3,461. Entrusting Produce to an Innkeeper

Hilchos Maaser 11:11

Demai doesn’t apply to the ends of vegetables (which are normally discarded) when they’re in a garden. If they belong to a homeowner and are in his house, they must be tithed. Those that are found in the trash anywhere are permitted.

Hilchos Maaser 11:12

If someone gives produce to an innkeeper to prepare for him, he must tithe it before giving it to her and after receiving it back from her. The former is so that the untithed produce shouldn’t pose an obstacle to others; the latter is out of concern that she may have exchanged what he gave her for other produce. He may, however, give produce to his mother-in-law regardless of whether her daughter is his betrothed or his full wife, as well as to a neighbor to prepare for him. We need not be concerned regarding tithes and Sabbatical produce because we don’t suspect that these women may have exchanged his produce for another. This is only the case when the man also gave the woman yeast for the dough or spices for a cooked dish. If he did not do so, then we are concerned regarding tithes and Sabbatical produce. Therefore, such bread is prohibited in the Shemittah year because the yeast may have come from Sabbatical produce.