Separating Teruma and Maaser

Introduction

For many olim chadashim, separating teruma and maaser is an exciting- and intimidating- mitzva. There does not seem to be any straight-forward guide to doing so. Hopefully this page will fill that void.

In order to properly separate teruma and maaser, you must actually understand what you are doing; it is not sufficient to read a few lines in Hebrew. We'll start off by defining some terms, and then go through the step-by-step process.

Please note that this is meant as a guide: I am not a posek, and I am most certainly not poskening on complicated issues. This is just a guide to the basic process.

Definitions

Tevel

Produce which is obligated in teruma and maaser. Any consumption of this produce is forbidden. All produce is tevel unless:

• teruma and maaser have already been separated.
• it is fruit you are eating outside, before ever having been gathered in and brought indoors, when eaten on a weekday. (Any consumption on Shabbat/Chag is considered non-temporary and therefore obligates the produce in teruma/maaser.)

Demai

Produce which might have had teruma/maaser taken. This is forbidden in consumption as well, but since it is doubtful, we do not make any brachot on its separation.

Teruma gedola

The part of the produce that was given to Cohanim in the times of the temple. Teruma can only be eaten by a cohen in tahara (purity); since we lack the requisite purity in our day, it is completely forbidden to eat. At a Torah level, there is no specific measurement given for teruma gedola.

Maaser rishon

The part of the produce that was given to Leviim in the times of the temple. Maaser rishon can be eaten by anyone. It must be precisely 10% of the produce.

Terumat maaser

The part of maaser rishon that the Levi would give to the Cohen in the times of the temple. It has the same restrictions as teruma gedola, and thus is forbidden in consumption today. It must be precisely 10% of the maaser rishon, or 1% of the total produce.

Maaser sheni

10% of the produce remaining after the removal of maaser rishon, or 9% of the total produce. Maaser sheni can be eaten by anyone, but must be eaten in purity in Jerusalem. Therefore, it is forbidden today. However, you are able to redeem maaser sheni onto money.

Maaser ani

The shemita cycle is the seven year cycle from one shemita to the next. In years 3 and 6 of the cycle, produce is obligated in maaser ani in place of maaser sheni. This is produce that must be given to a poor person.

Peruta

The smallest unit of money in the times of the gemara.

Notes

• If the produce you are tithing may have already been tithed, do not recite any of the brachot below. In general, the only occassion you will have to say the brachot is produce you pick yourself.
• You should say the brachot in Hebrew, but the statements should be said in a language you understand. Here they are given in English only, though many siddurim have the Hebrew text.
• If you buy different types of produce, you should tithe each one separately.
• The value of the coin used below for redemption must be worth at least a perutah. Lenient opinions place this around 10 agurot, while more strict opinions require a half shekel.

Procedure

1. Set aside a little bit more than 1% of the total produce. We'll call the 99% the main pile, and the 1% the side pile.
2. Recite the blessing on separating teruma and maaser:

   ברוך אתה ה' אלקינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו להפריש תרומות ומעשרות

3. You must now separate teruma gedola from the side pile. Remember, teruma gedola has no particular measurement. So you say:

   The part which is more than 1% of all of the produce here, I declare it teruma gedola.

4. Next we separate out maaser rishon. In the side pile, we have a bit of teruma gedola and 1 grape (ie, 1% of the total) of untithed produce. The maaser rishon must be 10% of the total, so we will combine the 1% from the side pile with 9% from the main pile. Without actually moving any of the produce, say:

   The 1% which remains in this pile, together with 9 parts like it on the top of the main pile, are maaser rishon.

5. From our maaser rishon, we must separate terumat maaser. In the previous step, we designated the 1% in the side pile to be maaser rishon; we will now designate it to be terumat maaser:

   That same 1% which I made maaser rishon is terumat maaser.

   The side pile now consists entirely of teruma gedola and terumat maaser, which is forbidden in consumption.
6. All that remains in maaser sheni/maaser ani. This works out to 9% of the total. Since it may be unclear which type of maaser you should be separating now, the following statement is made conditionally:

   9 more parts like these in the bottom side of the main pile are maaser sheni, and if they are obligated in maaser ani, they are maaser ani.

7. You now must redeem the maaser sheni/maaser ani in the produce. In order to redeem the produce, you must "pay a fee" of a fifth, which due to the differences in modern math and Torah math is what we call a fourth. In any event, the value of the produce and its fifth is all considered to be part of the coin you will be using. First make the bracha (if appropriate):

   ברוך אתה ה' אלקינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על פדיון מעשר שני

   and then take that coin and say:

   This maaser sheni, it and its fifth, are redeemed on one peruta from the coin which I have designated for the redemption of maaser sheni.

8. Wrap up the coin with the side pile very well. All of it must be disposed of properly, meaning double wrapped in the trash. No benefit should be derived from either the coin or the produce.

That's all there is to it.

Produced by Michael Snoyman