משנה: מֵאֵימָתַי מוֹצִיאִין זְבָלִים לָאַשְׁפָּתוֹת מִשֶּׁיִּפְסְקוּ עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה דִּבְרֵי רִבִּי מֵאִיר. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר מִשֶּׁיָּבַשׁ הַמָּתוֹק. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר מִשֶּׁיִּקָּשֵׁר. עַד כַּמָּה מְזַבְּלִים עַד שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁלֹשׁ אַשְׁפָּתוֹת לְבֵית סְאָה שֶׁל עֶשֶׂר עֶשֶׂר מַשְׁפֵּלוֹת וְשֶׁל לֶתֶךְ לֶתֶךְ. מוֹסִיפִין עִל הַמַּשְׁפֵּלוֹת וְאֵין מוֹסִיפִין עִל הָאַשְׁפָּתוֹת רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר אַף עַל הָאַשְׁפָּתוֹת. MISHNAH: When may one bring out manure to form dungheaps? From the moment the agricultural workers1Some Mishnah mss. of the Maimonides tradition have: עוברי עבירה “the sinners”. The meaning of both versions is the same: One may make dungheaps on his field only after those who work their fields in the regular manner have stopped doing so, when it is too late to fertilize for this year’s crop. One may not spread out the manure on the field but it should be stored in heaps of 150 seah. stop, the words of Rebbi Meïr. Rebbi Jehudah says, when the colocynth2Definition of the Halakhah. Colocynth (citrullus colocynthis, in Pliny cucumis colocynthis) is a gourd used as laxative; [מתוֹק “sweet” is a euphemism.] dried up. Rebbi Yose says, when it forms its fruit3Interpretation of Maimonides. An exact translation would be “when it forms nodes.” The colocynth, a relative of the cucumber, has no thickened parts except the fruit developing from the female flower.. How much manure may one use? Up to three dungheaps for a bet seah, each one containing ten boxes of a letekh415 seah. A bet seah is 2500 square cubits, cf. Peah p. 89. each. One may add boxes but not dungheaps; Rebbi Simeon says, also dungheaps.
הלכה: מֵאֵימָתַי מוֹצִיאִין כו׳. עַד שֶׁלֹּא פָּֽסְקוּ עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה מַהוּ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מוּתָּר לַעֲשׂוֹת אַשְׁפָּה עַל פֶּתַח חֲצֵירוֹ. סִילָנִי שָׁאַל לְרִבִּי חִייָא בַּר בָּא וְאָסַר לֵיהּ. רִבִּי חֲנִינָא אָמַר שָׁרָא לֵיהּ וַהֲווֹן אָֽמְרִין דּוּ נְסַב מַעֲשֵׂר וְהוֹרֵי עַל גַּרְמֵיהּ לָצֵאת לְחוּץ לָאָרֶץ דְּלָא לְמֵיסב מַעֲשֵׂר. מֵעַתָּה אֲפִילוּ מִשֶּׁפָּֽסְקוּ עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה יְהֵא אָסוּר מִפְּנֵי מַרְאִית הָעַיִן שֶׁלֹּא יְהוּ אוֹמְרִים לְתוֹךְ שְׂדֵה בֵית הַשַׁלְּחִין שֶׁלּוֹ הוּא מוֹצִיא. יוֹדְעִין הֵן בְנֵי עִירוֹ אִם יֵשׁ לֹו בֵּית הַשַּׁלְּחִין אִם אֵין לוֹ. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי הָדָא אָֽמְרָה לֹא חָשׁוּ לְעוֹבְרִין וּלְשָׁבִין מִפְּנֵי מַרְאִית הָעַיִן. HALAKHAH: “When may one bring out,” etc. Is it permitted to assemble a dungheap at the door of one’s courtyard before the agricultural workers stop? Silanus asked Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba and he forbade it to him. Rebbi Ḥanina5He is the fifth generation Amora R. Ḥananiah, not the first generation Amora R. Ḥanina. There is no need to amend the text for reasons of chronology. said, he permitted it, and they were gossipping about him that he was taking the tithe6R. Ḥiyya bar Abba was a Cohen and Silanus, a rich land owner, used to give him his tithes. The people gossipped that R. Ḥiyya was bending the law to please his benefactor. R. Ḥiyya, a Babylonian, returned to Babylonia the following year, in order not to profit from the yield that his ruling produced. We know from the Babylonian Talmud that R. Ḥiyya bar Abba sometimes argued inperson with Baby-lonian Sages.. He instructed himself to leave the Land, so that he could not take the tithe. Then should it be forbidden even after the agricultural workers did stop because of the bad impression, that they would not say, he brings it out to his irrigated field? The people of one’s town know whether he has an irrigated field or not. Rebbi Yose said, this means that they did not worry about a bad impression on passers-by7This is in line with the position of the Yerushalmi in Kilaim, Chapter 9, Notes 32 ff..
