Matsa Menutak

Q. What is Matsa Menutak?

A. “Matsa Menutak” refers to plants grown during Shemitah on a layer of dirt that is separated from the ground by means of tarps and containers in specially designed greenhouses. As we have seen in a previous Halacha Yomis, many poskim allow growing plants during the Shemitah year indoors, provided that they are grown in a flowerpot that has no holes, and placing a tarp under the dirt is tantamount to a flowerpot without holes. Matsa Menutak leverages this concept of separation to allow for mass cultivation. Poskim have various requirements for the types of greenhouses that are acceptable, as well as rules pertaining to what may be used for the containers of dirt. As this heter is somewhat complex, it is important that it be supervised by a reliable rabbinate.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.