משנה: שָׁלֹשׁ אֲרָצוֹת לְבִיעוּר יְהוּדָה וְעֶבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן וְגָלִיל. וְשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁלֹשׁ אֲרָצוֹת לְכָל־אַחַת וְאַחַת. גָּלִיל הָעֶלְיוֹן וְגָלִיל הַתַּחְתּוֹן וְהָעֵמֶק. מִכְּפַר חֲנַנְיָה וּלְמַעֲלָן כָּל־שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְגַדֵּל שִׁיקְמִין גָּלִיל הָעֶלְיוֹן. וּמִכְּפַר חֲנַנְיָה וּלְמַטָּן כָּל־שֶׁהוּא מְגַדֵּל שִׁיקְמִין גָּלִיל הַתַּחְתּוֹן. וּתְחוּם טִבֵּרִיָּא וְהָעֵמֶק. וּבִיהוּדָה הָהָר הַשְּׁפֵלָה וְהַנֶּגֶב וּשְׁפֵילַת לוֹד כִשְׁפֵילַת הַדָּרוֹם וְהָהָר שֶׁלָּהּ כְּהַר הַמֶּלֶךְ. מִבֵּית חוֹרוֹן וְעַד הַיָּם מְדִינָה אַחַת. וְלָמָּה אָֽמְרוּ שָׁלֹשׁ אֲרָצוֹת שֶׁיְּהוּ אוֹכְלִין בְּכָל־אַחַת וְאַחַת עַד שֶׁיִּכְלֶה הָאַחֲרוֹן שֶׁבָּהּ. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר לֹא אָֽמְרוּ שָׁלֹשׁ אֲרָצוֹת אֶלָּא בִיהוּדָה וּשְׁאָר כָּל־הָאֲרָצוֹת כְּהַר הַמֶּלֶךְ. וְכָל־הָאֲרָצוֹת כְּאַחַת לַזֵּיתִים וְלַתְּמָרִים. MISHNAH: There are three regions for removals38The time when Sabbatical produce stored in one’s house must be removed (by being eaten or distributed to the poor) after nothing of the same kind is left on the fields for wildlife, is determined separately for each of the nine regions settled by Jews in the Holy Land. According to the Tosephta Chap. 8, the distribution is a communal action directed by the court and can be a drawn-out affair with nobody getting more than food for three meals at one time. However, it is stated in Halakhah 5 that in Amoraic times the obligation of removal was circumvented by formal abandonment of the produce., Judea, Transjordan39In the Pentateuch, עבר הירדן can mean either the West or the East bank of the Jordan. According to Maimonides, in this Mishnah “the side of the Jordan” denotes the region between Bet Ḥoron and the Sea. The Halakhah contradicts this determination; also it would call “side of the Jordan” only the parts of Southern Ephraim between the Jordan and the watershed. The Halakhah defines עבר הירדן as the Transjordan parts of Jewish Palestine, not included in Jehudah and Galilee; cf. Halakhah 6:1., and Galilee. Each of them has three subregions: Upper Galilee, Lower Galilee, and the Valley. From Kefar Ḥananiah40The center of the pottery industry in Galilee. Its location has not been convincingly determined. upwards, everywhere no sycamores can grow, is Upper Galilee. From Kefar Ḥananiah downwards, everwhere sycamores do grow, is Lower Galilee. And the district of Tiberias and the Valley41The Jordan valley South of the Sea of Galilee. The Jezreël valley is counted as part of Lower Galilee.. In Jehudah the hills, the lowland, and the Southland. The lowlands of Lydda are like the Southern lowlands42The entire lowland from Antipatris North of Lydda to the South has the same status even though it is not one domain., its hills are like King’s Mountain43Cf. Demay Chapter 5, Note 115, and Note 63 below.. From Bet Ḥoron to the Sea is one domain44The Halakhah will define this as an additional domain..
Why did they mention three regions? That in each one may eat until the last produce has vanished. Rebbi Simeon says, they mentioned three regions only for Judea; all other regions follow King’s Mountain63In Tosephta 7:10: “Rebbi Simeon says, they mentioned three regions only for Judea; all other regions continue to eat their produce until it vanishes from Bet El and the periphery of Caesarion.” Since King’s Mountain is described as the hill region representing Judea, it cannot be the region between Bet El and Caesarion (Caesarea Philippi) as maintained by R. S. Klein and R. S. Lieberman. The farthest reach of King’s Mountain is the region extending N. of Jerusalem to the Northern border of Hasmonean Judea.. All regions are one for olives and dates.
