משנה: אֶחָד אִילַן סְרָק וְאֶחָד אִילַן מַאֲכָל רוֹאִין אוֹתָן כְּאִילּוּ הֵן תְּאֵנִים אִם רְאוּיִין לַעֲשוֹת כִּכַּר דְּבֵילָה שֶׁל שִׁשִּׁים מָנֵה בְּאִיטַלְּקִי חוֹרְשִׁין כָּל־בֵּית סְאָה בִּשְׁבִילָן. פָּחוֹת מִיכֵּן אֵין חוֹרְשִׁין לָהֶן אֶלָּא צוֹרְכָן. הָיָה אֶחָד עוֹשֶׂה כִּכַּר דְּבֵילָה וּשְׁנַיִם אֵין עוֹשִׂין אוֹ שְׁנַיִם עוֹשִׂין וְאֶחָד אֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה אֵין חוֹרְשִׁין לָהֶן אֶלָּא צוֹרְכָן. עַד שֶׁיְּהוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה וּמִשְּׁלֹשָׁה וְעַד תִּשְׁעָה. הָיוּ עֲשָׂרָה וּמֵעֲשָׂרָה וּלְמַעֲלָה בֵּין עוֹשִׂין בֵּין שֶׁאֵינָן עוֹשִׂין חוֹרְשִׁין כָּל־בֵּית סְאָה בִּשְׁבִילָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בֶּחָרִיש וּבַקָּצִיר תִּשְׁבּוֹת. אֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר חָרִישׁ וְקָצִיר שֶׁל שְׁבִיעִית אֶלָּא חָרִישׁ שֶׁל עֶרֶב שְׁבִיעִית שֶׁנִּכְנַס לַשְּׁבִיעִית. וְקָצִיר שֶׁל שְׁבִיעִית שֶׁהוּא יוֹצֵא לְמוֹצָאֵי שְׁבִיעִית. רִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר מַה חָרִישׁ רְשׁוּת אַף קָצִיר רְשׁוּת יָצָא קְצִיר הָעוֹמֶר. MISHNAH: Any useless12For the definition of “useless tree”, cf. Kilaim Chapter 6, Note 40. or fruit trees are considered as if they were fig trees35A fig tree of the size of the tree in question.. If they would produce a fig cake in the weight of a talent of 60 Italic minas16Since an Italic denar weighed 1/96 of a Roman pound, or 3.59 g, 60 minas or 6000 denar are approximately 21.5 kg. Maimonides estimates this as 62.48 rotl. He declares (Terumot 4:10) a rotl to be a Roman pound (the common apothecary’s weight in the Middle Ages); in Roman measures, 60 minas are 62.5 Roman pounds. one ploughs the entire bet seah because of them. If less, one ploughs for them only as necessary36Space for the harvester and his basket..
If one tree yields a “fig cake” but two do not, or two do and one does not, one only ploughs for them as necessary, unless there are three, and so from three to nine39The tree must yield at least 20 minas in weight, its share in the 60 minas expected from three trees. The Halakhah will explain the meaning of “from three to nine”.. If there are ten or more than ten one ploughs the entire bet seah because of them, whether they produce or not, since it is said (Ex. 34:21): : “You shall rest from ploughing and harvesting.40Without good reason, one may not plough.”
One does not have to mention ploughing and harvesting of the Sabbatical, but it refers to ploughing in the year preceding the Sabbatical in preparation of the Sabbatical, and harvesting of Sabbatical growth after the Sabbatical. Rebbi Ismael says, just as ploughing is voluntary so harvesting is voluntary; this excludes the harvest of the ‘omer43This belongs to the discussion of the verse (Ex. 34:21): : “You shall rest from ploughing and harvesting,” as given in Halakhah 1, Notes 1–4. The only addition is the statement of R. Ismael, that the verse refers to the Sabbath day, on which all ploughing is forbidden; this has no definite date assigned to it. For him, while the verse is formulated as a prohibition, it implies the commandment to cut the sheaf of barley “on the day after the day of rest” following Passover (Lev. 23:15), even if that day should be a Sabbath (the 16th of Nissan for Pharisees, the 22nd of Nissan for the author of the book of Jubilees.) Cf. Mekhilta deR.Simeon bar Ioḥai to Ex. 34:22..
