3,262. Taking Terumah From One Species for Another

Terumos 5:2

One may take a whole onion as terumah even if it’s small, but not half an onion, even if it’s large; this is true in all places. Terumah may not be taken from one kind of produce for another, as per Numbers 18:30: “Like grain from the granary and like wine from the vat.” If one did take terumah from one species for another, what he separated isn’t terumah.

Terumos 5:3

Gourds and cucumbers are considered the same species. All kinds of wheat are a single species. All kinds of figs, dried figs and cakes of figs are the same species. In all of these cases, one can take terumah from one kind for another. Types of produce that are considered different species cannot be taken as terumah for one another, even if one takes the best produce as terumah for the lesser produce. For example, let’s say that someone has 50 seah of wheat and 50 seah of barley in the same building and he takes two seah of wheat as terumah for all of it. In such a case, what he took isn’t terumah. When types of produce are not considered different species, one may take the better as terumah for the lesser, but not vice versa. If one did take the lesser as terumah for the better, what he took is terumah except if one takes wild wheat as terumah for wheat. This is not effective because wild wheat is not intended for human consumption.