משנה: נוֹתְנִין פֵּיאָה מִתְּחִילַּת הַשָּׂדֶה וּמֵאֶמְצָעָהּ. רִבִי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר וּבִלְבַד שֶׁיִּתֵּן בַּסּוֹף כְּשֵׁיעוּר. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר אִם שִׁייֵר קֶלַח אֶחָד סוֹמֵךְ לוֹ מִשּׁוּם פֵּיאָה וְאִם לָאו אֵינוֹ נוֹתֵן אֶלָּא מִשּׁוּם הֶבְקֵר. MISHNAH: One may give peah from the head of the field and from its middle218At the start and during the actual harvest.. Rebbi Simeon says, only on condition that he give the measure219The rabbinically prescribed 1 2/3%; the Halakhah will discuss how this peah is computed. In the Tosephta (1:6), quoted later (4:3), Rebbi Simeon explains his position that peah must be given at the end only, because not only is this the simple meaning of the verses speaking of the obligation of peah(that one may not finish cutting one’s field) but also to exclude favoritism and give all poor the same chance by setting a reasonably fixed time-table when they may come and pluck the remaining stalks from the field.
Maimonides is of the opinion that R. Simeon makes the view of the tanna explicit, not that he disagrees with the first statement. at the end. Rebbi Jehudah says, if he left one stalk standing he adds to it220The Halakhah will explain what he may add as peah. for peah; otherwise, he gives only as abandoned property221Peah is reserved for the poor (with the legal definition of the poor entitled to charitable gifts given in the last chapter); the House of Hillel rules that abandoned property is abandoned (and free from terumah and tithes) only if it is ownerless and abandoned to absolutely everybody. Arukh brings Aramaic expressions to show that the root בקר means “to be without master,” in a human moral sense also “licentious.”.
הלכה: נוֹתְנִין פֵּיאָה מִתְּחִילַּת הַשָּׂדֶה וּמֵאֶמְצָעָהּ. רִבִי יוֹסֵי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ וּבְקֻצְרְכֶם מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר לִקְצוֹר אֶלָּא אֲפִילוּ יֵשׁ לוֹ כַמָּה לִקְצוֹר. רִבִּי יוֹנָה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ וּבְקֻצְרְכֶם מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר לִקְצוֹר אֶלָּא אַחַת בַּתְּחִילָּה וְאַחַת בַּסּוֹף. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי וּבְקֻצְרְכֶם מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר לִקְצוֹר אֶלָּא אַחַת לַגְּבוֹהַּ וְאֶחָד לְהִדְיוֹט. רִבִּי יוּדַן בְּעִי כְּלוּם מָעוֹת הֶקְדֵּשׁ מִתְחַלְלִין לֹא בְּתָלוּשׁ שֶׁמָּא בִּמְחוּבָּר. אָמַר רִבִּי חֲנִינָא שֶׁלֹּא תֹאמַר יֵעָשֶׂה קְצִיר הֶקְדֵּשׁ כִּקְצִיר הִדְיוֹט. HALAKHAH: “One may give peah from the head of the field and from its middle.” Rebbi Yose in the name of Rebbi Simeon bar Laqish: (Leviticus.19.9">Lev. 19:9) “And at your harvesting,” why does the verse have to say “to harvest”222The expression is considered redundant: “And on the occasion of your harvesting the harvest of your land, do not finish the corner of your field during your harvesting but abandon it for the poor and the stranger.”? Even if he has still more to harvest223Hence, peah can be given at any time after the harvest has started. (It was already discussed in Halakha 1 that the very first stalk can never be peah).. Rebbi Jonah in the name of Rebbi Simeon bar Laqish: (Leviticus.19.9">Lev. 19:9) “And at your harvesting,” why does the verse have to say “to harvest”? One for the beginning and one for the end224The disagreement seems to be that according to R. Jonah some peah must be given at the end (as explained by R. Simeon bar Ioḥai in the Mishnah) but that according R. Yose all peah might be given earlier. According to R. Jonah, R. Simeon explains the first sentence; according to R. Yose, he disagrees with the first sentence.. Rebbi Yose in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: (Leviticus.19.9">Lev. 19:9) “And at your harvesting,” why does the verse have to say “to harvest”? One for sacred property and one for private persons225R. Joshua ben Levi does not consider the second “to harvest” redundant but referring to a different kind of harvest.
