משנה: הַדִּילוּעִין שֶׁקִּייְמָן לְזֶרַע אִם הוּקְּשׁוּ לִפְנֵי רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְנִפְסְלוּ מֵאוֹכֶל מוּתָּר לְקַייְמוֹ בַשְּׁבִיעִית וְאִם לָאו אָסוּר לְקַייְמוֹ בַשְּׁבִיעִית. הַתִּימָרוֹת שֶׁלָּהֶן אֲסוּרוֹת בַּשְּׁבִיעִית. מַרְבִּצִין בְּעָפָר לָבָן דִּבְרֵי רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן רִבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אוֹסֵר. מְמָֽרְסִים בָּאוֹרֶז בַּשְּׁבִיעִית דִּבְרֵי רִבִּי שִמְעוֹן אֲבָל לֹא מְכַסְּחִין. MISHNAH: If gourds kept for seeds became hard before the New Year and unusable as food, one may keep them in the Sabbatical year; otherwise, it is forbidden to keep them in the Sabbatical year93Missing in the mss. and the print but clearly necessary by the context. Here again, “forbidden” means “forbidden” to be treated as private property and to be stored as seeds”; “permitted” means “permitted to be treated as private property and to be stored as seeds.” The reasons are the same as for the Sabbatical year and do not have to be spelled out.. Their buds are forbidden in the Sabbatical year. One may sprinkle with water on white dust95Technical term for earth in an orchard whose trees are standing sufficiently apart (not more than 10 trees per bet seah.), the words of Rebbi Simeon; Rebbi Eliezer ben Jacob forbids it. One may tear off22This follows R. Y. Qafeḥ in his translation of Maimonides’s Mishnah Commentary; he notes that Maimonides’s Arabic expression מדס may mean (1) “to macerate in water” and (2) “to tear off in irregular fashion, mutilate”; in the dictionaries (2) is given as translation of מדש. All halakhic commentaries (R. Simson, R. Isaac Simponti, and the commentators to Maimonides’s Šemiṭṭah weYovel 1:15) give the root the meaning “to water”; this does not fit the sense of Rabbinic ממרס which elsewhere means either (1) “to stir” or (2) “to crush, quash”. Arabic and Hebrew meanings (2) may be supported by Accadic marašu “to get into bad shape”. rice in the Sabbatical year; the words of Rebbi Simeon are that one may not trim23In his translation of Maimonides’s Mishnah Commentary, Alḥarizi translates כסח as “to hoe”..
הלכה: לָמָּה לִי הֻקְּשׁוּ אֲפִילוּ לֹא הוּקְּשׁוּ. מִכֵּיוָן שֶׁהוּקְּשׁוּ נַעֲשׂוּ כִשְׁאָר זֵירְעוֹנֵי גִינָּה שֶׁאֵין נֶאֱכָלִין. HALAKHAH: Why do I need that they became hard? Even if they did not become hard! If they became hard they fall under the rules of kitchen seed plants that are not eaten96Non-food is not subject to the rules of the Sabbatical year. For “kitchen seed plants” cf. Kilaim Chapter 2, Note 22 and Mishnah 2..
כֵּיצַד הוּא בוֹדֵק. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בֶּן חֲנִינָה אוֹמֵר עוֹקְצוֹ אִם נִתְאָחֶה אָסוּר וְאִם לָאו מוּתָּר. How does one check97Whether the gourd has hardened.? He pricks it; if it heals, it is forbidden, otherwise it is permitted.
רִבִּי יוֹנָה בוֹצְרָייָא אָמַר קרמולין פְּטוּרִין מִן הַמַּעֲשֵׂר. הָדָא דְתֵימַר עַד שֶׁלֹּא עָשׂוּ דִילוּעִין אֲבָל אִם עָשׂוּ דִילוּעִין כְּיֶרֶק הֵן. Rebbi Jonah from Bostra said: qarmals98This plant has not been identified; the explanations of the dictionaries are based on misprints in the traditional Tosephta texts, as pointed out by R. S. Lieberman.. Tosephta 4:19 states that one may import saplings and qarmal into Israel during the Sabbatical. In the Erfurt ms. of the Tosephta, the reading is קרומנין. In Arabic, קרמל is “an insignificant spineless tree”. are free from tithes. That is, as long as they did not form gourds; but when they formed gourds they are like vegetables.
