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This year (5772) is the fourth year of the Shemitta cycle, and as such, this Pesach is the time of Biur Maaserot. Does anyone have suggestions (from experience or sources) regarding how to best dispose of one's Maaser Sheni coin?

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    Dump it in the dead sea.
    – Eli Lansey
    Apr 5, 2012 at 13:38
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    @EliLansey I imagine that's a little inconvenient for most people.
    – Double AA
    Apr 5, 2012 at 14:50
  • I thought you were supposed to redeem it with another coin. What am I missing?
    – Seth J
    Apr 5, 2012 at 17:30
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    @SethJ Redeeming it onto another coin won't help; then you just need to destroy that coin! The goal is to be rid of all terumot and maaserot (and challah and revai) before pesach of the 4th and 7th years. It's like the end of a tax cycle when you have to finish up your debts.
    – Double AA
    Apr 5, 2012 at 23:24
  • youtube.com/watch?v=vqKFnsrf7qI
    – Double AA
    Apr 10, 2017 at 13:20

2 Answers 2

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+50

According to this site there are 2 ways to take care of Biyur Maaser Sheni coins.

  1. Destroy the coin to the point where it is no longer legal tender. You could bend it out of shape, shave off the face or cut it in half. Rav Dovid Lau suggests to beat it with a hammer until it's not recognizable.

  2. According to the Chazon Ish you can redeem the value of the coin onto 2 spoons of sugar and then dispose of the sugar. Simply dissolve it - pour it down the drain with some water. This is also what Rav Avraham Yosef suggests.

Destroying the coin is also mentioned here.

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  • Do you say a bracha on redeeming it onto sugar?
    – Double AA
    Apr 2, 2015 at 13:42
  • @DoubleAA - what Bracha would you say? None of the sites I saw mention saying a Bracha - only the Nussach of Biyur Chametz. Apr 2, 2015 at 13:44
  • See ShA YD 331:137 על חילול מעשר שני
    – Double AA
    Apr 2, 2015 at 13:46
  • Fascinating why nobody seems to mention it (הַפּוֹדֶה מַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי, מְבָרֵךְ: אקב''ו עַל פִּדְיוֹן מַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי. וְאִם חִלְּלָן עַל פֵּרוֹת אֲחֵרוֹת, מְבָרֵךְ: עַל חִלּוּל מַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי. וְהַפּוֹדֶה אוֹ מְחַלֵּל מַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי שֶׁל דְּמַאי, אֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ בְּרָכָה) Apr 2, 2015 at 13:59
  • I suspect it was an oversight on their parts. Also I'm pretty sure the Chazon Ish would strongly disapprove of the second method. I wonder too if the poskim here judaism.stackexchange.com/a/56684/759 would disapprove of sugar as a food; they might need something more substantive.
    – Double AA
    Apr 2, 2015 at 14:04
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I'm going to the Dead Sea tomorrow. Redeem your coin onto my coin (by adding your name to the comments of my blog http://rabbisedley.blogspot.com/2012/04/biur-maaser.html) and I'll be your shaliach for destroying maaser sheni.

This specific offer has expired, but the general approach of appointing an agent as sh'liach still applies.

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    This is an extremely localized answer.
    – WAF
    Apr 9, 2012 at 2:49

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