משנה: עֲרוּגָה שֶׁהִיא שִׁשָּׁה עַל שִׁשָּׁה טְפָחִים זוֹרְעִין בְּתוֹכָהּ חֲמִשָּׁה זֵרְעוֹנִין אַרְבָּעָה בְּאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת עֲרוּגָה וְאֶחָד בְּאֶמְצַע. הָיָה לָהּ גְּבוּל גָּבוֹהַּ טֶפַח זוֹרְעִין בְּתוֹכָהּ שְׁלֹשָׁה עֶשְׂרֵה שְׁלֹשָׁה עַל כָּל־גּוֹבֵל וְגוֹבֵל וְאֶחָד בְּאֶמְצַע. לֹא יִטַּע רֹאשׁ הַלֶּפֶת בְּתוֹךְ הַגּוֹבֵל מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא מְמַלֵּיהוּ. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר שִׁשָּׁה בְּאֶמְצַע. MISHNAH: In a garden bed that is six by six hand-breadths1This is the minimal size (about 0.3 m2) of a plot that can be planted with different kinds. The rules for garden beds are different from those of fields. If no trees are involved, then the only requirements are that the different kinds not be sown together and that they form distinct smaller beds (with straight boundaries), so that they should not appear continuous. It will be stated in later Mishnaiot that two different patches either may come together as the vertex of a triangle, ראש תור, touching a straight side, or that the two patches meet in a pair of vertical angles, or that the patch boundaries are parallel and separated, either by a ditch one hand-breadth deep and wide and six long, or by an earthwall one hand-breadth high and one wide, or by a strip of flat empty ground 1½ hand-breadths wide. The Halakhah will explain that under most circumstances, one must leave the corners of the ערוגה-square empty. The problem of interpretation of the Mishnah is to find a way that gives the farmer maximum use of his soil. The maximum problem was solved by Maimonides, whose interpretation we follow here. A similar explanation is given by Rashi, Babli Šabbat 84b; Rashi’s explanation is identical with one by an unnamed Gaon, Oẓar Hageonim Šabbat p. 83–86. [In all these discussions, “six hand-breadths” is used, not “one cubit,” since there is an opinion (Tosephta Kelim Baba Meẓia‘ 6:13) that in all that concerns kilaim, a cubit is only five hand-breadths. For the metric equivalents of these measurements, cf. Chapter 4, Note 2.] one may sow five kinds of seeds, four at its four sides and one in the middle2Divide the 6×6 plot into 36 squares of one hand-breadth edge length each. Along the four edges, the corner squares are left fallow. Then on each edge, a rectangle, 4 long and 1 wide, can be planted. These 4 rectangles can be planted with 4 different kinds since they meet only at a pair of vertical angles. Together, they contain 16 of the 1-by-1 squares. The interior edges of the rectangles enclose a 4×4 square. In this square, a square can be planted in the shape of a diamond, having its vertices at the midpoints of the inner edges of the rectangles. This is permitted as ראש תור since the rules of “jailing” do not apply to flower beds. The diagonals of the diamond have length 4; it covers exactly half of the internal square of 16 square hand-breadths. Hence, the entire cultivated area is 8 + 4×4 = 24 hand-breadths square.
[If we assume that the fallow squares at the corners have edge length a, then the total cultivated area, in square hand-breadths, is
f(a) = 4a(6 - 2a) + 0.5(6 - 2a)2.
A simple computation then shows that the maximum is attained for a = 1, f(1) = 24. R. Obadiah of Bertinoro objects to the use of diamonds in farming; his optimal solution has 4 1.5-by-3 rectangles along the sides and a single plant in the center of the square, total area 18+ε. A different approach by R. Ḥananel, based on the Halakhah here, leads only to a cultivated area of 13, and a more detailed analysis of the Halakhah by R. Simson to 15.04. R. Simson’s explanation is given in the Halakhah; the statement it refers to proves the existence of an arrangement of five different kinds, not the optimal arrangement.]. If it has a wall around it at least one hand-breadth high, one may sow in it thirteen kinds: three on each of the three sides of the wall, and one in the middle3Since now the entire plot is 8-by-8 hand-breadths, if on the elevated border one leaves the corner 1-by-l square empty, one may plant on the border three different 1-by-l patches separated by the required 1.5 hand-breadths. Then in the middle one may plant one large diamond that touches the sides of the ערוגה at their midpoints. The total area is 64 square hand-breadths, the cultivated area is 4×3 + 18 = 30.