הוֹרֵי רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּאִילֵּין עֲלֵי קוֹלָקַסִּיָיא שֶׁאָסוּר לִגְמוֹת בָּהֶן מַיִם מִפְּנֵי שַׁהַצְּבָאִין אוֹכְלִין אוֹתָן. Rebbi Yose taught that it is forbidden to sip water from colocasia100Colocasia antiquorum, a tropical plant with edible roots. leaves because they are food for deer101Since it says (Lev. 25:6): “For your domestic animals and the wild animals in your Land shall all its yield serve as food”, Sabbatical growth that is animal fodder is forbidden for any other use. One may not use the leaves as cups..
מַרְבִּצִין בְּעָפָר לָבָן דִּבְרֵי רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן רִבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אַוֹסֵר. אַתְיָא דְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן כְרַבָּנִן וּדְרִבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב כְּשִׁיטָּתֵיהּ דְּתַנִּינָן תַּמָּן מוֹשְׁכִין אֶת הַמַּיִם מֵאִילָן לְאִילָן וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יַשְּׁקוּ אֶת כָּל־הַשָּׂדֶה כוּלָּהּ. רִבִי מָנָא אָמַר לָהּ סְתָם רִבִּי אָבִין בְשֵׁם שְׁמוּאֵל בִּסְתָם חוֹלְקִין. מַה נָן קַייָמִין אִם בִּמְרוּוָחִין דִּבְרֵי הַכֹּל אָסוּר אִם בִּרְצוּפִין דִּבְרֵי הַכֹּל מוּתָּר. אֶלָּא כִּי נָן קַייָמִין בִּנְטוּעִין מַטַּע עֶשֶׂר לְבֵית סְאָה. רִבִּי לִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב עֲבַד לוֹן כִּמְרוּוָחִין וְרַבָּנִין עָֽבְדִין לוֹן כִרְצוּפִין. הָא רַבָּנִין אָֽמְרִין בִּמְרוּוָחִין אָסוּר לְהַשְׁקוֹת מַהוּ לְהַמְשִׁיךְ. נֵילַף הָדָא דְרַבָּנִן מִן דְּרִבִּי לִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב כְּמָה דְּרִבִּי לִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אָמַר בִּמְרוּוָחִין אָסוּר לְהַשְׁקוֹת וּמוּתָּר לְהַמְשִׁיךְ כֵן רַבָּנִין אָֽמְרִין מוּתָּר לְהַמְשִׁיךְ וְאָסוּר לְהַשְׁקוֹת. לֹא כֵן סָֽבְרִנָן מֵימַר בִּמְרוּוָחִין דִּבְרֵי הַכֹּל אָסוּר וְהֵן עָפָר לָבָן לֹא בִּמְרוּוָחִין הוּא אֶלָּא כָאן בַּשְּׁבִיעִית כָּאן בְּמוֹעֵד. “One may sprinkle with water on white dust, the words of Rebbi Simeon; Rebbi Eliezer ben Jacob forbids it.” Rebbi Simeon follows the rabbis and Rebbi Eliezer ben Jacob is consistent, as we have stated there102Mishnah Mo‘ed Qaṭan 1:3, in the name of R. Eliezer ben Jacob. During the intermediate days of a holiday, only agricultural work necessary to avoid losses is permitted. R. Eliezer ben Jacob does not permit to water a field but, if necessary, he allows one to water the depression around a tree and then to make a shallow channel from one tree to the next, on condition that the water be confined to trees and channels and not cover the entire field.: “One may continue [to draw] water from tree to tree on condition not to water the entire field.” Rebbi Mana said it anonymously, Rebbi Abin in the name of Samuel: They disagree anonymously103Since the Mishnah is in the name of R. Eliezer ben Jacob, not anonymous, it follows that the rabbis, whose opinion is ignored in the Mishnah, must disagree. From here to the end of the Chapter, the text is found also in Mo‘ed Qaṭan 1:3 (fol. 80c).. Where are we holding? If they are widely spaced, it is forbidden according to everybody, if they are tightly planted, it is permitted according to everybody. But we deal with the case that they are planted ten to a bet seah104Cf. Mishnah Kilaim 5:1. Every-where, ten trees planted on a bet seah are a model orchard. “Widely spaced” means less than ten to a bet seah, “tightly