הדיוֹט “private person”, Greek ἰδιώτης.. Rebbi Yudan asked, do not coins redeem sacred property only when it is cut; maybe when it is standing226While real estate donated to the Temple may be sold to private persons (and the proceeds used for the needs of the Temple), it is clear from many sources (e. g. Mishnah 4:5) that as long as the field is in the possession of the Temple, the rules of peah do not apply. Hence, any peah taken would have to come from a field that was bought with the grain standing, not after harvest when the grain was already cut by the Temple staff and is exempt.? Rebbi Ḥaninah said, you should not say that harvest of sacred property should be treated like harvest of a private person227The argument of R. Joshua ben Levi differs from that of R. Simeon ben Laqish that the second “to harvest” adds something; it eliminates harvest that is not “yours” but public property. Hence, anybody who buys a field with its crop from the Temple is required to leave peah, but anybody who buys the field with its crop after it was cut by the personnel of the Temple has no obligation to give peah from his grain (Chapter 4, Mishnah 5)..
רִאשׁוֹנָה מַהוּ. מִן מַה דְּתַנִּי הֲרֵי זוּ פֵּיאָה וְצָרִיךְ לִיתֵּן בְּסוֹף כְּשֵׁיעוּר הָדָה אָֽמְרָה קִידְּשָׁה מִשּׁוּם פֵּיאָה. מַהוּ כְּשֵׁיעוּר כָּל־שָׂדֵהוּ אוֹ כְשֵׁיעוּר הַמִּשְׁתַּייֵר. אֵיפְשַׁר לוֹמַר קִידְּשָׁה מִשּׁוּם פֵּיאָה וְתֵימַר כְּשֵׁיעוּר כָּל־שָׂדֵהוּ אֶלָּא כְשֵׁיעוּר הַמִּשְׁתַּייֵר. What is the standing of the first batch228According to Rebbi Simeon, who says that in any case one has to give peah in full measure at the end, does the amount given earlier have the status of peah or is it simply abandoned property, not reserved for the poor?? Since we have stated229In the name of Rebbi Simeon himself. The implication is that the peah given at the end has to add up to 1⅔% of the yield cut after the earlier peah was given. (Tosephta 1:5): “It is peah and he has to give the measure at the end.” That means it becomes holy as peah. What means “the measure?” The measure of the entire field or the measure of the remainder? Is it possible to say, this lot becomes holy as peah and say, according to the measure of the entire field? Certainly the remaining measure!
רִבִּי חִייָא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן בִּמְחוּבָּר. רִבִּי יַסָּא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן בְּתָלוּשׁ. מַה מִתְכַּוֵּין לִפְטוֹר אֶת שָׂדֵהוּ אוֹ לֹא. נִשְׁמְעִינָהּ מִן הָדָא. דְּאָמַר רִבִּי יַסָּא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן לְעוֹלָם הוּא מוֹסִיף וְהוֹלֵךְ. מַה נָן קַייָמִין. אִם בְּמִתְכַּוֵּין לִפְטוֹר אֶת שָׂדֵהוּ כְּבָר נִפְטְרָה. אֶלָּא כִּי נָן קַייָמִין בְּשֶׁאֵינוֹ מִתְכַּוֵּין לִפְטוֹר אֶת שָׂדֵהוּ. Rebbi Ḥiyya230R. Ḥiyya bar Abba. This paragraph deals with the last part of the Mishnah, the statement of R. Jehudah that one may add to peah as long as at least one stalk remains uncut on the field (and the additional peah is not subject to the laws of terumah and tithes.) Cf. also Mishnah 6. in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: when it is still standing231One may only add standing patches of grain, not cut grain. Rebbi Yasa is of the opinion that one even may designate grain already cut as peah.. Rebbi Yasa in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: when it is cut. What is his intention232Does R. Jehudah only say that one may add until one has given the required 1⅔% of the yield (implying that if one starts out with less than 1⅔% and then adds in one batch over that limit it is acceptable and even commendable) or does R. Jehudah apply the laws of peah even to produce given after the rabbinic threshold of 1⅔% clearly has already been exceeded?, to free his field from the obligation or not? Let us hear from the following: Rebbi Yasa said in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: He may always add. What are we talking about? If it is his intention to free his field from the obligation, it already has been freed233One could not say מוֹסיף והוֹלך “he keeps adding” if he had to stop after reaching the threshold.. So we must speak about the case where it is not his intention to free his field from the obligation234But the obligation was already fulfilled before he started to add.!