הלכה: וְלִבְהֶמְתְּךָ וְלַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר בְאַרְצֶךָ כו׳. כָּל־זְמָן שֶחַיָּה אוֹכֶלֶת מִן הַשָּׂדֶה הַבְּהֵמָה אוֹכֶלֶת מִן הַבַּיִת. כָּלָה לַחַיָּה מִן הַשָּׂדֶה כָּלָה לִבְהֶמְתְּךָ מִן הַבַּיִת. HALAKHAH: (Lev. 25:7): “For your domesticated animals and the wildlife in your land,45“… shall all its yield be food.” The verse is interpreted to mean that wildlife and domesticated animals have equal rights to Sabbatical produce. [Sifra Behar Pereq 1(8); Babli Pesaḥim52b, Ta‘anit 6b.] etc.” Any time a wild animal finds food on the field, your domesticated animal can eat from the house. If it is finished for wildlife on the field, it is finished for the domesticated animal from the house.
רִבִּי חָמָא בַּר עוּקְבָּא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲנִינָא שִׁיעֲרוּ לוֹמַר אֵין הַחַיָּה שֶׁבְּהַר גְדֵילָה בָּעֵמֶק וְלֹא גְדֵילָה חַיָּה שֶׁבְּעֵמֶק בָּהַר. דִּיֹקְלֵיטִיָּאנוּס אָעִיק לִבְנֵי פַּנַּייָס. אָֽמְרִין לֵיהּ אֲנָן אָֽזְלוּן. אֲמַר לֵיהּ סוֹפִיסְטָה לָא אָֽזְלִין לוֹן וְאִין אָֽזְלוּן לוֹן חָֽזְרוּן לוֹן. וְאִי בָּעִית מִיבְדְּקָה אַייְתִי טַבְייָן וְשָֽׁלְחוֹן לְאַרְעָא דִרְחִיקָא וּבְסוֹף אִינּוּן חָֽזְרִין לְאַתְּרֵיהוֹן. עֲבַד כֵּן אַייְתִי טַבְייָן וְחָפִי קַרְנָתְהוּן בִכְסָף וְשָֽׁלְחוֹן לְאַפְרִיקִי וּבְסוֹף תַּלְת עֶשְׂרֵה שְׁנִין חָֽזְרוּן לְאַתְּרֵיהוֹן. Rebbi Ḥama bar Uqba in the name of Rebbi Yose bar Ḥanina: They were of the opinion that mountain wildlife does not develop in the valley, nor does valley wildlife develop on the mountains46If wild animals migrate one could eat at one place until all produce anywhere in the country is used up.. Diocletian oppressed the people of Paneias47Caesarea Philippi, at the Jordan source (today Banias).; they told him: we are leaving. A Sophist48Greek σοφιστής “Sophist, expert” told him, they will not go, and if they go they will return. If you want to check, bring deer and send them to a distant land; in the end they will return to their places. He did so, brought deer, covered their antlers with silver, and sent them to Africa. At the end of thirteen years they returned to their places49The story is impossible since deer grow new antlers every year. (“13 years” in the Leyden, “30 years” in the Venice texts.).
תַּנֵּי רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר סִימָן לֶהָרִים מֵילִין. לָעֲמָקִים תְּמָרִים לַנְחָלִים קָנִים. לַשְּׂפֵלָה שִׁקְמִים. וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין רְאַייָה לַדָּבָר זֶיכֶר לַדָּבָר וְאֶת הָאֲרָזִים נָתַן כַּשִּׁקְמִים אֲשֶׁר בַּשְּׁפֵלָה לָרוֹב. אִית דְּבָעֵי מֵימַר לְמִידַּת הַדִּין אִיתְמַר וְאִית דְּבָעֵי מֵימַר לְעֶגְלָה עֲרוּפָה אִיתְמַר. It was stated50Tosephta 7:11. The text is quoted Babli Pesaḥim 53a.: “Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel says, a sign for mountains are ash trees51Greek μελία (Musaphia). Rashi and R. Ḥananel in Pesaḥim define as “gall-oak.” Lieberman defines as “pine”; in Arabic מילא is “a leafy tree”., for valleys dates, for brooks reeds, for the lowland sycamores. Even if it is no proof, there is a sign (1K. 10:27, 2Chr. 1:19, 9:27)): ‘Cedars he [Solomon] gave as many as sycamores in the lowland.’ ” Some people want to say it was said52The sign for brooks, which is not needed for the laws of the Sabbatical. The sign is needed either to standardize legal terms (that a contract for sale of a brook which has no reeds is invalid unless their absence is noted in the contract) or as definition of the “abandoned brook” at which an unsolved murder case must be atoned for (Deut. 21). The Babli takes the entire Tosephta as defining legal terms. as a legal term, others say it refers to the calf whose neck is to be broken.