planted” more than ten.. Rebbi Eliezer ben Jacob makes them widely spaced, the rabbis make them tightly planted. So the rabbis said, if they are widely spaced, it is forbidden to irrigate105Irrigate the entire field at the same time.. May one continue? Let us learn the opinion of the rabbis from that of Rebbi Eliezer ben Jacob. Just as Rebbi Eliezer ben Jacob says, it is forbidden to irrigate but permitted to continue, so the rabbis say it is permitted to continue but forbidden to irrigate. Did we not think that according to everybody if they are widely spaced, it is forbidden; but is white dust not when they are widely spaced95Technical term for earth in an orchard whose trees are standing sufficiently apart (not more than 10 trees per bet seah.)? But here it is the Sabbatical, there the holiday106R. Eliezer ben Jacob may agree with the rabbis about the rules of a widely spaced orchard on a holiday and still disagree in matters of the Sabbatical year..
מַה בֵּין שְׁבִיעִית וּמַה בֵין מוֹעֵד. שְׁבִיעִית עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהוּא מוּתָּר בִּמְלָאכָה הִתִּירוּ בֵּין דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא טוֹרַח בֵּין דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ טוֹרַח. מוֹעֵד עַל יְדֵי שֶׁאָסוּר בִּמְלָאכָה לֹא הִתִּירוּ אֶלָּא דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא אָבַד וּבִלְבַד דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ טוֹרַח. וְאִית דְּבָעֵי נִישְׁמְעִינָהּ מִן הָדָא שְׁבִיעִית עַל יְדֵי שֶׁזְמַנָּהּ מְרוּבָּה הִתִּירוּ מוֹעֵד עַל יְדֵי שֶׁזְמַנָּוֹ קָצוּר אָסוּר. וְאוֹתָן שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרוֹת לֹא מִיסְתַּבְּרָא מֵיעַבְדִּינוּן כְּשִׁבְעַת יְמֵי הָרֶגֶל וְיִהְיוּ אֲסוּרִין. אַשְׁכָּח תַּנֵּי מַרְבִּצִין בְּעָפָר לָבָן בַּשְּׁבִיעִית אֲבָל לֹא בְּמוֹעֵד דִּבְרֵי רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן וְרִבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אוֹסֵר. What is the difference between Sabbatical and holiday? In the Sabbatical year, because work is permitted they permitted work needing effort as well was work not needing much effort. On a holiday, because work is forbidden107All unnecessary work is forbidden during the intermediate days of a 7 or 8 day holiday. The work permitted is work needed for the enjoyment of the holiday and work to prevent a possible loss. [In addition, public works are permitted if this will save taxpayers’ money.] they only permitted work to prevent loss and only if it does not need much effort. Some want to understand it from this: During the Sabbatical year, which lasts for a long time, they permitted; during holiday, which is a short time, they forbade. But would it not be reasonable to make these other seven days108Probably, one should read שבעת ימים אחרונות “the last seven days [of the Sabbatical year]” but there is no manuscript evidence for this. equal to the seven days of the holiday, and should they not be forbidden? It was found stated: “One may sprinkle with water on white dust during the Sabbatical year but not during the holiday, the words of Rebbi Simeon; Rebbi Eliezer ben Jacob forbids it.109There is no exception made for the last seven days. It follows that the first explanation is correct but the second one is not. In Mo‘ed Qaṭan, the quote reads only: “One may sprinkle with water on white dust during the Sabbatical year but not during the holiday.””