Jerusalem Talmud Sheviit 2:1

משנה: עַד אֵימָתַי חוֹרְשִׁין שְׂדֵה הַלָּבָן עֶרֶב שְׁבִיעִית מִשֶּׁתִּיכְלֶה הַלֵּיחָה כָּל־זְמָן שֶׁבְּנֵי אָדָם חוֹרְשִׁין לִיטַּע מִקְשָׁאוֹת וּמִדְלָעוֹת. אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן נָתַתָּ תוֹרַת כָּל־אֶחֶד וְאֶחָד בְּיָדוֹ. אֶלָּא בִשְׂדֵה הַלָּבָן עַד הַפֶּסַח וּבִשְׂדֵה הָאִילָן עַד הָעַצֶּרֶת. MISHNAH: Until when may one plough a shadeless¹“White field”, bright in the sunshine. field in the year preceding the Sabbatical? After the humidity stops²After the surface of the unirrigated field becomes dry after the spring rains. An irrigated field may be ploughed until the New Year, as explained in Mishnah 2. The reading משתיכלה is that of the Yerushalmi Mishnah (ed. Low) and of the Leyden ms.; the Babylonian Mishnah, Rome ms., and a Genizah fragment of the Yerushalmi read עד שתיכלה “until it stops”. Since the operative sentence is the following, “as long as people plough to plant melon and gourd fields”, the difference is purely stylistic., as long as people plough to plant melon and gourd fields. Rebbi Simeon said, you put the instruction for every individual in his own hand! But a shadeless field until Passover, a field with trees until Pentecost³The opinion of the House of Hillel in Mishnah 1:1..

הלכה: עַד אֵימָתַי חוֹרְשִׁין כו׳. מָאן תַּנָּא לֵחָה רִבִּי מֵאִיר הִיא. וְרִבִּי מֵאִיר כְּבֵית שַׁמַּאי וְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן כְבֵית הִלֵּל. וְכֵן אֲתִינָן מַתְנִיתָא רִבִּי מֵאִיר כְּבֵית שַׁמַּאי וְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן כְּבֵית הִלֵּל. אֶלָּא רִבִּי מֵאִיר כְּמִשְׁנָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה. וְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן כְּמִשְׁנָה אֲחַרוֹנָה. וְכֵן אֲתִינָן מַתְנִיתָא רִבִּי מֵאִיר כְּמִשְׁנָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה וְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן כְּמִשְׁנָה אֲחַרוֹנָה. אֶלָּא רִבִּי מֵאִיר שְׁנָייָהּ מַחְלוֹקֶת וְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן שְׁנָייָהּ כְּדִבְרֵי הַכֹּל. הֲוֵי מָאן תַּנָּא עַד אֵימָתַי חוֹרְשִׁין שְׂדֵה הַלָּבָן עֶרֶב שְׁבִיעִית רִבִּי מֵאִיר. בְּרַם כְּרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן דִּבְרֵי הִכֹּל עַד הָעַצֶּרֶת. HALAKHAH: “Until when may one plough,” etc. Who is the Tanna who considers humidity? He is Rebbi Meïr⁴An anonymous Mishnah is supposed to be R. Meïr’s unless proven to have a different author. The Mishnah makes ploughing dependent on the state of the field; in Mishnah 1:1 the House of Shammai permit ploughing according to the individual circumstances of every orchard.. Then Rebbi Meïr follows the House of Shammai and Rebbi Simeon the House of Hillel. Could we conclude that in our Mishnah Rebbi Meïr follows the House of Shammai and Rebbi Simeon the House of Hillel⁵Since practice has to follow the House of Hillel, R. Meïr’s opinion is to be superseded by that of R. Simeon. The Yerushalmi holds that R. Simeon is a higher authority than R. Meïr if R. Meïr is mentioned by name (cf. below, Halakhah 8:7); cf. also Demay Chapter 5, Notes 117–120.? It must be that Rebbi Meïr follows the first Mishnah and Rebbi Simeon the later Mishnah⁶The previous answer is unsatisfactory. If Rebbi wanted to indicate that practice does not follow R. Meïr, he would not formulate his as the anonymous (operative) opinion. Hence, while practice follows R. Simeon, we have to assume that practice will follow R. Meïr if the two periods before the Sabbatical year, abolished by Rabban Gamliel, will be re-instituted.. Could we conclude that in our Mishnah Rebbi Meïr follows the first Mishnah and Rebbi Simeon the later Mishnah⁷There would be an internal inconsistency in the Mishnah; the two authors would then talk about two different subjects and the formulation as a disagreement would be wrong.? But for Rebbi Meïr it is taught as a disagreement⁸There is a disagreement in the interpretation of the House of Hillel for shadeless fields if it rains after Passover, when the House of Hillel will permit continued ploughing, while for R. Simeon the stated limits are absolute. In this interpretation, the opinion of the House of Shammai is disregarded, and the later statement “following R. Simeon everybody agrees to ‘until Pentecost’ ” is shorthand for the entire statement of R. Simeon in the Mishnah. and for Rebbi Simeon it is the opinion of everybody. Hence, the author of “until when may one plough a shadeless field in the year preceding the Sabbatical” is Rebbi Meïr, but following Rebbi Simeon everybody agrees to “until Pentecost.”

לֹא סוֹף דָּבָר בְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ מִקְשָׁה וּמוּדְלָה אֶלָּא אֲפִילוּ מֵאַחַר שֶׁבְּנֵי אָדָם עֲתִידִין לִיטַּע בַּמִּקְשִׁיּוֹת וּבַמִּדְלָעוֹת מוּתָּר. Not only a field planted with melons and gourds but even when people intend to plant melons and gourds in the future it is permitted⁹This text is redundant with the Mishnah text given here (and in the Leyden ms. as well as the Munich ms. of the Babli.) It refers to the Mishnah text in most of the remaining mss: “as long as people plough to plant in melon and gourd fields.” Then it is stated that the field does not have to be a melon or gourd field at the time of ploughing..

אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן נָתַתָּ תוֹרַת כָּל־אֶחֶד וְאֶחָד בְּיָדוֹ. זֶה אוֹמֵר כָּלָה לֵחָה שֶׁלִּי וְזֶה אוֹמֵר לֹא כָלָה לֵחָה שֶׁלִּי. אֶלָּא בִשְׂדֵה הַלָּבָן עַד הַפֶּסַח וּבִשְׂדֵה הָאִילָן עַד הָעַצֶּרֶת. “Rebbi Simeon said, you put the instruction for every individual in his own hand!” One will say, the moisture of my field is gone; the other one will say, the moisture of my field is not yet gone. “But a shadeless field until Passover, a field with trees until Pentecost.”

מַה בֵּין שְׂדֵה הַלָּבָן לִשְׂדֵה הָאִילָן. שְׂדֵה הַלָּבָן עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לְזוֹרְעָהּ בַּתְּחִילָּה צָרִיךְ שֶׁתְּהֵא הַלֵּיחָה קַייֶמֶת אֲבָל שְׂדֵה הָאִילָן עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהִיא נְטוּעָה מִכְּבָר אֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ שֶׁתְּהֵא רוֹב הַלֵּיחָה קַייֶמֶת. What explains the difference¹⁰The difference in rules applying to the different kinds of fields. between a shadeless field and an orchard? Since a shadeless field will be newly sown it needs existing superficial moisture but an orchard which already is planted does not need superficial moisture.