. One should not plant a head of turnip in that wall because it fills it4The leaves of the turnip will grow into the empty spaces between the different kinds and no separation will be visible.. Rebbi Jehudah says, six kinds may be in the middle5If 12 little patches are sown on the border wall, the internal 6-by-6 bed may be planted in two rows of three rhombs each. Each rhomb is three high and two wide. (The edge length of each rhomb is l = √3.25, half the acute vertex angle is given by sin α = 2/3. Hence, the distance between two parallel edges of two parallel rhombs is d = l sin 2α = 1.792 > 1.5, and the arrangement is legitimate. If the inner ערוגה would be filled by 9 1-by-l diamonds, the distance between parallel patches would be only 1; this is too small. Hence, for regular patterns, 6 is the maximum number.)
This arrangement increases the number of kinds that can be sown but it does not change the total cultivated area. (According to R. Obadiah of Bertinoro, R. Jehudah refers only to the ערוגה that is surrounded by an earth wall, so that the corners can also be sown. His configuration is of six 2.25-by-1 rectangles separated by strips 1.5 wide, sitting on two parallel edges of the square.).
הלכה: זֵרֻעֶיהָ מִיעוּט זְרָעִים שְׁנַיִם. אָמַר רִבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר סִיסַרְטָא מִשְּׁנַיִם אַתְּ לָמֵד אַרְבָּעָה. מַה שְׁנַיִם אַתְּ נוֹתֵן בִּתְחִילַּת שִׁשָּׁה וּמֵיצַר וְהוֹלֵךְ. אַף אַרְבָּעָה אַתְּ נוֹתֵן בִּתְחִילַּת שִׁשָּׁה וּמֵיצַר וְהוֹלֵךְ. אֵי אֵיפְשַׁר שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא שָׁם נֶקֶב אֶחָד פָּנוּי לִיטַּע בּוֹ אֶת הָאֶמְצָעִית. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹנָה עֲבוֹדָה פוֹגֵעַ בַּעֲבוֹדָה וְאֵין מִין פּוֹגֵעַ בַּחֲבֵירוֹ לְחוֹבְשׁוֹ. רִבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי זְרִיעֶיהָ זְרָעֶיהָ זֵרוּעֶיהָ. וּכְרִבִּי יוּדָה דְּרִבִּי יוּדָה אָמַר שִׁשָּׁה זֶרַע זַרְעָהּ זְרָעֶיהָ זֵרֻעֶיהָ. רִבִּי חַגַּיי אָמַר זֵרֻעֶיהָ חֲמִשָּׁה כָּל־הֵן דַּאֲנָא מַשְכָּח לָהּ וֹיֹ אֲנָא מְחַק לֵיהּ. אִשְׁתָּאִילַת לְרַב הוּנָא סַפְרָא דְּסִידְרָא וַאֲמַר זֵירוּעֶיהָ מָֽלְיָא. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי יַנַּיי כּוֹלְהוֹן בְּתוֹךְ שִׁשָּׁה. כַּהֲנָא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ כּוֹלְהֹן חוּץ לְשִׁשָּׁה. אִם כּוֹלְהֹן חוּץ לְשִׁשָּׁה נִיתְנֵי תִשְׁעָה. אָמַר רִבִּי תַּנְחוּם בּוֹצְרַייָא וְכֵן הִיא בַּעֲרוּגָה שֶׁבָּעֲרוּגוֹת הִיא מַתְנִיתָה. HALAKHAH: (Is. 61:11) “Its sown seeds,” the minimum of seeds are two8The entire paragraph appears in Šabbat 9:2 as commentary on the Mishnah: “(R. Aqiba said,) from where do we know that one may sow five different kinds in a garden bed that is six-by-six hand-breadths, four at the four edges and one in the middle? For it is said: For as earth will produce its plants, and as a garden will make its seedlings germinate.… It does not say, ‘it will make germinate its seedling’ but ‘its seedlings.’ ” The verse uses a plural for the seedlings in a garden (interpreted as one garden bed); this proves only that it is possible to sow more than one kind.. Rebbi Samuel bar Sisarṭa9He appears elsewhere as R. Samuel bar Sosarṭa, bar Sotar (Berakhot p. 63). said, from two you infer four. Just as for two you start at the beginning of six and reduce continuously, so for four you start at the beginning of six and reduce continuously. It is impossible that there should not be a free space to plant in the middle10The argument as explained by R. Simson: At the end of the paragraph, it is stated that one deals with a vegetable bed surrounded by other vegetable beds. The rules of “jailing” require that at the corners squares of one hand-breadth each must be empty. In order to grow two kinds of plants, one may sow two strips, each 4 hand-breadths long, along parallel edges, each one 2.25 hand-breadths wide, so that the required separation of 1.5 hand-breadths be observed in the middle. But then the argument may be used also for the other two edges. That means that one sows four triangular patches; each one has a base of 4 hand-breadths on an edge of the garden bed, with