הלכה: אֶחָד אִילַן סְרָק כו׳. וְלָמָּה אָֽמְרוּ תְאֵינִים עַל יְדֵי שֶׁפֵּירוֹתֵיהֶן גַּסִּין וְהֵן עוֹשׂוֹת הַרְבֶּה. הֲרֵי אֶתְרוֹג פֵּירוֹתָיו גַּסִּין וְאֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה הַרְבֶּה. הֲרֵי זֵיתִין עוֹשִׂין הַרְבֶּה וְאֵין פֵּירוֹתֵיהֶן גַּסִּין. וְאֵילּוּ עוֹשׂוֹת הַרְבֶּה וּפֵירוֹתֵיהֶן גַּסִּין. אָמַר רִבִּי חִייָא בַּר אָדָא כָּל־אִילָנַיָּא עָֽבְדִין שָׁנָה פָּרָא שָׁנָה וְהָדָא תְאֵינְתָה עָֽבְדָה כָּל־שָׁנָה. HALAKHAH: “Any useless tree, etc.” Why did they mention fig trees? Because their fruits are large and they produce many. The Etrog tree37Citrus medica. has large fruits but it produces few of them. Olive trees produce much but its fruits are not large. But these produce much and its fruits are large. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Ada said, all trees produce one year less38Latin parum, cf. Demay p. 521. than another year but the fig tree produces every year.
הָיָה אֶחָד עוֹשֶׂה כו׳. רִבִּי בִּיבִי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי חֲנִינָה וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יִפְחוֹת מֵחֶשְׁבּוֹן מְשׁוּלָּשִׁים. זְעִירָא בַּר חִינְנָא אָמַר וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יִפְחוֹת מֵחֶשְׁבּוֹן מְתוּשָׁעִים. “If one tree yields, etc.” Rebbi Vivian in the name of Rebbi Ḥanina: Only he should not diminish from the computation of triads. Zeïra bar Ḥinena said, only he should not diminish from the computation of nonads41According to the first opinion, it must be possible to split the trees into groups of trees, each of which produces a talent. According to the second opinion, all nine trees together have to produce three talents..
הָיוּ אַרְבָּעָה וְהַבָּקָר עוֹבֵר בְּכֵלָיו. שְׁנַיִם וְאֵין הַבָּקָר עוֹבֵר בְּכֵלָיו מִכֵּיוָן שֶׁאֵין הַבָּקָר עוֹבֵר בְּכֵלָיו אַתְּ רוֹאֶה אוֹתָן כְּאִלּוּ חֲמִשָּׁה. הָיוּ חֲמִשָּׁה. תִּפְלוּגְתָא דְּרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן וְרַבָּנִין דְּתַנִּינָן תַּמָּן כֶּרֶם שֶׁהוּא נָטוּעַ עַל פָּחוֹת מֵאַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר אֵינוֹ כֶרֶם. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים כֶּרֶם. וְרוֹאִין אֶת הָאֶמְצָעִיּוֹת כְּאִלּוּ אֵינָן. If there were four and the ox may pass between them with its harness and two where the ox cannot pass with its harness, you consider it as if there were five. If there are five, we have the disagreement of Rebbi Simeon and the rabbis, as we have stated there42Mishnah Kilaim 5:2, cf. there, Note 27. Here also, the ox and its harness need four cubits. The rabbis disregard the additional trees and only require one group yielding a talent. R. Simeon forbids ploughing unless one group produces a talent and the remaining three trees (of which two are planted too close together) produce ⅔ of a talent.: “A vineyard planted less that four cubits apart, Rebbi Simeon says that it is no vineyard. But the Sages say that it is a vineyard and one disregards the ones in the middle as if nonexistent.”
וְחוֹרְשִׁין כָּל־בֵּית סְאָה בִּשְׁבִילָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בֶּחָרִיש וּבַקָּצִיר תִּשְׁבּוֹת. לָא אַתְיָא דְּלָא עַל רֵישָׁא אֵין חוֹרְשִׁין לָהֶן אֶלָּא צוֹרְכָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בֶּחָרִיש וּבַקָּצִיר תִּשְׁבּוֹת. “One ploughs the entire bet seah because of them since it is said (Ex. 34:21): ‘You shall rest from ploughing and harvesting.’ ” That refers only to the first part, “one ploughs for them only as necessary because it is said ‘you shall rest from ploughing and harvesting.’ ”.
אֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר כו׳. רִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל כְּדַעְתֵּיהּ דְרִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אָמַר אֵין הָעוֹמֶר בָּא מִסּוּרִיָּא יָצָא קְצִיר הָעוֹמֶר שֶׁהִיא מִצְוָה. “One does not have to mention, etc.” Rebbi Ismael is consistent since Rebbi Ismael said the ‘omer may not come from Syria; the harvesting of the ‘omer is different, it is a commandment44The main place of this argument is in Šeqalim 4:1. For the definition of Syria cf. Peak Chapter 7, Note 119.
Since R. Ismael holds that the barley of the ‘omer is intrinsically holy, he holds that the cutting of the barley is an action of the Temple and paid for by the yearly Temple tax, hence relative to the Sabbath it has the status of a sacrifice and must be performed on the Sabbath if necessary. For him, the prohibition of ploughing before the Sabbatical has no scriptural base..