In the year following shmitta, whoever has remaining shmitta fruits must mafkir them to fulfill the Torah’s mitzva of biur. One avreich by the name of R’ Avraham had such an opportunity, and on the afternoon before the time of biur, he excitedly told his Rosh Kollel, R’ Velvel Eidelman, about what he was going to do that night.
Upon hearing this, R’ Velvel immediately told R’ Avraham that he’d like to partake in the mitzva. R’ Avraham explained that he hadn’t told his Rosh Kollel to burden him to come, but rather simply wanted to share his excitement. “I can easily find three men to be mafkir in front of (the hefker is done before three men), and so there’s no need for the Rosh Kollel to make the strenuous trip and spend a half-hour of his precious time to come to my house.” But R’ Velvel insisted to attend this precious mitzva, and so he did.
When R’ Avraham brought out the fruit and was mafkir the apples, R’ Velvel turned to R’ Avraham and said, “They’re up for grabs, right? I’m taking them for myself.” Everyone in attendance was quite staggered. Generally, the understanding is that whoever’s present for such a hefker leaves the produce for the original owner to acquire it once again. Here, the great Rosh Kollel was taking it for himself? He was surely entitled to them, but why?
R’ Velvel instructed R’ Avraham to escort him home. As R’ Velvel arrived home he explained himself. “Now it’s my chance to perform this mitzva!” Just then, R’ Velvel called over a passerby, and in front of three, R’ Velvel was mafkir the fruits that he’d just “acquired”.
Now R’ Avraham understood everything. His Rosh Kollel had also wanted to fulfill the mitzva of biur shmitta, so instead of letting R’ Avraham regain ownership of the fruits and let the mitzva fly by, R’ Velvel took the apples for himself to be mekayeim the mitzva himself. He then made sure that R’ Avraham would be there so that, after R’ Velvel had fulfilled mitzvas biur, R’ Avraham would be able to retrieve his apples back with no loss.