base angles of 45°. These triangles must be separated by strips 1.5 hand-breadths wide. This means that at the edges, we must leave a square of edge length a empty, whose diagonal is 1.5 = a√2. Hence, a = 1.061; the bases of the triangle can only be 3.878 hand-breadths. In that case, the distance of the third vertex of the triangle from its base is equal to half the base on the edge, or 1.939 hand-breadths. The distance from the center is a = 1.061 < 1.5. In order to plant a single seed in the middle, it is therefore necessary to cut off the triangles at distance 1.5 from center and edge, creating four congruent trapezoids. The height of a trapezoid is h=1.5, its base 2b=3.878. By similar triangles, the length t of its top is given by 2b/b = t/(b-h) or t = 0.878. That makes it possible to plant a single fifth kind in a small space in the middle. The total area planted amounts to four times the area of the trapezoids, 15.044 square hand-breadths, plus the area of the small space in the middle.
. Rebbi Jonah said, working space joins working space but a kind does not meet another kind to jail it11Each separate kind needs a working space around it, given by the strip of width 1.5 hand-breadths, but the same strip does serve two different kinds without problem. Also, the rules of “jailing” only apply to fields, not to garden beds.. Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: “Its seed, its seeds, its sown seeds.12Here starts a new approach, that the verse itself implies more than 2 kinds. The word זרוּע appears only twice in the Bible, Is. 61:11 and in a description of grain (Lev. 11:37): “seeds of seedlings that may be sown.” In contrast to modern dictionaries which take זרוע as a word different from זרע, the authors here take it as expansion of זרע “seed.” The root is expanded three times, by taking the plural, adding a possessive suffix, and adding the letter ו. Each change is taken as a plural, hence three plurals are added for a total of six.” That follows Rebbi Jehudah, since Rebbi Jehudah said six, “seed, its seed, its seeds, its sown seeds.” Rebbi Ḥaggai said, זרעיה has five letters; everywhere I find ו,י I delete them13R. Ḥaggai assumes that originally all Hebrew spelling was what is called defective. Hence, any ו or י that is neither part of the root nor required by grammatical rules is considered an addition by later scribes and therefore is disregarded. That eliminates the ו but leaves the י which is required as sign of plural. One ends up with five letters, following the anonymous opinion in the Mishnah.. This was asked of Rav Huna, the scribe of the assembly, and he said, זרועיה is written plene14The spelling זירועיה in the text is certainly wrong since the expression of ־ֵ by י is standard only in Mishnaic and later texts, not in Biblical ones. Hence, the plene writing refers to the masoretic spelling of the word; one has six letters supporting Rebbi Jehudah.. Rebbi Joḥanan in the name of Rebbi Yannai: All inside of six15All seeds are sown in the interior of the bed, away from the corners.. Cahana in the name of Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish: All at the outside of six16The corners at the boundary, which are at the outside, are sown. Then one may sow four 1-by-l corner patches, four 1-by-l patches at the center of each edge, and a center diamond, for a total of nine patches.. Then we should state “nine!” Rebbi Tanḥum from Bostra17A student of R. Jeremiah and teacher of R. Eliezer ben R. Yose, from the town of Bostra, at the Southern border of the province of Trachonitis, on the road from Damascus to Edrei. said, that is true. But our Mishnah speaks of a garden bed in the middle of garden beds18Since the rules of “jailing” apply to garden beds as a whole, not to smaller patches, the corners cannot be sown. This is the opinion of Samuel in the Babli (Šabbat 86b). Otherwise, it really is possible to sow 9 kinds, as the Babli puts it (Šabbat 86a), in the case of a garden bed planted on land otherwise dry, with no other beds nearby. Rav in the Babli still admits only five kinds even on dry land..
