Sukkah 39 – Sukkot on the seventh year

When one buys a Sukkot bunch from his fellow on the seventh year (Sabbatical, or Shmita), then – since the etrog that he is buying is a fruit, and fruit should be treated with special care on the Shmita year – he should only pay for the lulav, the palm branch, and ask for the etrog to be given to him as a present. Why? – his fellow may not be all that knowledgeable in the laws of Shmita. He may not know how to deal with the money from this sale.

What if the fellow does not want to give him the etrog as a present? – Then he should include the price of it in the price of the lulav branch. Some say that the price should be high enough, so his fellow does not mind and verbalize that he is giving a present. Others – that it is enough for the buyer to have it in mind.

But why go through all these machinations, let him give the fellow the money outright!? – As we mentioned, the fellow might use the money to buy non-kosher foods or non-food items and be unaware that this is the wrong use of the Shmita money.

Art: Branch Of Lemons by Claude Oscar Monet