3,261. Taking Terumah From the Best Produce

Terumos 4:21

If someone separates terumah from a granary, he must have the intention for it to be terumah for the grain pile, for the stalks that were cut, for what’s on the side of the pile, and for what’s in the straw. If he separates terumah from the wine press, he must have the intention for it to be terumah for what’s in the seeds and skins. If he takes terumah from the wine vat, he must have the intention that it’s terumah for the dregs. In all these cases, if he took terumah without having any specific intention, it includes everything; this is a condition that was instituted by the courts. If someone takes terumah from his basket of figs and other figs are found on the side of the basket, he need not take terumah from them because one always intends to take terumah for all his produce.

Terumos 5:1

Terumah should only be taken from one’s best produce, as per Numbers 18:30: “When you separate its choicest from it.” If there’s no kohein locally, one takes terumah from produce that will last even if there’s better produce that won’t last. Accordingly, one should normally take terumah from fresh figs for dried figs, but in a place with no kohanim he should take terumah from dried figs for fresh figs. If the landowner typically dries his figs, he can take fresh figs as terumah for dried figs even in a place without kohanim (because he’s going to end up drying them). However, in a place where there is a kohein, one never takes dried figs as terumah for fresh figs. This is the case even in a place where one would normally dry his figs.