רִבִּי יִצְחָק וְרִבִּי אִימִּי הֲווֹן יָֽתְבִין מַקְשֵׁיי תַּנִּינָן הָיָה לוֹ גּוֹבֵל גָּבוֹהַּ טֶפַח זוֹרְעִין בְּתוֹכָהּ שְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר שְׁלֹשָׁה עַל כָּל־גּוֹבֵל וְגוֹבֵל וְאֶחָד בְּאֶמְצַע. נִיתְנֵי שִׁשָּׁה בְאֶמְצַע. תִּיפְתָּר שֶׁהַגּוֹבְלִין מְמַעֲטִין שִׁשָּׁה. אִם בְּשֶׁהַגּוֹבְלִין מְמַעֲטִין שִׁשָּׁה בְּדָה תַנִּינָן רִבִּי יוּדָה אוֹמֵר שִׁשָּׁה בְּאֶמְצַע. וְקִייַמְּנוּהָ וְלָא יָֽדְעִין אִי חֲבֵרָיָא קִייַמְּנוּהָ אִי רִבִּי אִימִּי קִייְמָהּ. עַל רֹאשָׁהּ. וְאִין עַל רֹאשָׁהּ בְּדָה תַנֵּי רִבִּי חִייָא רִבִּי יוּדָה אוֹמֵר שְׁמוֹנָה עָשָׂר. Rebbi Isaac and Rebbi Immi were sitting and asking, did we not state: “If it had a wall around it at least one hand-breadth high, one may sow in it thirteen kinds: three at each of the three sides of the wall, and one in the middle.” Should we not state, ‘six in the middle?’19As was shown in the Mishnah, a six-by-six plot may be sown in six rhombs. Explain it if the walls diminish six20The leaves of the three patches on the border wall hang down and leave less than a 6-by-6 plot in the middle.. If the walls diminish six, is it that about which we stated: “Rebbi Jehudah says, six kinds may be in the middle?” We upheld it, but we do not know whether the colleagues upheld it or Rebbi Immi did; it refers to the beginning21Rebbi Jehudah disagrees with the anonymous Tanna of the first statement in the Mishnah and asserts that one may sow 6 distinct kinds in a garden bed.. And if it refers to the beginning, it is that about which Rebbi Ḥiyya stated: Rebbi Jehudah says, 1822This can only refer to the case of the garden bed with 12 little patches on the surrounding elevated wall and 6 rhombs in the middle, for a total of 18. This is possible since the outer patches are a hand-breadth higher than the planted rhombs which, therefore, do not have to be 1.5 hand-breadths distant from the border patches (the actual horizontal distance is only 1.5/√3.25 = .832.).
מַהוּ לְהַקְרִיחַ בֵּית רוֹבַע וְלִזְרֹעַ בְּתוֹכוֹ חֲמִשָּׁה מִינֵי תְבוּאָה. מַה אִם שִׁשָּׁה עַל שִׁשָּׁה שֶׁלּוֹקִין עָלָיו דְּבַר תּוֹרָה אַתְּ אָמַר מוּתָּר. כָּאן שֶׁאֵין לוֹקִין עָלָיו דְּבַר תּוֹרָה לֹא כָּל־שֶׁכֵּן. מַהוּ לְהַקְרִיחַ בִּתְחִילַּת שִׁשָּׁה לִהְיוֹת מֵיצַר וְהוֹלֵךְ. מַה אִם בְּשָׁעָה (שֶׁאֵין) עֲבוֹדָה פוֹגַעַת בַּעֲבוֹדָה אַתְּ אָמַר מוּתָּר. כָּאן שֶׁאֵין עֲבוֹדָה פוֹגַעַת בַּעֲבוֹדָה לֹא כָּל־שֶׁכֵּן. לֹא צוּרְכָא דִי לָא. מַהוּ לְהַקְרִיחַ בִּתְחִילַּת בֵּית רוֹבַע לִהְיוֹת מֵיצַר וְהוֹלֵךְ. מַה אִם שִׁשָּׁה עַל שִׁשָּׁה שֶׁלּוֹקִין עָלָיו דְּבַר תּוֹרָה אַתְּ אָמַר מוּתָּר. כָּאן שֶׁאֵין לוֹקִין עָלָיו דְּבַר תּוֹרָה לֹא כָּל־שֶׁכֵּן. May one raze a bet rova‘ and sow in it five different kinds of grain24In one of the patterns established for a garden bed, homothetically amplified. The side of a square containing a bet rova‘ is 10.206 cubits (Peah, Chapter 2, Note 78).
