משנה: כָּל־שֶׁהוּא בְּתוֹךְ בֵּית רוֹבַע עוֹלֶה בְמִידַּת בֵּית רוֹבַע. אֹכֶלֶת הַגֶּפֶן וְהַקֶּבֶר וְהַסֶּלַע עוֹלִין בְּמִידַּת בֵּית רוֹבַע. תְּבוּאָה בִתְבוּאָה בֵּית רוֹבַע יֶרֶק בְּיֶרֶק שִׁשָּׁה טְפָחִים. תְּבוּאָה בְיֶרֶק וְיֶרֶק בִּתְבוּאָה בֵּית רוֹבַע. רִבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר יֶרֶק בִּתְבוּאָה שִׁשָּׁה טְפָחִים. תְּבוּאָה נוֹטָה עַל גַּבֵּי תְבוּאָה וְיֶרֶק עַל גַּבֵּי יֶרֶק. תְּבוּאָה עַל גַּבֵּי יֶרֶק וְיֶרֶק עַל גַּבֵּי תְבוּאָה. הַכֹּל מוּתָּר חוּץ מִדְּלַעַת יְװָנִית. רִבִּי אוֹמֵר אַף הַקִּישּׁוּת וּפוּל הַמִּצְרִי וְרוֹאֶה אֲנִי אֶת דִּבְרֵיהֶם מִדְּבָרַי. MISHNAH: Anything that is inside the bet rova‘ counts for the measurement of bet rova‘157The bet rova‘ which must be left uncultivated between two fields. The separating space need not be fallow agricultural land; land which cannot be used for agriculture may be counted since all that is needed is a separation.. The surroundings of a vine158The space around a vine that must be left free for tending it. This space must also be kept free of weeds., a grave, or a rock159A rock outcropping less than 10 hand-breadths high; otherwise it would separate by itself. The same will hold for the space of a fence which does not have the required height. count for the measurement of bet rova‘. Grain and grain need a bet rova‘160Between two grain fields, the empty space is determined by a surface area of one bet rova‘. Between two vegetable fields, the space is 1 cubit in linear distance. This adds up to a bet rova‘ only if the fields are longer than 100 cubits., vegetable and vegetable six hand-breadths. Grain and vegetables, vegetables and grain161Irrespective of which field was there first. These rules apply only to distances between fields; as noted earlier, for a single row of vegetables even the rabbis only ask for a distance of six hand-breadths. need a bet rova‘. Rebbi Eliezer says, vegetable and grain six hand-breadths.
Grain leaning over grain176If oats with their soft stalks lean over straight wheat at the border between two fields, that is not bad, as long as the sowing was done correctly. The same is true for all other annual plants grown from seeds, except for Greek gourd having wide leaves and long, crawling stems which enter neighboring fields and appear as kilaim even if sown strictly separately. These must be confined to their own field., vegetable over vegetable, grain over vegetable, vegetable over grain, all is permitted except Greek gourd. Rebbi says, also green melon and Egyptian beans, but I prefer their words over my words177The Halakhah will explain Rebbi’s argument. One must assume that his statement expresses a family tradition..
הלכה: רִבִּי בּוּן בַּר חִייָה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי זְעִירָא לֹא שָׁנוּ אֶלָּא אוֹכֶלֶת הַגֶּפֶן הָא גֶּפֶן עַצְמָהּ לֹא. לָמָּה מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא אֲסוּרָה בַּהֲנָייָה. וַהֲרֵי הַקֶּבֶר אָסוּר בַּהֲנָייָה. קֶבֶר אֵין אִיסּוּרוֹ נִיכָּר. וַעֲבוֹדַת הַגֶּפֶן אֵין אֲסוּרָה בַּהֲנָייָה אֶלָּא כְּרִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל דְּרִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אָמַר אֵין עֲבוֹדָה לְגֶפֶן יְחִידִית. וַהֲרֵי הַקֶּבֶר אָסוּר בַּהֲנָייָה. קֶבֶר אֵין אִיסּוּרוֹ נִיכָּר. HALAKHAH: Rebbi Abun bar Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Zeïra: They taught only the surroundings of the vine, hence, not the vine itself162This must be a dried-up vine; a fruit-bearing vine certainly makes kilaim forbidden.. Why? Because it is forbidden for usufruct. But is not the grave also forbidden for usufruct? A grave is not recognizable as forbidden163While the remains of the dead are forbidden for any use, the status of the surrounding grave as forbidden is only rabbinical, and if the grave is covered only by a flat stone, as is usual in the Middle East, it is not directly recognizable.. And is the working space of a vine forbidden for usufruct? This follows Rebbi Ismael, since Rebbi Ismael said that a single vine does not have working space164One does not have to give a single vine six hand-breadths outside of the area shadowed by its branches and leaves, in which any kilaim would be “sanctified” and forbidden by Biblical decree. This goes against Mishnah 3:8. It follows that for a vineyard the surrounding working area cannot count as separation, since that would allow planting grain in the neighborhood of the vineyard.. But is not the grave forbidden for usufruct? A grave is not recognizable as forbidden.
