משנה: הַמֵּידַל בַּזֵּיתִים בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים יִגּוֹם. וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים יְשָׁרֵשׁ. וּמוֹדִים בְּמַחֲלִיק עַד שֶׁיִּגּוֹם. וְאֵי זֶהוּ הַמֵּידַל אֶחָד אוֹ שְׁנַיִם. הַמַּחֲלִיק שְׁלֹשָׁה זֶה בְצַד זֶה. בְּמַה דְבָרִים אֲמוּרִים מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁלּוֹ. אֲבָל מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁל חֲבֵירוֹ אַף הַמַּחֲלִיק יְשָׁרֵשׁ. הַמַּבְקִיעַ בַּזֵּיתִים לֹא יְחַפֵּהוּ בֶּעָפָר. אֲבָל מְכַסֵּהוּ בָּאֲבָנִים אוֹ בְקַשׁ. הַקּוֹצֵץ קוֹרַת שִׁקְמָה לֹא יְחַפֵּהוּ בֶּעָפָר. אֲבָל מְכַסֵּהוּ בָּאֲבָנִים אוֹ בְּקַשׁ. אֵין קוֹצְצִין בְּתוּלַת שִׁקְמָה בַּשְּׁבִיעִית. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא עֲבוֹדָה. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר כְּדַרְכָּהּ אָסוּר. אֶלָּא אוֹ מַגְבִּיעַ עֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים אוֹ גוֹמֵם מֵעִם הָאָרֶץ. MISHNAH: If somebody thins out olive trees59He takes out entire trees to give the remaining ones more space to grow. The House of Shammai require him to cut the stems near the ground but to leave the roots in because removing the roots is intensive agricultural work., the House of Shammai say he should cut them off, the House of Hillel say he may take out the roots, but they agree that one who levels may only cut off. What is thinning? One or two. Levelling are three adjacent to one another. When has this been said? On his own property. But from another’s property, even one who flattens may take out the roots.
If somebody cuts down an olive tree, he should not cover [the stump] with dust but cover it with stones or straw. If somebody cuts down a sycamore trunk71“Levelling” in the Mishnah is permitted (under the restrictions given there) if one removes not more than nine trees., he should not cover [the stump] with dust but cover it with stones or straw. One does not cut a virgin sycamore in the Sabbatical year because that is [agricultural] work. Rebbi Jehudah says, in a normal way it is forbidden but he [may] cut higher than ten hand-breadths or cut it down level with the ground.
הלכה: הַמֵּידַל בַּזֵּיתִים כו׳. מַהוּ הַמֵּידַל נוֹטֵל אֶחָד וּמֵנִיחַ שְׁנַיִם. אוֹ נוֹטֵל שְׁנַיִם וּמֵנִיחַ אֶחָד. תַּנֵּי דְבֵית רִבִּי נוֹטֵל אֶחָד וּמֵנִיחַ שְׁנַיִם. וְהָא תַנִּינָן הַמַּחֲלִיק בִּגְפָנִים שְׁלֹשָׁה זֶה בְצַד זֶה. הָא מֵידַל נוֹטֵל שְׁנַיִם וּמֵנִיחַ אֶחָד. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹנָה מַתְנִיתָא בְּמֵידַל מִכְּבָר כַּתְּחִילָּה. וּמַה דְתַנֵּיי דְבֵית רִבִּי בְּמֵידַל מִכְּבָר. HALAKHAH: “If somebody thins out olive trees,” etc. What is thinning? He removes one and leaves two, or removes two and leaves one. It was stated by the House of Rebbi: He removes one and leaves two. But did we not state: If somebody levels among vines, three adjacent to one another. Therefore, thinning must mean that one removes two and leaves one. Rebbi Jonah said, the baraita when he thins out the first time, and what was stated by the House of Rebbi when he already had thinned.
