Bava Metzia 212

חזינא קשיא

— This indeed is a difficulty.

תני חדא פעם ראשונה ושניה זורעה ושלישית אינו זורעה ותניא אידך שלישית זורעה רביעית אינו זורעה לא קשיא הא כרבי הא כרשב"ג

One [Baraitha] teaches: He [the tenant] must sow it [the field] the first and second time, but not the third.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Having sown the field once, and it was blighted, he must resow it; otherwise he can make no deduction even if the epidemic was widespread. But if it was smitten again, he need not sow it a third time. ');">¹</span>

הא כרבי דאמר בתרי זימני הוי חזקה הא כרשב"ג דאמר בתלת זימני הוי חזקה

But another [Baraitha] teaches: He must resow it a third time, but not a fourth! — There is no difficulty: the former is according to Rabbi; the latter, R. Simeon b. Gamaliel. The former is according to Rabbi, who maintained that a presumption is established by an occurrence happening twice. The latter, R. Simeon b. Gamaliel, who held that a presumption is established only when it occurs three times.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Sanh. 81b. Hence, the crops having been twice blighted, there is a presumption that they will be smitten a third time too, according to Rabbi; and therefore without sowing a third time, he may deduct. But in the view of R. Simeon b. Gamaliel, they must be blighted three times before he may presume thus. ');">²</span>

אמר ריש לקיש לא שנו אלא שזרעה וצמחה ואכלה חגב אבל זרעה ולא צמחה מצי אמר ליה בעל הקרקע כל ימי זרע זרעא לה ואזיל ועד אימת אמר רב פפא עד דאתו אריסי מדברא וקיימא כימה ארישייהו

Resh Lakish said: This was taught only if he sowed it, it grew, and was devoured by locusts. But if he sowed it, and it did not grow at all, the lessor can say to him, 'Go on repeatedly sowing [the field] during the extra period of sowing.' And until when is that? — Said R. Papa: Until the <i>aris</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos. ');">³</span>

מיתיבי רשב"ג משום ר"מ אומר וכן היה רבי שמעון בן מנסיא אומר כדבריו חצי תשרי מרחשון וחצי כסליו זרע

comes from the field and kimah is situated overhead.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Kimah is the name of a constellation, conjectured by Jast. to be Daco, not the Pleiades. In the month of Adar, corresponding to mid-February to March, the kimah appears to be overhead at the time the peasant finishes his work, viz., about four in the afternoon. Thus R. Papa states that the seed time is up to Adar. ');">⁴</span>

חצי כסליו טבת וחצי שבט חורף חצי שבט אדר וחצי ניסן קור חצי ניסן אייר וחצי סיון קציר חצי סיון תמוז וחצי אב קיץ חצי אב אלול וחצי תשרי חום

An objection is raised: R. Simeon b. Gamaliel said on the authority of R. Meir, and R. Simeon b. Menasya said likewise: [The second] half of Tishri, Marcheshvan, and the first half of Kislev is seed-time; [the second] half of Kislev, Tebeth, and half Shebat are the winter months; [the second] half of Shebat, Adar, and [the first] half of Nisan, cold months; [the second] half of Nisan, Iyar, and [the first] half of Sivan is the period of harvests; [the second] half of Sivan, Tammuz, and the first half of Ab are summer; the second half of Ab, Ellul and the first half of Tishri, hot months. R. Judah counted [these periods] from [the beginning of] Tishri; R. Simeon, from Marcheshvan.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The passage is an explanation of the terms mentioned in Gen. VIII, 22: While the earth remaineth, seed-time ([H]) and harvest ([H]), and cold ([H]) and heat ([H]), summer ([H]) and winter ([H]), and day and night shall not cease. ');">⁵</span>

רבי יהודה מונה מתשרי ר"ש מונה ממרחשון

Now, who gives the most lenient interpretation?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who starts the seasons latest, and so gives the latest period for seed-time. ');">⁶</span>