The Arabic verb קרח has many disparate meanings. One of them in the first conjugation is: “to dig a well”, another one in the eighth, “to improvise”. As noted in Chapter 2, Note 150, the derived noun קראח means “plot prepared for sowing”. Since Arabic terms for agriculture are mostly taken from the languages of sedentary people living near Arabia, it might be that הקריח is an unrecognized Hebrew verb meaning “to prepare for agricultural use”.? If about a six-by-six, for whose infringement one is whipped by Biblical decree25As given in Mishnah 2:10, a violation of the requirement of a six-by-six empty space is punishable, but the six-by-six plot itself may be sown in different patches. Hence, the bet rova‘, which for separation is only a rabbinical requirement, cannot have more stringent rules., you say it is permitted, then so much more here where you are not whipped by Biblical decree. May one raze at the corners of a six-by-six to make a continously narrowing patch26Is the construction of the trapezoids described in the first paragraph of the Halakhah legitimate?? If in a case where working space does meet working space27In the case of the arrangement described in the Mishnah (following Maimonides and Rashi) there is no space reserved for working the patches; they cannot be shared. In the case of the trapezoids there is space reserved and the spaces are shared.
Translation and explanation follow the Rome ms. in which the word שאין is missing. If the word is read, with the Leyden ms. and the Venice print, the argument following has no basis., you say that it is permitted, then so much more in this case where working space does not meet working space. That28The entire question, since the triangular-trapezoidal configuration described in the Halakhah is far from optimal as far as utilization of the soil is concerned. was unnecessary. May one raze at the corners of a bet rova‘ to make a continously narrowing patch? If about a six-by-six, for whose infringement one is whipped by Biblical decree, you say it is permitted, then so much more here where you are not whipped by Biblical decree29For a bet rova‘ one proposes to make trapezoids with sides inclined 45°, starting out at a distance of 1.061 from the vertex and narrowing to a distance of 1.5 from the center; see Note 10, fig. 3–4. In that case, the base is 8.084 cubits, the vertex of the isosceles triangle of angle 45° is again at distance a = 1.061 from the center and the length of the top of the trapezoid is again t = 0.878. Since in the trapezoidal configuration the plots do not touch, there is no question of “jailing”, which is permitted for garden beds and forbidden for larger fields; hence, what is permitted for garden beds in this case is also permitted for a bet rova‘. (The configuration of Maimonides cannot be carried over to larger fields.).
