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When Rus went out into the field to pick up the Shikcha (dropped or forgotten crops which must be left for the poor), Boaz sees her great piety and tells his servants to drop more on purpose so that she can get more food.

This seems to be a problem as normally you are not required to separate Masseros (tithes) from Shikcha, but if one drops wheat on purpose, he will cause her and her family to eat un-tithed foods as the food will be obligated in masseros but she won't know it.

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    Sourcing your halachic claim would improve your question.
    – msh210 ♦
    Commented Mar 12, 2012 at 9:20

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Hefker (ownerless produce) is exempt from the obligation to have Terumah and Maaser taken from it (Rambam, Hil. Terumos 2:11). So if they drop sheaves on purpose and declare them hefker, then no, there wouldn't be a problem.

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    Let me Just clarify what you mean to say in more words is that he told the workers to Be Mafkir it and Hence there is no responsibility to give Masser.
    – SimchasTorah
    Commented May 12, 2010 at 23:33
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    Yes. I see now that Malbim (to Ruth 2:16) says exactly that.
    – Alex
    Commented May 13, 2010 at 3:32
  • Hefker produce is only patur from maaser if it was hefker at sha'at chiyuv which in this case is probably one third growth which seems to be well past.
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Mar 12, 2012 at 5:29
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    @DoubleAA, not quite. Even if they're picked after they've passed one-third of their growth, they're still exempt from maaser until גמר מלאכה (and in some cases, also קביעות). See Rambam, Hil. Maasros ch. 3, particularly halachah 13 (about גמר מלאכה for grain) and 20 (that before גמר מלאכה one can declare them hefker and they'll be exempt from maaser).
    – Alex
    Commented Mar 12, 2012 at 13:18

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