מאן מיקל בכולהו ר' שמעון וכולי האי לא קאמר לא קשיא הא דקבלה מיניה בחרפי הא דקבלה מיניה באפלי:

R. Simeon [who counts from Marcheshvan]; and yet he does not extend the [sowing] season so far! — There is no difficulty. The latter refers to a field leased for early sowing;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g., Wheat and rye. ');">⁷</span>

רבי יהודה אומר אם קבלה ממנו במעות: ההוא גברא דקביל ארעא למיזרעה בהו תומי אגודא דנהר מלכא סבא בזוזי איסתכר נהר מלכא סבא אתא לקמיה דרבא אמר ליה נהר מלכא סבא לא עביד דמיסכר מכת מדינה היא זיל נכי ליה

the former, to one leased for late sowing.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Barley and pulse, which are sown in Adar. ');">⁸</span>

אמרו ליה רבנן לרבא הא אנן תנן ר' יהודה אומר אם קבלה הימנו במעות בין כך ובין כך אינו מנכה לו מן חכורו אמר להו לית דחש לה לדר' יהודה:

R. JUDAH SAID: IF HE LEASES IT ON A MONEY RENTAL. A certain man leased a field by the bank of the River Malka Saba<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [The large canal in the district of Mahuza; v. Obermeyer, op. cit. p. 170.] ');">⁹</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> המקבל שדה מחבירו בעשרה כור חטים לשנה ולקתה נותן לו מתוכה היו חטיה יפות לא יאמר לו הריני לוקח מן השוק אלא נותן לו מתוכה:

on a money rental, for sowing garlic. But the River Malka Saba became dammed up.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' At a higher point than the field, so that it was insufficiently watered for garlic to grow. ');">¹⁰</span>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> ההוא גברא דקביל ארעא לאספסתא בכורי דשערי עבדא אספסתא וחרשה וזרעה שערי ולקו הני שערי שלחה רב חביבא מסורא דפרת לקמיה דרבינא כי האי גונא מאי כי לקתה נותן לו מתוכה דמי או לא

When he came before Raba, he said to him, 'It is unusual for the River Malka Saba to become dammed; this is a widespread blow; [therefore] go and deduct.' But the Rabbis protested to Raba, did we not learn, R. JUDAH SAID: IF HE LEASED IT ON A MONEY RENTAL, THEN IN BOTH CASES HE MAY MAKE NO DEDUCTION? — He replied: None pay heed to this ruling of R. Judah.

אמר ליה מי דמי התם לא עבדא ארעא שליחותא דמרה הכא עבדא ארעא שליחותא דמרה

<b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. IF A MAN LEASED A FIELD AT AN ANNUAL RENTAL OF TEN <i>KORS</i> WHEAT, AND IT [THE FIELD] WAS SMITTEN,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The crops being blasted or mildewed. ');">¹¹</span>

ההוא גברא דקבל פרדס מחבריה בעשר דני חמרא תקיף ההוא חמרא סבר רב כהנא למימר היינו מתני' לקתה נותן לו מתוכה אמר ליה רב אשי מי דמי התם לא עבדא ארעא שליחותא הכא עבדא ארעא שליחותא

HE CAN PAY HIM THEREOF.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the crops grown in that field, notwithstanding their poor quality. ');">¹²</span>

ומודה רב אשי בעינבי דכדום ובשדה שלקתה בעומריה:

IF, [ON THE OTHER HAND,] THE WHEAT GROWN WAS OF CHOICE QUALITY, HE [THE TENANT] CANNOT SAY, 'I WILL PURCHASE WHEAT IN THE MARKET [FOR YOUR RENTAL],' BUT MUST PAY HIM THEREOF.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [This Mishnah, too, obviously deals with a fixed rental.] ');">¹³</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> המקבל שדה מחבירו לזרעה שעורים לא יזרענה חטים חטים יזרענה שעורים רשב"ג אוסר תבואה לא יזרענה קטנית קטנית יזרענה תבואה ורשב"ג אוסר:

