משנה: בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים מְלַקֵּט אָדָם עֵצִים וָאֲבָנִים וָעֲשָׂבִים מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁלּוֹ כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁהוּא מְלַקֵּט מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁל חֲבֵירוֹ אֶת הַגַּס הַגַּס. וּמִשֶּׁרָבוּ עוֹבְרֵי עֲבֵירָה הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהֵא זֶה מְלַקֵּט מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁל זֶה וְזֶה מְלַקֵּט מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁל זֶה שֶׁלֹּא בְטוֹבָה וְאֵין צוֹרֶךְ לוֹמַר שֶׁיִּקְצֹץ לָהֶן מִזוֹנוֹת. MISHNAH: In earlier times they said a person may collect wood, stones, and grasses on his own property in the way he may collect on somebody else’s property, but only large pieces1Since agricultural land is accessible to everybody in the Sabbatical year, one may collect not only food but also weeds, etc. But it is forbidden to weed and to improve one’s property in the Sabbatical; therefore, the owner only is permitted to remove large pieces from his field, not small weeds and small stones whose removal requires the most effort.. But after transgressors became numerous2They said that they were taking large pieces when in effect they were weeding and clearing their fields from stones. they decreed that everybody only collect from somebody else’s without reciprocity3He arranges to clear a friend’s field and the friend will clear his. and it goes without saying that he does not have to allot him food4The last clause is unnecessary. If a person removing weeds and pebbles from another person’s field cannot expect that the other person will do the same for him, he cannot expect the other person to feed him while he is cleaning his field..
הלכה: בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים כו׳. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹנָה הָכֵין צוֹרְכָה מִיתְנֵי בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים מְלַקֵּט אָדָם עֵצִים וָעֲשָׂבִים מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁלּוֹ אֶת הַגַּס הַגַַּס כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁהוּא מְלַקֵּט בְּשֶׁל חֲבֵירוֹ בֵּין דַּקִּים לְגַסִּים. נֶחְשְׁדוּ לִהְיוֹת מְלַקְּטִין וְהֵן אוֹמֵר בַּגַּסִּים לִיקַּטְּנוּ. הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהֵא זֶה מְלַקֵּט מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁל זֶה וְזֶה מְלַקֵּט מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁל זֶה שֶׁלֹּא בְטוֹבָה. נֶחְשְׁדוּ לִהְיוֹת מְלַקְּטִין בְּטוֹבָה וְהֵן אוֹמֵר שֶׁלֹּא בְטוֹבָה לִיקַּטְנוּ. הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהוּ מֵבִיאִין מִן הַקָּרוֹב וּמִן הַמָּצוּי. HALAKHAH: “In earlier times they said,” etc. Rebbi Jonah said, the Mishnah has to be stated as follows5A much shortened version of this is in Tosephta 3:8.: In earlier times they said, a person may collect wood, stones, and grasses on his own property, but only large pieces, in the way he may collect on somebody else’s property both large and small pieces. When they suspected that people were collecting but were saying, we took only large pieces, they decreed that everybody only collect from somebody else’s property without reciprocity. When they suspected that people were collecting in reciprocity but saying, we collected without reciprocity, they decreed that one may collect only from close by and from what is in ample supply6The commentators, from R. Eliahu Fulda to R. Saul Lieberman, translate המצוי by “ownerless property”, but this acceptation is not supported by any parallels..
אָמַר רִבִּי זְעִירָא רִאשׁוֹנָה רִאשׁוֹנָה מִתְקַייְמִין. Rebbi Zeїra said, first and first are supported7Of the three restrictions indicated by R. Jonah and the Tosephta, only the first two, that one may not collect from one’s own other than coarse matter and that one may not collect in reciprocity, are valid. The third one, not mentioned in the Mishnah, is not practice..
הָֽיְתָה בְהֶמְתּוֹ שָׁם בְּהֶמְתּוֹ מוֹכַחַת עָלָיו. הָֽיְתָה כִּירָתוֹ שָׁם כִּירָתוֹ מוֹכַחַת עָלָיו. לִיקֵּט בְּגַסִּין מַהוּ שֶׁיַּחֲזִיר וִילַקֵּט מִן הַגַּסִּים שֶׁבְּדַקִּים. אִם אָמַר אַתְּ כֵּן אַף הוּא מְלַקֵּט אֶת כָּל־שָׂדֵהוּ בַשְּׁבִיעִית. If his animal was there, his animal is proof for him8He collects weeds as animal fodder, not to weed his field.. If his cooking stove was there, his cooking stove proves for him9He collects fallen wood as fuel, not to clean his field. A Genizah fragment has כוורתו “his basket” instead of כירתו “his cooking stove”; this might be the better reading.. If he collected the coarse pieces, may he come back and collect the coarsest of the smaller ones? If you say so, he will collect his entire field.