רִבִּי נַסָּא שָׁאַל לֹא מִסְתַּבְּרָא בְּגַגּוֹ שֶׁל גּוֹבֵל שְׁנֵי טְפָחִים מוּתָּר לִזְרוֹעַ בּוֹ שְׁנֵי מִינִין. רִבִּי נַסָּה שָׁאַל עָשָׂה פֵּיאָה בְּאֶמְצַע זָרַע בְּגַו מֵסִין מְשָׁכוֹ בְּכַמָּה. מִן מַה דְּאָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק וְרִבִּי אִימִּי תִּיפְתָּר שֶׁהַגּוֹבְלִין מְמַעֲטִין שִׁשָּׁה. הָדָא אָֽמְרָה אֲפִילוּ פָּרָה מִיכָּן. עַד הֵיכָן. נִישְׁמְעִינָהּ מִן הָדָא גוֹמְמִיּוֹת שֶׁהֵן עֲמוּקוֹת טֶפַח זוֹרְעִין לְתוֹכָהּ שְׁלֹשָׁה זֵירְעוֹנִין אֶחָד מִיכָּן וְאֶחָד מִיכָּן וְאֶחָד בְּאֶמְצַע. הָדָא אָֽמְרָה עַד טֶפַח. רִבִּי בָּא בַּר כַּהֲנָא שִׁמְעוֹן בַּר נְרָשִׁיָּה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ בְּנוֹטִים לְחוֹרֵבָה שָׁנוּ. Rebbi Nassa asked: Is it not reasonable that, if the top of the surrounding wall is two hand-breadths wide, one is permitted to sow on it two kinds30Leave the outermost one hand-breadth square at the outer edge empty, then plant one hand-breadth square at the inner part of the 2-by-2 corner and then four times 1-by-l.5 of different kinds alternatingly on both sides of the wall along an edge, and so on all around the bed.? Rebbi Nassa asked: If he drew a string31For this meaning of פיאה cf. Chapter 1, Note 159. Since in the absence of vines all that is demanded to avoid kilaim is that the patches in which different kinds are sown be divided by clear dividing lines and, as a rabbinic requirement, that the kinds be visibly separated, the erection of a symbolic wall satisfies the rabbinic requirement. The question is, how narrow is the minimum domain cordoned off by the פיאה? in the middle32Greek μέσος, η, ον “middle-, in the middle”. (Rome ms: נימוס.), sowed in half of it, how far can he draw it? From what Rebbi Isaac and Rebbi Immi said33Earlier in this Halakhah., “explain it if the walls diminish six,” that means that it may be even less34Latin parum, cf. Demai, p. 521. than that. Let us hear from the following35Tosephta Kilaim 2:9, with slightly changed language, תלמיות “little furrows,” instead of גוממיות “little holes.”: “In depressions that are one hand-breadth deep one may sow three seeds, one on each side and one in the middle.” That means, down to one hand-breadth36Any strip one hand-breadth wide may be cordoned off and sown in its entire length, irrespective of anything surrounding it.. Rebbi Abba bar Cahana, Simeon from Nerash37Nothing is known about him. Nerash is a town on the Euphrates (in the Babli its reputation is bad.) The word בר is missing in the Rome ms. in the name of Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish: They taught “leaning towards a dry spot”38The main point of this remark is in Halakhah 5. R. Simeon ben Laqish rejects the Tosephta quoted earlier which asserts that “a man may make little furrows in his field,” and asserts that seeds of three different species, planted along the diagonal of a unit square, are permitted only if the surroundings are dry spots, nothing is planted there, and one will be able to turn the leaves of the plants growing in the corners to the outside in opposite directions and the leaves of the plant growing in the middle in the direction of the other (perpendicular) diagonal. (This is the position of Rav in the Babli, Šabbat 85a. It is rejected there by Samuel, loc. cit. 85b.).
אָמַר רִבִּי זְעִירָא כָּל־טֶפַח וְטֶפַח שֶׁל גּוֹבֵל עָשׂוּ אוֹתוֹ מָקוֹם בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ. וְיִהְיוּ עֶשְׂרִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה שִׁשָּׁה עַל כָּל־גּוֹבֵל וְגוֹבֵל וְאֶחָד בְּאֶמְצַע. וְכֵן הוּא הָתִיב רִבִּי בּוּן בַּר חִייָה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר רַב יִצְחָק. וְהָֽתַנִּינָן הַתֶּלֶם וְאַמַּת הַמַּיִם שֶׁהֵן עֲמוּקִין טֶפַח זוֹרְעִין לְתוֹכָן שְׁנֵי זֵירְעוֹנִין אֶחָד מִיכָּן וְאֶחָד מִיכָּן וְאֶחָד בְּאֶמְצַע. וְנִיתְנֵי חֲמִשָּׁה שְׁנַיִם מִיכָּן וּשְׁנַיִם מִיכָּן וְאֶחָד בְּאֶמְצַע. לֵית יָכִיל צַד שֶׁכָּאן וְצַד שֶׁכָּאן חוֹבֵשׁ אֶת הָאֶמְצָעִי. Rebbi Zeïra said, they made every single hand-breadth39Each 1-by-l square on the elevated wall. on the border wall a domain for itself. Then there should be 25, six on each side of the border wall and one in the middle! Is that so? Rebbi Abun bar Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Samuel bar Rav Isaac objected: Did we not state40Mishnah 3:2. that “in a furrow or a water canal one hand-breadth deep one may sow (two)41Obviously, it should read “three” as in the Mishnah, but the same mistake “two” is found in both mss. kinds of seeds, one on each side and one in the middle.” Should one not state five, two on each side42One at the bottom and one at the top, separated by a vertical distance of at least one hand-breadth. This arrangement does not have the exemption from the rules of jailing but is considered a regular field. Hence, the arrangement is impossible. and one in the middle? That is impossible; the two sides jail the middle one.