אֵי זֶהוּ עֵמֶק בַּגָּלִיל כְּגוֹן בִּקְעַת גִּינֹּיסַר וַחֲבֵירוֹתֶיהָ וְכֵן כְּיוֹצֵא בָּהֶן. אֵי זֶהוּ הַר שֶׁבִּיהוּדָה זֶה הַר הַמֶּלֶךְ. וּשְׁפֵלָתוֹ זוֹ שְׁפֵלַת דָּרוֹם. וְעֵמֶק שֶׁלּוֹ מֵעֵין גֶּדִי וְעַד יְרִיחוֹ. אֵי זֶהוּ הַר שֶׁבְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן. תַּנֵּי רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר כְּגוֹן הָרֵי מַכְווָר וּגְדוֹר וְכֵן כְּיוֹצֵא בָּהֶן וּשְׁפֵלָתוֹ חֶשְׁבּוֹן וְכָל־עָרֶיהָ אֲשֶׁר בַּמִּישׁוֹר דִּיבוֹן וּבָמוֹת בַּעַל וּבֵית בַּעַל מְעוֹן וְכֵן כְּיוֹצֵא בָּהֶן. וְעֵמֶק שֶׁלּוֹ בֵּית הָרָן וּבֵית נִמְרָה וְכֵן כְּיוֹצֵא בָּהֶן. וּבָעֵמֶק בֵּית הָרָן וּבֵית נִמְרָה וְסוּכּוֹת וְצָפוֹן יֶתֶר מַמְלְכֻת סִיחוֹן מֶלֶךְ הָאֱמוֹרִי אֲשֶׁר מָלַךְ בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן. בֵּית הָרָם בֵּית רָמָתָה בֵּית נִמְרָה בֵּית נִמְרִין. סֻכּוֹת דִּרְעָלָה צָפוֹן עַמַתּוֹ. “53All Tosephta texts are from 6:11, a rather badly preserved text. It may be assumed that all sentences starting with “what is” and the answers given come from a baraita. What is the Valley in Galilee? For example, the valley of Genezareth54Not the Jordan valley but the side valley pointing towards Safed. Similarly, all deep side valleys of the Jordan valley are “Valley”. and its companions,” and all similar ones. What is the Mountain in Judea? King’s Mountain43Cf. Demay Chapter 5, Note 115, and Note 63 below.. Its Lowlands are the Southern lowlands. Its Valley from En Gedi to Jericho. What is the Mountain in Transjordan? It was stated: “Rebbi Simeon ben Eleazar said, for example Mount Machaerus and Gadara and all similar ones. Its Lowlands, (Jos. 13:17) ‘Ḥesbon and all its towns in the plain, Dibon, Bamot Ba‘al, and Ba‘al Me‘on’ and all similar ones. Its Valley (Jos. 13:27) ‘Bet Haran55In Scripture, “Bet Haram”, possibly Tell Bet Haran, S. E. of Jericho., Bet Nimra, Sukkot, and Ṣaphon, the remainder of the kingdom of Siḥon’ the Emorite king who ruled in Ḥesbon.” Bet Harim is Bet Ramata, Bet Nimra Bet Nimrin56Today Nīmreïn., Sukkot Tar‘ala57Eusebius and St. Jerome put Tarala due East of Bet Shean on the East bank of the Jordan. [Nelson Glueck (AASOR xxv-xxviii, 1945-1948) identifies Tar'ala with Deir 'Alia; added from Addenda and Corrigenda by Guggenehimer], Ṣaphon Amato58Mentioned by Josephus (Antiquities XIII v 10), today Amatheh..