בְּאִיסּוּר שְׁנֵי פְרָקִים מַהוּ שֶׁיְּהֵא מוּתָּר לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּסֶדֶר הַזֶּה. נִישְׁמְעִינָהּ מִן הָדָא מוֹכְרִין וּמוֹצִיאִין זְבָלִים עִם הָעוֹשִׂין שְׁבִיעִית עַד רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה. עִם הַגּוֹי וְעִם הַכּוּתִי אֲפִילוּ בִּשְׁבִיעִית וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יִפְרוֹק אֶת הַמַּשְׁפֵּלוֹת. לֹא אָמַר אֶלָּא וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יִפְרוֹק אֶת הַמַּשְׁפֵּלוֹת. הָא לָצֵאת מוֹצִיא הָדָא אָֽמְרָה שֶׁהוּא מוּתָּר. וְאִין תֵּימַר שֶׁהוּא אָסוּר יְהֵא אָסוּר מִלְּהוֹצִיא. May one do that during the prohibition of the first two terms8Chapter 1, Note 4.? Let us hear from the following9A different text is in Tosephta 1:4: “One sells and transports manure from a Jew suspected of violating the Sabbatical before the Sabbatical year; from a Gentile or a Samaritan it is permitted even during the Sabbatical. How long may one fertilize? Anytime one may plough one may fertilize.”
Since the agricultural Sabbatical is certainly rabbinic, if there is no Jubilee year and no Temple the Samaritans are not bound by its rules. The language of the Tosephta binds the prohibition of fertilizing to that of ploughing; when the two terms were abolished for ploughing they automatically were abolished for fertilizing.: “One may sell and transport manure with those who work during the Sabbatical year until the New Year, with a Gentile and a Samaritan even during the Sabbatical year on condition that he not unload the boxes.” It said only, “on condition that he not unload the boxes,” hence he is permitted to transport. That means it is permitted10Since the condition that one may not unload is stipulated only for working with a Gentile during the Sabbatical but does not apply to working with a Jew suspected of violating the rules of the Sabbatical. Then certainly he is permitted to transport and unload for himself.. If you say it is forbidden, he should be forbidden to transport.
מִשֶּׁיָּבַשׁ הַמָּתוֹק. פְּקוּעָה. אָמַר רִבִּי מָנָא הָהֵן פְּקוּעָה דְבִקְעָתָא. “When the colocynth dried up.” Citrullus colocynthis. Rebbi Mana said, that means the colocynth of the open field11Not the colocynth of a watered garden plot which may grow throughout the entire year..
מִשֶּׁיִּקָּשֵׁר. מִשֶּׁיַּעֲשֶׂה קְשָׁרִין קְשָׁרִין. אָמַר רִבִּי חֲנַנְיָה מִכֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּתְקַשֵּׁר בּוֹ קֶשֶׁר הָעֶלְיוֹן מִיַּד הוּא יָבֵשׁ. וְתַנִּי עֲלָהּ קְרוֹבִין דִּבְרֵיהֶן לִהְיוֹת שָׁוִין. “When it forms its fruit.” When it forms many fruits. Rebbi Ḥananiah said, when its uppermost fruit is fully formed, it immediately dries up. About this we have stated: Their statements12Rebbis Jehudah and Yose. are close to each other.
אָמַר רִבִּי ירְמְיָה בְּפוֹחֵת מִן הַמַּשְׁפֵּלוֹת הָא שְׁתַּיִם מוּתָּר. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בָּעֵי. אִם בְּפָּחוֹת מִן הַמַּשְׁפֵּלוֹת הָא שְׁתַּיִם אָסוּר. אֶלָּא כִּי נָן קַייָמִין בְּעוֹשֶׂה יוֹתֵר מִן כְּשִׁיעוּר כְּהָדָה דְתַנֵּי אֵין מוֹסִיפִין לֹא עַל הַמַּשְׁפֵּלוֹת וְלֹא עַל הָאַשְׁפָּתוֹת דִּבְרֵי רִבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים מוֹסִיפִין עַל הַמַּשְׁפֵּלוֹת וְאֵין מוֹסִיפִין עַל הָאַשְׁפָּתוֹת. וּמוֹסִיפִין עַל הַמַּשְׁפֵּלוֹת לֹא בִכְשִׁיעוּר. וְדִכְװָתָהּ מוֹצִיאִין עַל הָאַשְׁפָּתוֹת אֲפִילוּ בִכְשִׁיעוּר. Rebbi Jeremiah said, if he uses fewer boxes; hence, two are permitted13Since the Mishnah discusses the number of dungheaps and their size and then discusses whether one may add to the numbers stated, but does not discuss whether one may make smaller dungheaps, it follows that one may not make dungheaps of smaller size because that would look like fertilizing one’s field. It seems that the Mishnah insists only on a minimal size, not on a minimal number of dungheaps.. Rebbi Yose questioned, if he uses fewer boxes, then two should be forbidden14A possible interpretation of the Mishnah is that one may not start dungheaps on the field (for next year’s use) unless the total amount is 30 letekh, 450 seah. Then making only two standard sized dungheaps would be forbidden.. But where do we hold? If he exceeds the measure15If he uses boxes holding more than 10 letekh each., as we have stated16Tosephta 2:14. The opinion of the Sages is there attributed to R. Jehudah; R. Simeon permits more, but not fewer, dungheaps.: “Rebbi Meïr says, one may not add boxes or dungheaps, but the Sages say, one may add boxes but not dungheaps.” If one adds boxes, are they not of full measure17Since a dungheap may contain more than 150 seah, one may make two dungheaps only on condition that together they contain at least 450 seah.? Similarly, one brings out to the dungheap even full measures18This refers to the next Mishnah where it is stated that one may gradually build up one’s dungheap after the agricultural season. Even though the Mishnah speaks of “a little”, it may be as much as a full single basket at one time and still people will not think that he is going to fertilize his field in the Sabbatical year..