תְּבוּאָה בִתְבוּאָה בֵּית רוֹבַע וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא תְּהֵא חֲבוּשָׁה מֵאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹתֶיהָ. רִבִּי זְעִירָא בָּעָא קוֹמֵי רִבִּי יָסָא כִּי נָן אָֽמְרִין הָדָא בִּקְעַת סִימוֹנִיָּא אֵין זוֹרְעִין לְתוֹכָהּ אֶלָּא מִין אֶחָד בִּלְבַד. “Grain and grain need a bet rova‘.” But only if it is not jailed on all four sides165A wheat field may not be surrounded by four other grain fields, none of them wheat.. Rebbi Zeïra asked before Rebbi Yasa: Does this mean that we say that in the ravine of Simonia166The Biblical Shimron, Semunieh, West of Nazareth. Since in a narrow ravine, the field is surrounded (“jailed”) from all sides, do the walls of the ravine play the role of fields in flat country? The question is not answered. one may sow only one kind?
מָתִיב לְרִבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר לְרַבָּנִין כְּמָה דְּאִית לְכוֹן קַל בְּשׁוּרָה וְחוֹמֶר בִּמְרוּבַּע. כֵּן אַשְׁכְּחָן דְּאִית לְרַבָּנִין קַל בְּשׁוּרָה וְחוֹמֶר בִּמְרוּבַּע. כְּהָדָא דְתַנֵּי הָרוֹצֶה לַעֲשׂוֹת שׁוּרָה שֶׁל יֶרֶק לְתוֹךְ שְׂדֵה תְבוּאָה. הֲרֵי זֶה עוֹשֶׂה אוֹרֶךְ שׁוּרָה אוֹרֶךְ עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת וּמֶחֱצָה עַל רוֹחַב שִׁשָּׁה. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן אֵינוֹ זוֹרֵעַ לְתוֹכָהּ אֶלָּא מִין אֶחָד בִּלְבַד. אָמַר רִבִּי זְעִירָא מוֹדֶה רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן כְּשֶׁהָיוּ שִׁבְעָה שֶׁהוּא זוֹרֵעַ טֶפַח מִיכָּן וְטֶפַח מִיכָּן אוֹתָן חֲמִשָּׂה נִידּוֹנִין לְכָאן וּלְכָאן. מִן מַה דְּרִבִּי זְעִירָא מָתִיב עַל דְּרִבִּי יוֹחָנָן תַּמָּן. Rebbi Eliezer objected to the rabbis: Are you not lenient for one row and restrictive for rectangles168To require a bet rova’ for rectangles when you require only three or six hand-breadths for rows, as above in Halakhah 7?? It is so, we find that the rabbis are lenient for one row and restrictive for rectangles, as it was stated: He who wants to make one row of vegetables in a grain field makes a row 10½ cubits long and six hand-breadths wide169He sows in the middle and has half a cubit distance from the field in both directions. The value 10.5 is a practical upper estimate of the edge length of a square containing a bet rova‘ (Note 153). R. Simson wants to take the 10 cubits as standard cubits of 6 hand-breadths each and .5 cubits as half a small cubit of 5 hand-breadths only, in order to get a better approximation. But such an exactness is illusory in agriculture; it is better to err a little on the upside.. Rebbi Joḥanan said, therein he sows only one kind. Rebbi Zeïra said, Rebbi Joḥanan agrees that if it is seven wide he sows one hand-breadth on one side, one on the other side, and the remaining five count for both sides170So that each row of vegetables has six hand-breadths for itself., just as Rebbi Zeïra had explained Rebbi Joḥanan’s opinion there171Halakhah 7, in which R. Zeïra asserted that R. Joḥanan permits the sowing of two rectangles in 1.5 bet rova‘..