<b><i>GEMARA</i></b>. A man leased a field to grow fodder for [several] <i>kors</i> of barley. [The field] having produced a crop of fodder,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This requires only thirty days. ');">¹⁴</span>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> א"ר חסדא מ"ט דרשב"ג דכתיב (צפניה ג, יג) שארית ישראל לא יעשו עולה ולא ידברו כזב ולא ימצא בפיהם לשון תרמית

he ploughed and resowed it with barley, which was, however, blighted. So R. Habiba, of Sura on the Euphrates,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Whilst the town of Sura lay on the Sura canal, its west side was situated on the Euphrates, Obermeyer, op. cit. 293.] ');">¹⁵</span>

מיתיבי מגבת פורים לפורים ואין מדקדקין בדבר ואין העני רשאי ליקח מהן רצועה לסנדלו אא"כ התנה במעמד אנשי העיר דברי רבי יעקב שאמר משום ר"מ רשב"ג

sent to Rabina: How is it in such a case? Is it analogous to the law, IF IT WAS SMITTEN, HE CAN PAY HIM THEREOF, or not? — He replied: How compare? In that case the soil had not performed the owner's behest; but here it had.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., in the Mishnah it had been leased for barley, and the barley had been smitten. Therefore the lessor must accept his rent out of the crop. Here, however, the fodder, for which it had been rented, had not been affected, and it had never been leased for barley; consequently, he must supply him with sound barley, as the original understanding had been. ');">¹⁶</span> A certain man leased a vineyard from his fellow for ten barrels of wine: but that wine<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., which was manufactured from the grapes of that vineyard. ');">¹⁷</span> turned sour. Now, R. Nahman thought to rule, This is the same as our Mishnah: IF IT WAS SMITTEN, HE CAN PAY HIM THEREOF. But R. Ashi said to him: What analogy is there? There the soil had not performed its duty, whilst here it had.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The grapes were sound; therefore he must buy him good wine. ');">¹⁸</span> Yet R. Ashi admits in the case of grapes that had become wormy, or a field whose sheaves were smitten.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Then the lessor must accept payment out of the crop. Though the sheaves were already detached from the soil, yet since they had to be spread out on the field for drying, they still needed the soil, and therefore it is as though they were smitten whilst growing. ');">¹⁹</span> <b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. IF ONE LEASES A FIELD FROM HIS NEIGHBOUR TO SOW BARLEY, HE MUST NOT SOW WHEAT;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because wheat exhausts the soil more than barley. This can refer only to a fixed rental; for in the case of a percentage rental, since a wheat crop is of greater value than a barley crop, he may sow wheat, as stated supra 104a: Let the field be impoverished, rather than its owner. ');">²⁰</span> [TO SOW] WHEAT, HE MAY SOW BARLEY. BUT R. SIMEON B. GAMALIEL FORBIDS IT. [IF RENTED FOR] CEREALS, HE MAY NOT SOW PULSE; BUT IF [FOR] PULSE HE MAY SOW CEREALS.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The reasoning is the same as in the case of barley and wheat. [MS.M. reverses the position of cereals and pulse, a reading adopted by Maim. and Alfasi, cf. n. 5 below.] ');">²¹</span> R. SIMEON B. GAMALIEL FORBIDS IT. <b><i>GEMARA</i></b>. R. Hisda said: What is R. Simeon b. Gamaliel's reason? — Because it is written, The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Zeph. III, 13. ');">²²</span> An objection is raised: The Purim collections must be utilized for Purim only, and no scrutiny is made in the matter. The poor may not even buy shoestraps therewith, unless this was stipulated in the presence of members of the community: this is the ruling of R. Jacob, who stated it in the name of R. Meir; but R. Simeon b. Gamaliel