The seven characteristics that we described Compassion, Knowledge, Strength, Awareness, Exclusivity, Responsible, Generous, are found in the Creator alone and no other. If one were to trust in any other he would be a fool
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10 Hefker II
Hefker II
Only the foods growing in Eretz Yisrael becomes hefker during Shemittah, and not the other parts of the tree, plants, or the ground itself. Ruining someone else’s property while taking hefker Shemittah foods is stealing.
Note, that most vegetables are sefichin (discussed in a previous article) and may not be picked, or eaten. And, any Shemittah fruits and (permitted) vegetables that are picked must be eaten under conditions of Shemittah sanctity (which will be discussed in a future article).
Hefker III
The only foods that are hefker is the Shemittah produce. Now, the Shemittah status of different types of foods is determined at different stages of their growth (vegetables from when they are picked, most fruits from the critical stage of their growth called chanatah, etc.; see above Article 7 for discussion). This being the case, it is common that a yard or garden will have several types of fruits or vegetables growing inside, and not all of these foods are Shemittah produce. (Note, though, that the plants growing the non-Shemittah produce may nevertheless not be cared for during Shemittah.)
It is vital that a person who wishes to enter someone else’s yard to take hefker Shemittah produce be aware of which types of food are Shemittah produce, and which, although still attached to the ground, are considered the produce of the previous year.
For example, at the beginning of the year vegetables (that began growing before Shemittah) have Shemittah sanctity. But the fruits growing on the trees do not. During much of the eighth year, after Shemittah is over, the opposite will be the case: Then the vegetables will not be Shemittah produce, and many fruits that began their growth in Shemittah will become Shemittah produce as they come into season. And during different times of the year, some fruits will be Shemittah produce, and others are not.