נָטַע חֲצִי שׁוּרָה וְעָמַד לוֹ וּבִיקֵּשׁ לְהַתְחִיל בְּשׁוּרָה אֲחֶרֶת. רַב חִסְדָּא אָמַר אָסוּר אוֹמֵר לוֹ עֲקוֹר אֶת הַשּׁוּרָה אוֹ מַלֵּא אֶת הַשּׁוּרָה. Somebody planted half a row, stopped, and wanted to start a second row. Rav Ḥisda said, this is forbidden. One tells him, either tear out that row or finish it.
רִבִּי יוּדָן אָמַר אִיתְפַּלְּגוּן רִבִּי חִייָא בַּר בָּא וְרִבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר רַב יִצְחָק. חַד אָמַר אֲפִילוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה לְתוֹךְ שִׁשָּׁה. וְחָרָנָה אָמַר אֲפִילוּ אֶחָד מִיכָּן וְאֶחָד מִיכָּן וְאֶחָד בְּאֶמְצָע. וְלָא יָֽדְעִין מָאן אָמַר דָּא וּמָאן אָמַר דָּא. מִן מַה דְאָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי רִבִּי חִייָא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא שָׁם חָרֵבָה. הֲוֵי רִבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר רַב יִצְחָק הוּא דְּאָמַר אֲפִילוּ אֶחָד מִיכָּן וְאֶחָד מִיכָּן וְאֶחָד בְּאֶמְצָע. אִם הָיוּ צְדָדִין רָבִין עַל הֶחָרֵבָה מוּתָּר. Rebbi Judan said: Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba and Rebbi Samuel bar Rav Isaac disagree. One says, even three in a width of six173One may not sow anything that does not belong to the field unless one carves out a patch 10.5 by 1 cubits, but once one has that size, and the minimal width of 6 hand-breadths, one may plant there three rows of vegetables, if only one has orderly rows. The other opinion is that the rows must be equally spaced and there must be three hand-breadths between any two rows., the other said, one on one side, the other on the other side, and the third in the middle. We do not know who said what. Since Rebbi Yose said, Rebbi Ḥiyya174R. Ḥiyya bar Abba. Since he has to say that the rule does not apply if there is a dry patch in the rectangle, he cannot otherwise require that the rows be equally spaced since then the statement would be superfluous. Since he puts the distances between the rows at the discretion of the farmer, he has to add that one may not plan close-up rows in order to avoid a dry patch. in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan, only if there is no dry patch, that means that Rebbi Samuel bar Rav Isaac said: One on one side, the other on the other side, and the third in the middle. If the sides were more than the dry patch, it is permitted175If the strip is wider than six hand-breadths, so that there are six hand-breadths of good soil on any perpendicular to the length of the rows of vegetables, the dry patch is no obstacle..
תַּנֵּי חֲמִשָּׁה דְּבָרִים נֶאֶמְרוּ בִּדְלַעַת יְװָנִית אֵין מְסַכְּכִין אוֹתָהּ עַל גַּבֵּי זְרָעִים. וּמֵבִיאִין אֶת הַטּוּמְאָה וְחוֹצֶצֶת אֶת הַטּוּמְאָה וְעוּקְצָהּ טֶפַח וְאוֹסֶרֶת כָּל־שֶׁהוּא. וְהַנּוֹדֵר מִן הַדִּילוּעִין אֵינוֹ אָסוּר אֶלָּא בִדְלַעַת יְװָנִית בִּלְבַד. רִבִּי יוֹנָה בָּעֵי וְלָמָּה לֵית אֲנָן אָֽמְרִין מֵבִיאָה אֶת הַטּוּמְאָה וְחוֹצֶצֶת אֶת הַטּוּמְאָה תַּרְתֵּי. תַּנֵּי בַּר קַפָּרָא שֶׁבַע. אֵין מְסַכְּכִין אוֹתָהּ עַל גַּבֵּי זְרָעִים וּמֵבִיאָה אֶת הַטּוּמְאָה וְחוֹצֶצֶת אֶת הַטּוּמְאָה וְיָדָהּ טֶפַח וְנוֹתְנִין לָהּ עֲבוֹדָתָהּ וְכִלְאַיִם עִם אֲרָמִית וְכִלְאַיִם עִם הָֽרְמוּצָה וְלֹא תָנָא אוֹסֶרֶת וְלֹא תָנָא נְדָרִים. It was stated178Tosephta Kilaim 1:5.: “Five things were said about Greek gourd: One may not allow it to cover grains179As explained in the previous Halakhah, its leaves cannot be allowed to grow over other plants because it would look like kilaim., it brings impurity and stops impurity180If the leaves of Greek gourd are growing on a trellis, they act as roof. A human corpse in a house (“a tent,” Num. 19:14) brings impurity on everything in the house. On the other hand, the roof of the house and anything above it are free from impurity. If the corpse is not in a house, anybody