משנה: אִילָן שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֶה לְתוֹךְ שְׂדֵה חֲבֵירוֹ קוֹצֵץ מְלֹא מַרְדֵּעַ עַל גַּבֵּי הַמַּחֲרֵישָׁה. הֶחָרוּב וְהַשִּׁיקְמָה כְּנֶגֶד הַמִּשְׁקוֹלֶת. בֵּית הַשְּׁלָחִין כָּל־הָאִילָן כְּנֶגֶד הַמִּשְׁקוֹלֶת. אַבָּא שָׁאוּל אוֹמֵר כָּל־אִילַן סְרַק כְּנֶגֶד הַמִּשְׁקוֹלֶת. אִילָן שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֶה לִרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים קוֹצֵץ כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּהֵא הַגָּמָל עוֹבֵר בְּרוֹכְבוֹ. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר טָעוּן פִּשְׁתָּן אוֹ חֲבִילֵי זְמוֹרוֹת. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר כָּל־הָאִילָן כְּנֶגֶד הַמִּשְׁקוֹלוֹת מִפְּנֵי הַטּוּמְאָה. MISHNAH: If a tree overhangs another’s field, he may cut it in the height of the plough’s ox-goad104He may cut all overhanging branches of a fruit tree to the height of the ox-goad used with his plough.; carob tree and sycamore along the plumb line105The owner of the field may cut these trees vertically at his property line.. Over an irrigated field along the plumb line105The owner of the field may cut these trees vertically at his property line.. Abba Shaul says, every non-fruit-bearing tree along the plumb line105The owner of the field may cut these trees vertically at his property line..
If a tree overhangs the public domain, one has to cut it so that a camel with a rider on it may pass; Rebbi Jehudah says, loaded with flax or bundles of vine cuttings109They are very light and take up a large volume.. Rebbi Simeon says, any tree [must be cut] along the plumb line because of impurity105,The owner of the field may cut these trees vertically at his property line.110R. Simeon essentially rejects the rabbis’ rule as following Gentile law (Corpus iuris, Decretum de arboribus caedendis requires that branches overhanging a public road must be cut up to a height of 15 Roman pedes, not quite 4.5 m.) He insists on a Jewish rationale. The impurity of the dead is transferred not only by touch but by being under one “tent” with a corpse. The crown of a tree forms such a “tent.” If the tree overhangs a road but grows inside a fence or wall which obstructs the view, a person passing under it could be inadvertentently become severely impure (cf. Nazir 7:3, Notes 163–164). Therefore, in the Land of Israel all overhangs have to be eliminated. He has no rules for other countries..
הלכה: אִילָן שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֶה לְתוֹךְ שְׂדֵה חֲבֵירוֹ כול׳. אִילָן שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֶה לִרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים כול׳. רִבִּי יוֹנָתָן הֲוָה דָאִין טַבָּאוּת וַהֲוָה תַמָּן חַד רוֹמַיי וַהֲוָה מְגֵירֵיהּ בְּחַקְלָא וּבְבֵיתָא. וַהֲוָה לְרִבִּי יוֹנָתָן חַד אִילָן נָטָה גַו דְּהַהוּא רוֹמַייָה. אֲתַא קוֹמֵי חַד דַּייָן אָכֵן. אֲמַר לוֹן. אָֽזְלוֹן וָתוֹן בְּצַפְרָא. אֲמַר הַהוּא רוֹמַייָה. בְּגִינִי לָא נְפַק דִּינָא. לְמָחָר אֲנָא מְבַטֵּל אילו מדידי וַחֲמִי הֵיאַךְ דִּינָא נְפַק. אִין הֲוָה דָאִין כָּל־עַמָּא וְלָא דָאִין נַפְשֵׁיהּ לֵית הוּא בַּר נַשׁ. בְּאַפְתִּי רַמְשָׁא שְׁלַח רִבִּי יוֹנָתָן בָּתָר נַגָּרֵיהּ. אֲמַר. פּוּק קוֹץ מַה דְנָטָה גַו רוֹמַייָה. בְּצַפְרָא קְרַץ בַּעַל דִּינֵיהּ לְגַבֵּיהּ. אֲמֵר לֵיהּ. זִיל קוֹץ מַה דְנָטָה גַו דִּידֵיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רוֹמַייָה. דִּידָךְ מַה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ. פּוּק חֲמִי יָתֵיהּ כְּמַה דִידִי עֲבִד עֲבַד דִּידָךְ. נְפַק חֲמִיתֵיהּ. אֲמַר. בָּרוּךְ אֱלֹהֲהוֹן דִּיהוּדָאֵי. HALAKHAH: “If a tree overhangs another’s field,” etc.