אֵין מַצִּיתִין אֶת הָאוֹר בְּאִישֹׁת קָנִים מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא עֲבוֹדָה. רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל מַתִּיר. וְכֵן הָיָה רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר נוֹטְעִין אִילַן סְרָק בַּשְּׁבִיעִית. וְאֵין מְלַמְּדִין אֶת הַפָּרָה לַחֲרוֹשׁ אֲלָּא בְחוֹלוֹת. רַבָּן שִׁמעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר אֲפִילוּ בְתוֹךְ שְׂדֵה חֲבֵירוֹ מוּתָּר. וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יִסְמוֹךְ אֶת הַמַּעֲנָה. “61A similar text in Tosephta 3:14. There, it reads” One does not harvest reeds from a thicket. One does not start a fire in reed thickets62In the Tosephta: .בחישת because that is [agricultural] work. Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel permits it. Similarly, Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel said, one may plant a useless tree63Cf. Sheviit 1:3:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sheviit.1.3.1">Chapter 1, Note 12. in the Sabbatical year. One teaches a cow to plough only in dunes; Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel says, it is permitted also in somebody else’s field on condition that one not make parallel furrows.64It should not look like professional work.”
תַּנֵּי אַבָּא שָׁאוּל אוֹמֵר מְבַדִּין בְּחֻרְשִׁים וְגוֹמֵם הָאָרֶץ וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יִקּוֹץ בְּקַרְדוֹם. אֵין בּוֹדְקִין אֶת הַזְּרָעִים בָּאֲדָמָה בֶּעָצִיץ אֲבָל בּוֹדְקִין אוֹתוֹ בִּגְלָלִים בֶּעָצִיץ. וְשׁוֹרִין אוֹתָן בַּשְּׁבִיעִית לְמוֹצָאֵי שְׁבִיעִית וּמְקַייְמִין אֶת הָאַלּוֹוִי בְּרֹאשׁ הַגַּג וְלֹא מַשְׁקִין אוֹתָן. אֵין תּוֹלִין תּוֹבִין בִּתְאֵינָה. כֵּיצַד הוּא עוֹשֶׂה מַייְתֵי יִיחוּר דִּתְאֵינָה שְׂטַר וְתָלֵי בָהּ וְאָמַר לָהּ הָדָא עָֽבְדָה וְאַתּ לֵית אַתְּ עָֽבְדָה. וְלֹא כֵן תַּנֵּי אִילָן שֶׁהוּא מְנַבֵּל פֵּירוֹתָיו סוֹקְרִין אוֹתוֹ בְסִיקְרָא וּמַטְעִינִין אוֹתוֹ אֲבָנַים וּמְבַהֲתִין לֵיהּ דְּיַעֲבִיד. אָֽמְרֵי תַמָּן דְּלָא יַתִּיר פֵּירוֹתָיו. בְּרַם הָכָא דְּיַעֲבִיד כַּתְּחִילָּה. It was stated66Tosephta 3:20; the first sentence only.: “Abba Shaul says one clears groves by cutting near the ground on condition that one should not fell with an axe. One does not try out seeds in soil in a flower pot but one tries them out in dung in a flower pot; one puts them in water in the Sabbatical year for the year after the Sabbatical67The seeds may be caused to sprout in the water for planting in the next year.. One keeps aloe on the roof but does not water it. One68Tosephta 1:9. תובא is Syriac “wild fig tree”; cf. I. Löw, Die Flora der Juden I, p. 233. does not put wild figs onto fig trees.” What does one do? One brings a branch of a wild fig, hangs it onto it, and tells it: That one produced and you did not produce! Did we not state69Ma‘aser Šeni 5:1 (fol. 52d); Shabbat.67a">Babli Šabbat 67a, Chullin.77b">Ḥulin 77b.: “If a tree sheds its fruits, one colors it red with vermilion, loads it with stones, and frightens it into producing.” They said, there that it should not loosen its fruits, here that it should start to produce.
אֵין מַרְכִּיבִין דְּקָלִים מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא עֲבוֹדָה. שֶׁלֹּא תֹאמַר הוֹאִיל וְהוּא רוֹבָהּ שָׁרֵי הוּא. לְפוּם כֵּן צָרִיךְ מֵימַר אָסוּר. One does not graft date palms because that is [agricultural] work70One cannot graft date palms. The paragraph refers to the technique of putting bunches of male flowers into the crown of a female tree to insure fertilization by the wind. One could think that this is permitted because a similar technique was approved in the preceding paragraph for fig trees (which, however, have both male and female flowers) and because without help the date palm might still produce some fruit. This “grafting” is forbidden in the Sabbatical because it is the standard agricultural technique.. That you should not say because it could bear it is permitted; therefore it is necessary to say that it is forbidden.
מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה וְעַד תִשְׁעָה הִיא מַתְנִיתָה. The Mishnah speaks about three to nine71“Levelling” in the Mishnah is permitted (under the restrictions given there) if one removes not more than nine trees..