הָֽיְתָה שָׂדֵהוּ מְלֵיאָה גַסִּין תַּרְתֵּין מַתְנָיִין חָדָא אָֽמְרָה שָׁרֵי וְחָדָא אָֽמְרָה אָסוּר. הַמְּסַקֵּל שָׂדֵהוּ נוֹטֵל אֶת הָעֶלְיוֹנוֹת וּמַנִּיחַ אֶת הַנּוֹגְעוֹת בָּאָרֶץ הָדָא אָֽמְרָה שָׁרֵי. אֵי זֶהוּ הַמֵּידַל אַחַת אוֹ שְׁתַּיִם הָדָא אָֽמְרָה אָסוּר. If his field was full of coarse pieces10If he takes all the coarse pieces, his field is weeded and cleaned., there are two Mishnaiot; one said, it is permitted, one said, it is forbidden. (Mishnah 3:7) “He who clears his field from stones takes the upper ones and leaves those which touch the ground11There is no limit on the number of stones he may remove; even if his entire property is covered with stones he may remove them. Since the Mishnah here does not indicate any limit on what one may take, there is no limit.;” that means it is permitted. (Mishnah 4:4) “Who is the one who thins out? He takes one or two;12The Mishnah deals with a person pruning olive trees. One may thin but one may not clean out. The one who thins cuts one or two branches; more is cleaning. This Mishnah stipulates that one may not clean his olive tree completely; by analogy one may not clean out his field.” that means it is forbidden.
אַף בְּמוֹעֵד כֵּן. אַשְׁכָּח תַּנָּא תַּנֵּי מְלַקֵּט אָדָם עֵצִים וָעֲשָׂבִים מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁלּוֹ אֶת הַגַּס הַגַּס כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶהוּא מְלַקֵּט מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁל חֲבֵירוֹ בֵּין דַּקִּין בֵּין גַּסִּין. בִּשְׁבִיעִית אֲבָל לֹא בְּמוֹעֵד. אַף בָּאֲבָנִים כֵן. אַשְׁכָּח תַּנֵּי אַף בָּאֲבָנִים. הַלֵּב יוֹדֵעַ אִם לְעַקֵּל אִם לָעֲקַלְקָלוֹת. רִבִּי יוֹסָה בְשֵׁם מְנַחֵם רִבִי עֲקִיבָה עֲבַד כְּשִׁיטָּתֵיהּ. חָמָא חַד אִיזְמַר כַּרְמָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ וְלֵית אָסִיר. אֲמַר לֵיהּ לְעַקְלִין אֲנָא בָּעֵי הַלֵּב יוֹדֵעַ אִם לְעַקֵּול אִם לָעֲקַלְקָלוֹת. Is it the same on the intermediate days of a holiday? A Tanna was found who stated: “A person may collect wood, stones, and grasses on his own property, but only large pieces, in the way he may collect on somebody else’s property both large and small pieces, in a Sabbatical year but not during he intermediate days of a holiday.” Is it the same for stones13Since stones were mentioned in the preceding baraita, the question seems to be out of place. One has to assume that the baraita before the editors of the Yerushalmi did not mention stones. Tosephta 3:8 in all sources has “olives” instead of “wood, stones, and grasses”; this must be an old corruption.? It was found stated “including stones”. “The heart knows whether it is straight or crooked.14Tosephta 3:8. R. S. Lieberman notes that the saying, traced to R. Aqiba in the next sentences, is an untranslatable pun on עקל (noun) “basket weave” and עקל (verb) “to straighten what is curved”. As a hint, both meanings are used in the translation, one here and one at the end of the paragraph.” Rebbi Yosah in the name of Menaḥem: Rebbi Aqiba followed his own rule. He saw a person pruning his vineyard. He said to him, is that not forbidden? He said to him, I need it to make basket weave. The heart knows whether it is for basket weave or for crookedness.