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מָתַי: When Does Biur Occur?
Biur maaser is required twice in every seven-year shemittah cycle — both times on Erev Pesach
On Erev Pesach of the 4th year and Erev Pesach of the 7th year of the shemittah cycle — all untithed produce must be distributed or removed. The deadline is the eve of the first day of Pesach.
The Seven-Year Shemittah Cycle — Biur Years Highlighted
א׳Year 1 Maaser Ani
ב׳Year 2 Maaser Sheini
ג׳Year 3 Maaser Ani
ד׳Year 4 ⛔ BIUR Erev Pesach
ה׳Year 5 Maaser Sheini
ו׳Year 6 Maaser Ani
ז׳Year 7 ⛔ BIUR Erev Pesach
מַה הוּא בִּעוּר: Distribution, Not Destruction
The Mishnah specifies exactly where each type of produce must go — biur means giving it away, not burning it
⚠ Common Misconception
The word בִּעוּר (biur) sounds like burning or destruction — but the Mishnah makes clear it means orderly distribution: each type of produce is given to whoever is halachically entitled to it. Only Maaser Sheini and Bikkurim, which cannot be redeemed at this stage, are removed in the stricter sense.
כֵּיצַד הָיָה בִּעוּר — How Biur Works: Who Gets What
תְּרוּמָה וּתְרוּמַת מַעֲשֵׂר
Terumah + Terumat Maaser
↓
לַכֹּהֲנִים
To the Kohanim (priests)
מַעֲשֵׂר רִאשׁוֹן
First Tithe
↓
לַלְּוִיִּם
To the Levites
מַעֲשַׂר עָנִי
Tithe for the Poor
↓
לָעֲנִיִּים
To the poor
מַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי וּבִכּוּרִים
Second Tithe + Bikkurim
↓
מִתְבַּעֲרִים בְּכָל מָקוֹם
Removed anywhere — must go
R. Shimon disagrees on Bikkurim: since they are given to kohanim like terumah, they should be treated the same way — handed over, not simply "removed."
If Maaser Sheini produce was already cooked before Erev Pesach — does it still require biur?
בֵּית שַׁמַּאי
הַתַּבְשִׁיל — צָרִיךְ לְבַעֵר
Cooked food made from Maaser Sheini still requires biur. Cooking does not change its status — it remains maaser sheni produce and must be distributed by the deadline.
בֵּית הִלֵּל
הֲרֵי הוּא כִּמְבֹעָר
It is already considered as if removed. Cooking transforms the produce — it is no longer "field produce" in its original form, and the biur obligation has effectively been fulfilled.
הַמַּסְקָנָה — Pesach as a Clearing Deadline
Like Sheviis 2:1, this mishnah uses Erev Pesach as a hard legal deadline — not because the festival itself is about tithes, but because the pilgrimage to Jerusalem created a natural moment of accounting. Every farmer had to arrive at the chag with a clean slate: produce tithed, obligations met, the land's debts settled. Biur is not destruction — it is redistribution: the kohen, the Levite, and the poor each receive their due before the festival begins. Pesach here functions as an annual audit, ensuring that the agricultural obligations of the preceding years have been honored before Israel stands together before God.