משנה: מְזָהֲמִין אֶת הַנְּטִיעוֹת וְכוֹרְכִין אוֹתָן וְקוֹטְמִין אוֹתָן וְעוֹשִׂין לָהֶם בָּתִּים וּמַשְׁקִין אוֹתָן עַד רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה. רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר בֵּי רִבִּי צָדוֹק אוֹמֵר אַף מַשְׁקֶה הוּא אֶת הַנּוֹף בַּשְּׁבִיעִית אֲבָל לֹא אֶת הָעִיקָּר. סָכִין אֶת הַפַּגִּין וּמְנַקְּבִין אוֹתָן עַד רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה. פַּגֵּי עֶרֶב שְׁבִיעִית שְׁנִּכְנְסוּ לִשְׁבִיעִית וְשֶׁל שְׁבִיעִית שֶׁיָּֽצְאוּ לְמוֹצָאֵי שְׁבִיעִית לֹא סָכִין וְלֹא מְנַקְּבִין אוֹתָן. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר מָקוֹם שֶׁנָּהֲגוּ לָסוּךְ אֵין סָכִין מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא עֲבוֹדָה מָקוֹם שֶׁלֹּא נָהֲגוּ לָסוּךְ סָכִין. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן מַתִּיר בְּאִילָן מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא רַשַּׁאי בַּעֲבוֹדַת הָאִילָן. MISHNAH: One dirties29One treats saplings with evil smelling chemicals if necessary (according to Maimonides, with a mixture of meat sauce and vinegar, to keep worms and insects away.) The notion of “sapling” was defined in Halakhah 1:9. saplings, ties them30One ties the branches to the stem., clips them, builds them shelter, and waters them until the New Year. Rebbi Eleazar ben Rebbi Ẓadoq says, one may water the leaves in the Sabbatical year but not the stem.
One rubs unripe figs and pricks them until the New Year38Commentary of Maimonides: “At some places here figs do not ripen unless one takes a toothpick, rubs it with oil, and uses it to prick each single fruit.” If a fig is still unripe shortly before New Year’s day, chances are it would not ripen without human intervention. In Babli Avodah Zarah50b, the Mishnah is quoted in the form: “One rubs unripe figs [with oil], pricks and fattens them until the New Year”. All rubbing is done with olive oil.. One may not rub or prick unripe figs entering the Sabbatical year, or those of the Sabbatical year leaving it. Rebbi Jehudah says, at a place where people usually rub them, one may not rub them because that is agricultural work, but in a place where one does not usually rub, he may do so. Rebbi Simeon permits it for a tree since one may work a tree39Since R. Simeon in Mishnah 2 forbade all work on a tree after Pentecost, his statement here can apply only to a tree full of unripe figs at the end of the Sabbatical year when one may work on these fruits since they never were edible in the Sabbatical year..
הלכה: מְזָהֲמִין אֶת הַנְּטִיעוֹת כו׳. מַתְנִיתָא דְּרִבִּי בְּרָם כְרַבָּנִין מְזָהֲמִין מְתַלְּעִין בַּשְּׁבִיעִית אֲבָל לֹא בַּמּוֹעֵד. כָּאן וְכָאן אֵין מְגַזְּמִין אֲבָל נוֹטֵל הוּא אֶת הָרוֹאֶה. HALAKHAH: “One dirties saplings” etc. The Mishnah follows Rebbi, but according to the rabbis one dirties, one removes worms in the Sabbatical year but not on [the intermediate days of] holidays31When all non-urgent agricultural work is forbidden, as detailed in Tractate Moʻed Qaṭan.. In neither case does one cup32This baraita is quoted in Babli Avodah Zarah 50b by R. Abba bar Jeremiah. Rashi explains there that “cupping” means cutting branches so as to create new notches from which multiple branches will sprout. The corresponding Arabic word is גזם “to cut”. A somewhat parallel version in the Tosephta (1:11), referring only to the Sabbatical year, has מגמזים by metathesis. but one may remove what one sees33“Removing worms” means drilling into a tree to remove worms from inside the tree. This one may not do on a holiday but worms or moths visible from the outside may be removed..
רִבִּי יוֹסָה אָמַר רִבִּי אָבוּנָה בָּעֵי מַה בֵּין הַמְּזָהֵם לָעוֹשֶׂה לָהּ בַּיִת. הַמְּזָהֵם אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא כְמוֹשִׁיב שׁוֹמֵר בַּיִת עוֹשֶׂה לָהּ צֵל וְהִיא גְדֵילָה מַחֲמָתָן. Rebbi Yose said that Rebbi Abuna asked: What is the difference between dirtying and making a shelter34Why do the rabbis permit dirtying during the Sabbatical year but not building a shelter. Dirtying is a prophylactic against damage but building a greenhouse around a plant helps in promoting growth.? Dirtying is like appointing a watchman, a shelter creates shadow [for the plant] and it grows because of that.