“If a tree overhangs the public domain,,” etc. 111A Hebrew version of this story is in Tanḥuma Šofeṭim 3 [Ginze Schechter I (New York 1928), p. 130]. A similar story, about R. Yannai, is in the Babli, 60a/b. Rebbi Jonathan was careful in judging; there was a Roman there who was his neighbor both in the field and the house. Rebbi Jonathan had a tree overhanging the Roman’s property. A similar case came before him112A case of a tree overhanging from one person’s property over another’s.. He told them, go and return next morning113A most unsual procedure.. This Roman said, because of me he did not decide the case. Tomorrow I will abandon my work114The reading of E: אוּמְנִין דִּידִי “my job” makes good sense; no conjectures are needed. The text of L must be classified as a scribal error. and see how the judgment goes. If he judges all people and does not judge himself, he is not human. At nightfall, Rebbi Jonathan sent for his carpenter and told him, go and cut everything that overhangs the Roman’s. In the morning, the parties appeared before him. He told him, go and cut what overhangs into his property. The Roman said to him, what is with yours? He told him, go and see; what was done with mine do with yours. He went out and looked. He said, praised be the Jews’ God.
חָדָא אִיתָא אוֹקְרָת תְּאֵנִין לְרִבִּי יוֹנָתָן. אֲמַר לָהּ. בְּבָעוּ מִינָּךְ אִי אַעַילְתִּינוֹן מְיגַלְייָן אַפְקִינוֹן מְיגַלְייָן. וְאִין אַעַילְתִּינוֹן מְיכַסְייָן אַפְקִינוֹן מְיכַסְייָן. דְּלָא יֵימְרוּן בִּרְייָתָא. דֵּינָרִין יְהָבַת לֵיהּ. וְאוֹקְרָה תְאֵינִין. A woman honored Rebbi Jonathan with figs115As a bakshish, which as a judge he could not accept.. He told her, please if you brought them covered, take them away covered; but if you brought them in the open, take them away in the open, so that people should not say that she brought him denars and he honored her with figs116But still accepts bribes..
רִבִּי חֲנִינָה אָעִיל לְרִבִּי יוֹנָתָן בְּגִינְתֵיהּ וְאַייכְלֵיהּ תְאֵנִין. מִדִּנְפַק חֲמָא חַד אִילָן דִּבְרַת שׁוּבְעִין חִיװְרִין. אֲמַר לֵיהּ. לָמָּה לֹא אוֹכַלְתָּנִי מִן אִילֵּין. אֲמַר לֵיהּ. דְּאִינּוּן לִבְרִי. רִבִּי חֲנִינָה חָשַׁשׁ מִשּׁוּם גֶּזֶל בְּנוֹ. Rebbi Ḥanina brought Rebbi Jonathan to his garden and served him figs. When he left, he saw one tree of white benot ševa‘117Delicacy figs; cf. Ma‘serot 2:8, Note 135.. He asked him, why did you not let me eat from these? He told him, they are my son’s. Rebbi Ḥanina was afraid of robbing his son.
רִבִּי יָסָא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. הֲלָכָה כְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן. רִבִּי חִייָה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. כָּל־עַמָּא מוֹדוּ שֶׁהֲלָכָה כְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן. Rebbi Yasa in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: Practice follows Rebbi Simeon. Rebbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: Everybody agrees that practice follows Rebbi Simeon118Since the Babli does not discuss the matter, it follows that it accepts practice following the anonymous Tanna, which is appropriate outside the Land of Israel..