Q Avi Applebaum has a beautiful apple tree in his yard which is just full of delicious-looking apples. Avi looks forward every year to enjoying the fresh red apples from the tree, and now, the time (and the apples) is ripe for them to be picked!However, today is Shabbos, and Avi knows he can't pick apples from the tree on Shabbos. But when Avi notices some apples on the ground on Shabbos morning, he wonders to himself: Am I allowed to take the apples from the ground and eat them on Shabbos?What should Avi do?A It depends. If Avi knows for a fact that the apple fell from the tree before Shabbos began, he may take the apple and eat it. If, however, the apple fell from the tree on Shabbos, or if it's even a possibility that it fell on Shabbos, the apple may not be eaten nor may it be moved; it is muktzah.(קוצר, גזירה שמא יתלוש, הגדרת האיסור, פרק ב', סימן א', סעיף ו', דוגמא 5)

This article addresses the halachic question of whether one may pick up and eat apples that have fallen from a tree on Shabbos, distinguishing between apples th

May One Pick Up Fallen Apples on Shabbos?

A weekly publication featuring halacha illustrations and Q&A for Shabbos.