who would step over it would create a temporary tent and hence would become impure. The leaves of the pumpkin act as roof, so that a dead body under part of it would bring impurity to all vessels or people found under any other leaves extending from the same vine. Consequently, a person being above these leaves would not become impure because the roof under him protects him from impurity., its stalk is one hand-breadth181Food can become impure, the plant on which it grows cannot. The connection of the fruit to the stem is the stalk; this can still become impure. This rule is found in Mishnah ‘Uqeẓin 1:6., the tiniest amount of it makes forbidden182If the pumpkin is forbidden for any reason, then even the smallest amount mixed with other food makes all the food forbidden because of its importance. The complete list of vegetables with this property is given in Mishnah ‘Orlah 3:7., and to him who makes a vow not to use pumpkins, only Greek gourd is forbidden.” Rebbi Jonah asked, why do we not count “it brings impurity and stops impurity” as two? Bar Qappara stated seven: “One may not allow it to cover grains, it brings impurity, it stops impurity, its stalk is one hand-breadth, one gives it its working space183In this respect it is like vines, since the working space around it is not counted as empty for the minimum separation of different species., it is kilaim with Aramean [pumpkin], and kilaim with ash pumpkin184See Mishnah 1:5..” He did not state that it makes forbidden or anything about making a vow185He disagreed with the statements about these topics..
אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי רִבִּי גַמְלִיאֵל בְּרִבִּי נְפַק לְשׁוּקָא. אֲתוּן שָׁאֲלוּן לֵיהּ סִיכּוּךְ שֶׁאָֽמְרוּ בְּנוֹגֵעַ. אֲתָא שָׁאַל לְאָבוֹי אֲמַר לֵיהּ סִיכּוּךְ שֶׁאָֽמְרוּ בְּנוֹגֵעַ. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹנָה רִבִּי הִלֵּל בֵּירִבִּי װַלֶס נְפַק לְשׁוּקָא. אֲתוּן וְשָׁאֲלוּן לֵיהּ סִיכּוּךְ שֶׁאָֽמְרוּ בְּנוֹגֵעַ. אֲתָא שָׁאַל לְאָבוֹי אֲמַר לֵיהּ סִיכּוּךְ שֶׁאָֽמְרוּ בְּנוֹגֵעַ. Rebbi Yose said, Rebbi Gamliel, the son of Rebbi, went to the market186This paragraph is partially in Aramaic since it involves the unlearned.. They came and asked him whether the roofing they mentioned187For Greek gourd, whether it forms kilaim only if the leaves actually touch the other produce, or whether it is also kilaim if the plani stretches out on a high trellis. The answer is, kilaim only applies in the first case. referred to touching. He went and asked his father, who told him that the roofing they mentioned referred to touching. Rebbi Jonah said, Rebbi Hillel ben Rebbi Vales went to the market. They came and asked him whether the roofing they mentioned referred to touching. He went and asked his father, who told him that the roofing they mentioned referred to touching.
מַהוּ רוֹאֶה אֲנִי אֶת דִּבְרֵיהֶם מִדְּבָרַי. אָמַר רִבִּי חִינְנָא אִם דְּלַעַת מִצְרִית שֶׁהִיא מְסַכֶּכֶת אָמַר מוּתָּר. קִישׁוּת וּפוּל הַמִּצְרִי לֹא כָּל־שֶׁכֵּן. אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא מָרִי לֹא כֵן הֲוָה רִבִּי מָנָא אוֹמֵר. רִבִּי אָמַר כָּל־הֵן דְּתַנִּינָן קִישׁוּת וּפוּל הַמִּצְרִי אַף דְּלַעַת מִצְרִית בִּכְלָל. מַהוּ רוֹאֶה אֲנִי אֶת דִּבְרֵיהֶם מִדְּבָרַיי. שֶׁאֵין כּוּלָּן מְסַכְּכִין כִּדְלַעַת יְװָנִית. What means “but I prefer their words over my words?” Rebbi Ḥinena said, if Egyptian pumpkin whose leaves form roofs is permitted, green melon and Egyptian beans so much more. Rebbi Abba Mari said, Rebbi Mana did not say so. Rebbi said, all those about which we did state “green melon and Egyptian beans,” also include Egyptian pumpkin. What means “but I prefer their words over my words?” That none of these form roofs like Greek gourd188Their leaves are not as large as those of Greek gourd..