תַּמָּן תַּנִּינָן הַמְּבַקֵּעַ בַּזַּיִת לֹא יְחַפֶּה בֶּעָפָר אֲבָל מְכַסֶּה הוּא בָּאֲבָנִים וּבַקַּשׁ. רִבִּי יוֹנָה אָמַר רִבִּי אָבוּנָא בָּעֵי מַה בֵּין קַשִּׁין וּמַה בֵין עָפָר. קַשִּׁין אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא כְמוֹשִׁיב שׁוֹמֵר עָפָר עוֹשֶׂה לָהּ טִינָּא וְהִיא גְדֵילָה מַחֲמָתוֹ. There (Mishnah 4:5), we have stated: “He who breaks off [branches] from an olive tree should not cover with dust but he may cover with stones or straw.” Rebbi Jonah said that Rebbi Abuna asked: What is the difference between straw and dust? Straw may only be compared to appointing a watchman, dust creates clay and [the plant] grows because of that.
תַּנֵּי רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בֶּן כּוּפָּר אָמַר מִשּׁוּם רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר בֶּן שַׁמּוּעַ בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים מַשְׁקֶה כָּל הַנּוֹף וְיוֹרֵד עַל הָעִיקָּר וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים מַשְׁקֶה בֵּין עַל הַנּוֹף בֵּין עַל הָעִיקָּר. דְּבֵית רִבִּי יַנַּאי מַשְׁקֶה בְסַלָּא אָמַר רִבִּי יַעֲקֹב בַּר זַבְדִּי רִבִּי יִצְחָק בַּר טֶבֶלַיי מַשְׁקֶה בְסַלָּא. אָמַר רִבִּי חִייָא בַּר בָּא רִבִּי יוּדָן בַּר גּוּרִייָא מַשְׁקֶה בְסַלָּא וְעָדַר וְכִי מִתְכַּוֵּין לַעֲבוֹדַת הָאָרֶץ. בְּיוֹמוֹי דְּרִבִּי חִייָא בַּר בָּא הֲווֹן מַשְׁקִין דִּיקְלַייָא בִּכְנִישְׁתָא חַדְתָא וְחָֽרְװָתָא. It was stated35Tosephta 1:5. There, the tradition is in the name of R. Eliezer, and the House of Hillel argue that either watering is permitted or it is forbidden; there can be no partial permission. Since R. Yose ben Kippar, Tanna of the fifth generation, was a student of R. Eleazar ben Shammua‘, the text here is the better one.: “Rebbi Yose ben Kippar said in the name of Rebbi Eleazar ben Shammua‘ that the House of Shammai say, one waters the leaves and it trickles down to the root, but the House of Hillel say, one waters both on the leaves and on the root.” In the House of Rebbi Yannai one watered with a basket36In order not to water in a proffestional way.. Rebbi Yaakov bar Zavdi said: Rebbi Isaac ben Tevele watered with a basket. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba: Rebbi Yudan bar Guria37An Amora mentioned only here, in a disapproving way. He loosened the earth around the stem so the water should reach the root. It is objected that this is professional tending of the tree. If it is necessary to loosen the earth around the stem, it should be done in a non-professional way, using a hard broom or dried branches. watered with a basket and hoed. Did he intend to work the land? In the days of Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba they watered date palms with new brooms and dried branches
סָכִין אֶת הַפַּגִּין כו׳. אֲנָן תַּנִּינָן סָכִין אֶת הַפַּגִּין תַּנָּיֵי דְבֵי רִבִּי וְאֵילּוּ הֵן פַּגֵּי עֶרֶב שְׁבִיעִית שְׁנִּכְנְסוּ לִשְׁבִיעִית. רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר כְּמַתְנִיתִן רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן כְּהָדָה דְתַנָּיֵי דְבֵית רִבִּי. עַל דַּעְתֵּיהּ דְּרִבִּי לָֽעְזָר לֹא בָּא רִבִּי יוּדָה אֶלָּא לְהָקֵל. עַל דַּעְתֵּיהּ דְּרִבִּי יוֹחָנָן לֹא בָּא רִבִּי יוּדָה אֶלָּא לְהַחֲמִיר. “One rubs unripe figs,” etc. We have stated: “One rubs unripe figs.” In the House of Rebbi they stated40Tosephta 1:8. This Tosephta cannot be the source of the Yerushalmi since it does not mention the opinion of the anonymous Tanna. The Tosephta makes clear that, in its opinion, nobody permits treating the unripe figs in the year following the Sabbatical.: “These are the unripe figs from the year before the Sabbatical which enter the Sabbatical.” Rebbi Eleazar follows our Mishnah. Rebbi Joḥanan follows those who stated in the House of Rebbi. In the opinion of Rebbi Eleazar, Rebbi Jehudah comes only to make things easy41Since the anonymous Tanna permits only until the New Year. R. Jehudah permits where the anonymous Tanna forbids. Since in the Tosephta, the first Tanna is not mentioned but R. Jehudah is mentioned by name, it follows that for the Tosephta the unnamed majority will allow unrestricted oiling of unripe figs left over from the preceding year’s harvest.. In the opinion of Rebbi Joḥanan, Rebbi Jehudah comes only to make things harder.