Orlah in Fruit
Question
In the past I lived in the south and bought fruits and vegetables under the kashrut of Badatz HaEda HaCharedit and Rav Landau. Now I live in the north, and in my area (in Osher Ad) there is only the kashrut of Rav Efrati.
1. To what extent can one rely on Rav Efrati’s kashrut regarding orlah fruits? I have heard rumors that one cannot rely on this kashrut with respect to orlah, and I wanted to know what the halacha is.
2. If I buy fruits for which, according to the “orlah chart,” in all places there are less than 20% orlah plantings, or there is less than a certain percentage of fruit that is considered a “common minority” (mi’ut hamatzui) – does this alleviate or remove the problem of concern for orlah? And what is more correct to take into account when defining a “common minority” – the percentage of places (orchards) that have orlah, or the percentage of the fruits themselves that are subject to concern of orlah?
Thank you very much.
Answer
Shalom u’vracha,
1. By instruction of Rabbi Amram Fried shlita, within the framework of this service we cannot relate to or evaluate specific kashrut certifications.
2. A “mi’ut hamatzui” (a commonly occurring minority) requires clarification, and one may rely on it only when it is impossible to clarify the situation.
Less than a “mi’ut hamatzui” does not require any clarification at all.
The poskim disagree as to what percentage is considered a “mi’ut hamatzui” that obligates clarification. Some say from 5%, and the view of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv is that even 1/2% is already considered a “mi’ut hamatzui.”
Simply understood, the determining factor is the percentage of the fruits, not the percentage of orchards/plantations. [There are those who disagree about this].