שְׁפֵלָה שֶׁבְּהַר כְּהַר וְשֶׁבִּשְׁפֵלָה כִּשְׁפֵלָה. מִן מַה דְתַנָּא הַר וְהָרָם עֵמֶק וְעִמְקוֹ שֶׁפֶל וּשְׁפֵלָתוֹ הָדָא אָֽמְרָה שְׁפֵלָה שֶׁבְּהַר כְּהַר וְהַר שֶׁבִּשְׁפֵלָה כִּשְׁפֵלָה. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי מַתְנִיתִין אָמַר כֵּן וְהָהָר שֶׁלָּהּ כְּהַר הַמֶּלֶךְ. Is a depression in the mountains like the mountains, a hill in the lowlands like the lowlands? Since we stated59Tosephta 7:10: “Why were Mountain, Lowlands, and Valley mentioned? Because one does not eat on the mountain because of what is in the valley, and not in the valley because of what is on the mountain, but Mountain and its mountain, Valley and its valley, Lowland and its lowlands.”: “Mountain and its mountain, Valley and its valley, Lowland and its lowlands,” that means that a depression in the mountains is like the mountains, a hill in the lowlands is like the lowlands. Rebbi Yose said, our Mishnah says so: “its hills are like King’s Mountain.”
מִבֵּית חוֹרוֹן וְעַד הַיָּם מְדִינָה אַחַת פָּרָא כוֹרִין. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן עוֹד הִיא יֵשׁ בָּהּ הַר וּשְׁפֵלָה וְעֵמֶק. מִבֵּית חוֹרוֹן וְעַד אֶמָּאוּס הַר מֵאֶמָּאוּס וְעַד לוֹד שְׁפֵלָה מִלּוֹד וְעַד הַיָּם עֵמֶק. נִיתְנוּ אַרְבַּע מְעוּרָבוֹת הֵן. “From Bet Ḥoron to the Sea is one domain.” Without regions60A word unrecognized by the dictionaries, Arabic كُورَة kurah “region, country”.? Rebbi Joḥanan said, still there is Mountain, Lowland, and Valley. From Bet Ḥoron to Emmaus it is Mountain, from Emmaus to Lydda Lowland, from Lydda to the Sea Valley. Then there should be four stated61If there are four domains, four should have been stated. The answer is that the region between Bet Ḥoron and the sea is adjacent to Judea (i. e., it is part of Biblical Ephraim but Maccabean Judea.)? They are adjacent.
תַּנֵּי אֵין בְּסוּרִיָּא שָׁלֹשׁ אֲרָצוֹת. It was stated62Tosephta 7:10: “In Syria, no three regions were declared but one eats from the first produce until the very last has disappeared.” Since the obligation of the Sabbatical in Syria was never biblical, one follows the most lenient interpretation.: “There are not three regions in Syria.”
אִיתָא חָמִי אִילֵּין עֵמֶק שֶׁבִּיהוּדָה אֵינוֹ אוֹכֵל עַד הַר יְהוּדָה וְעֵמֶק שֶׁבְּגָלִיל אוֹכֵל עַד הַר יְהוּדָה. Come and see: Those in the valley of Judea cannot eat based on the mountains of Judea but in the valleys of Galilee they eat based on the mountains of Judea64The opinion of R. Simeon is paradoxical since he permits everywhere outside Judea to eat fruits still available at Bet El!!
כָּל־הָאֲרָצוֹת כְּאַחַת לַזֵּתִים וְלַתְּמָרִים. תַּנֵּי אַף לֶחָרוּבִין. תַּנֵּי אוֹכְלִין עַל הַתְּמָרִים עַד שֶׁיִּכְלוּ מִירִיחוֹ וְעַל הַזֵּיתִים עַד שֶׁיִּכְלוּ מִמֵּרוֹן וּמִגּוּשׁ חָלָב. “All regions are one for olives and dates.” It was stated65In Tosephta 7:17: “Rebbi Simeon ben Eleazar says, [all trees are] like carob trees; one eats from them until the winter rains (when there are no fruits left on the trees).”: “Also for carobs.” It was stated: “One eats dates until they disappear from Jericho66In Tosephta 7:17: “Until the last ones disappear from Zoar.”, one eats olives until they disappear from Meron and Giscala67In Tosephta 7:17: “Until the last ones disappear from Tekoa; R. Eliezer ben Jacob says, also at Giscala.” It is generally agreed that the best olive region in Palestine is the central upper Galilee, between Meron and Giscala. Tekoa is recognized as the best origin in Judea, but still much inferior to Galilee (Mishnah Menaḥot 9:3)..”