משנה: מַרְחִיקִין אֶת הָאִילָן מִן הַבּוֹר עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ אַמָּה וְהֶחָרוּב וְהַשִּׁיקְמָה חֲמִשִּׁים אַמָּה בֵּין מִלְּמַעְלָה בֵּין מִן הַצַּד. אִם הַבּוֹר קָדַם קוֹצֵץ וְנוֹתֵן דָּמָיו וְאִם הָאִילָן קָדַם לֹא יָקוֹץ. סָפֵק זֶה קָדַם וְסָפֵק זֶה קָדַם לֹא יָקוֹץ. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַבּוֹר קָדַם אֶת הָאִילָן לֹא יָקוֹץ שֶׁזֶּה חוֹפֵר בְּתוֹךְ שֶׁלּוֹ וְזֶה נוֹטֵעַ בְּתוֹךְ שֶׁלּוֹ. לֹא יִטַּע אָדָם אִילָן סָמוּךְ לִשְׂדֵה חֲבֵירוֹ אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן הִרְחִיק מִמֶּנּוּ ד̇ אַמּוֹת אֶחָד גְּפָנִים וְאֶחָד כָּל־אִילָן. הָיָה גָדֵר בֵּינְתַּיִים זֶה סוֹמֵךְ לְגָדֵר וְזֶה סוֹמֵךְ לְגָדֵר. הָיוּ שָׁרָשִׁיו יוֹצְאִין לְתוֹךְ שְׂדֵה חֲבֵירוֹ מַעֲמִיק ג̇ טְפָחִים כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יְעֲכֵּב אֶת הַמַּחֲרֵישָׁה. הָיָה חוֹפֵר בּוֹר וְשִׁיחַ וּמְעָרָה קוֹצֵץ וְיוֹרֵד וְהָעֵצִים שֶׁלּוֹ. MISHNAH: One distances a tree 25 cubits from a cistern, but carob tree and sycamore 50 cubits, whether on top or level98In order to avoid damage to the walls of the cistern by the roots. The required distance applies if the tree is planted on a level with the cistern or above it on a hillside. In the Babylonian sources, Babli 25b and Tosephta 1:12, it is emphasized that this also applies if the tree is planted on a hillside below the level of the cistern. In Sheviit 1:2:4" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sheviit.1.2.4">Ševi‘it 1:2 (Notes 28–34), R. Yose ben Rebbi Abun characterizes the Babli’s opinion as R. Simeon’s and holds that R. Yose, who is the higher authority, allows a tree to be planted below the cistern. He will require that the cistern’s bottom not be below its owner’s property line on the hill. (It is not obvious that the opinions of the editors of the other parts of the Yerushalmi are accepted in Neziqin.). If the cistern existed before, he shall cut it down and pay for it99He (the tree’s owner) shall cut his tree down if he (the cistern’s owner) pays for it.; if the tree existed before, one shall not cut it down. Rebbi Yose said, even if the cistern existed before, one shall not cut it down since the one digs on his property and the other plants on his property100Since the owner of the tree legally may plant a tree on his property, the provident owner of the neighboring plot will build his cistern at 25 cubits’ distance from his property line..
A person should not plant a tree next to another’s field unless he distanced himself from it by four cubits101This is good advice rather than a legal requirement. A person planting a fruit tree on his property needs a circle with a radius of 4 cubits around it for servicing the tree; he has to avoid trespassing on other people’s property., whether vines or any other tree. If there was a wall between them, each one goes close to the wall102Since then there is no danger of trespassing. גָּדֵר, like Arabic جَدُر, is a rural stone wall made without mortar, not a fence as in modern Hebrew.. If its roots extended to another’s field, he lowers the roots three handbreadths in order not to hinder the plough103I. e., the field’s owner is free to remove any roots in his soil down to a depth of 3 handbreadths (about 30 cm) without asking or paying anybody.. If one was digging a cistern, or a ditch, or a cavern, he cuts and excavates and the wood is his.
הלכה: מַרְחִיקִין אֵֶת הָאִילָן כול׳. לֹא יִטַּע אָדָם כול׳. רִבִּי יַעֲקֹב בַּר אִידִי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי. טַעֲמוֹן דְּרַבָּנִין. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיִּישׁוּב הָעוֹלָם בַּבּוֹרוֹת. שִׁמְעוֹן בַּר װָה אָמַר בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. כָּךְ מֵשִׁיב רִבִּי יוֹסֵי לַחֲכָמִים. כְּמָה דְאִית לְכוֹן יִישׁוּב הָעוֹלָם בַּבּוֹרוֹת אוּף אֲנָא אִית לִי יִישׁוּב הָעוֹלָם בָּאִילָנוֹת. HALAKHAH: “One distances a tree,” etc. Halakhah 12: “A person should not plant,” etc. Rebbi Jacob bar Idi in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: The rabbis’ reason is that civilization is based on cisterns106The tree’s owner did not break any law in planting it, as R. Yose insists. Then why do the rabbis force the tree’s owner to cut it down if the cistern’s owner offers him money?. Simeon bar Abba in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: Rebbi Joshua answers the rabbis thus: just as you hold that civilization is based on cisterns, so I am holding that civilization is based on trees.
[רִבִּי יוֹסֵה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. אֵין שָׁרָשִׁים לְעִינְייַן הַבִּיכּוּרִים כְּלוּם.] אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי. וְיֵאוּת אָמַר. שֶׁאִם אוֹמֵר שָׁרָשִׁין עִיקָּר הֵן לַבִּיכּוּרִים לֹא הָיָה אָדָם יָכוֹל לְהָבִיא בִיכּוּרִים מֵעוֹלָם. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁשָּׁרָשִׁין שֶׁלָּזֶה יוֹצְאִין לְתוֹךְ שָׁרָשָׁיו שֶׁלָּזֶה וְשֶׁלָּזֶה בְשֶׁלָּזֶה. לְפוּם כֵּן אָמַר רִבִּי יָסָא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. אֵין שָׁרָשִׁין לְעִנְייַן בִּיכּוּרִים כְּלוּם. 107Text of E, missing in L, but presupposed by R. Yose’s reaction to it.[Rebbi Yasa108The correct attribution is in the quote at the end of the paragraph. said in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: Roots are irrelevant for First Fruits.]109They are very light and take up a large volume. Rebbi Yose said, he said it correctly. For if he did say that roots are important, nobody could ever bring First Fruits since the roots of one enter the other’s ground and vice-versa. Therefore, Rebbi Yasa said in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: Roots are irrelevant for First Fruits.