רִבִּי בּוּן בַּר חִייָה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר רַב יִצְחָק בָּעֵי גּוֹבֵל מַהוּ שֶׁיַּצִּיל אֶת הַיֶּרֶק מִיַּד מוּקְשָׁה. מַה אִם זְרָעִים בִּזְרָעִים שֶׁהֵן נִיצּוֹלִין בְּעֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת וּמֶחֱצָה אֵין הַגּוֹבֵל מַצִּיל מִיָּדָם. מוּקְשָׁה שֶׁהוּא נִיצּוֹל בִּשְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֶה לֹא כָּל־שֶׁכֵּן. מוּקְשָׁה עַצְמוֹ מַהוּ שֶׁיַּצִּיל בְּרֹאשׁ הַגּוֹבֵל. מַה אִם זְרָעִים בִּזְרָעִים שֶׁהֵן נִיצּוֹלִין בְּעֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת וּמֶחֱצָה אֵינָן נִיצּוֹלִין בְּרֹאשׁ הַגּוֹבֵל. מוּקְשָׁה שֶׁהוּא נִיצּוֹל בִּשְׁמֹנֶה אַמּוֹת לֹא כָּל־שֶׁכֵּן. אָמַר רִבִּי יוּדָן אָבוֹיי דְּרִבִּי מַתַּנְיָא וְהֵן הוּא כָּל־שֶׁכֵּן. אֶלָּא הָכֵן הוּא. וּמַה אִם זְרָעִים בִּזְרָעִים שֶׁנִּיצּוֹלִין בִּשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר אַמָּה וּמֶחֱצָה אֵינָן נִיצּוֹלִין בְּרֹאשׁ הַגּוֹבֵל. מוּקְשָׁה שֶׁהוּא נִיצּוֹל בִּשְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה לֹא כָּל־שֶׁכֵּן. Rebbi Abun bar Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Samuel bar Rav Isaac asked: Does the border wall save vegetables from melons44Melons and squash whose stems grow meandering over large areas and whose leaves are broad are subject to special rules expressed in Mishnaiot 3:3 ff. Since they also can be counted as vegetables, do the leniencies of the border wall extend to these plants?? If the border wall does not save different kinds of grains that are saved by 10.5 cubits45Grains sown in fields must be separated by a bet rova‘, 10.21 cubits square (here rounded upwards to 10.5), and no border wall is ever mentioned in the rules that govern these fields. Squash and melon for whom we require a separation of 12 cubits along the entire length of the field cannot possibly have more lenient rules., does this not apply a fortiori to melons that are saved only by twelve cubits? Does planting melon save on top of the border wall46If a melon or squash is planted on top of the wall, may one sow other vegetables in the garden bed, immediately adjacent to that melon but one hand-breadth lower?? If different kinds of grains that are saved by 10.5 cubits are not saved on top of the border wall, does this not apply a fortiori to melons that are saved by eight cubits47Opinion of R. Aqiba in Mishnah 6, opposed by the Sages. If this is chosen, the argument goes the wrong way!? Rebbi Judan, the father of Rebbi Mattaniah, said, is that a reasoning a fortiori? It must be as follows: If different kinds of grains that are saved by 12.548This is clearly a scribal error; it must be 10.5 as above. The error must be an old one since it appears in both manuscripts. cubits are not saved on top of the border wall, does this not apply a fortiori to melons that are saved only by twelve cubits?