separated; what changes is the additional tithe. The first two years of each pattern are years of ma\u2019aser sheni, while the third is a year of ma\u2019aser ani. 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