Peah 1:4 - 2:1
משנה פאה א:ד - ב:א
Seder: Zeraim | Tractate: Peah | Time4Mishna
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Mishna 1:4
משנה א:ד
Hebrew:
כְּלָל אָמְרוּ בַּפֵּאָה. כָּל שֶׁהוּא אֹכֶל, וְנִשְׁמָר, וְגִדּוּלָיו מִן הָאָרֶץ, וּלְקִיטָתוֹ כְאַחַת, וּמַכְנִיסוֹ לְקִיּוּם, חַיָּב בַּפֵּאָה. וְהַתְּבוּאָה וְהַקִּטְנִיּוֹת בַּכְּלָל הַזֶּה:
English:
They said a general principle concerning peah: whatever is food, and is looked after, and grows from the land, and is harvested all at the same time, and is brought in for storage, is subject to the law of peah. Grain and beans are in this category.
קלאוד על המשנה:
This mishna establishes the five criteria for peah obligation. A crop must meet ALL of these conditions: (1) It must be food—not cotton or flax. (2) It must be guarded/protected—ownerless produce is exempt. (3) It must grow from the ground—excluding mushrooms which grow from decaying matter. (4) It must be harvested all at once—unlike vegetables picked gradually. (5) It must be stored—not consumed immediately from the field.
Grain and legumes exemplify crops that meet all five criteria. The precision of this list reflects the rabbinic method: define the underlying principle, then apply it to specific cases. This prevents both over-inclusion (obligating crops the Torah didn’t intend) and under-inclusion (exempting crops that should be obligated).
Key Terms:
- אוכל (Okhel) = Food; edible produce for human consumption
- נשמר (Nishmar) = Guarded; privately owned and protected
- לקיטתו כאחת (Lekitato K’Achat) = Harvested all at once; single harvest time
- קיום (Kiyum) = Storage; preservation for later use
Mishna 1:5
משנה א:ה
Hebrew:
וּבָאִילָן, הָאוֹג וְהֶחָרוּבִין וְהָאֱגוֹזִים וְהַשְּׁקֵדִים וְהַגְּפָנִים וְהָרִמּוֹנִים וְהַזֵּיתִים וְהַתְּמָרִים, חַיָּבִין בַּפֵּאָה:
English:
Among trees: the sumac, the carob, the nut, the almond, the grapevine, the pomegranate, the olive and the palm are subject to peah.
קלאוד על המשנה:
This mishna lists eight trees whose fruit requires peah. Note the diversity: some bear edible fruit (dates, pomegranates), some produce oil (olives), some yield wine (grapes), some provide nuts (almonds, walnuts). The sumac (og) was used for seasoning and tanning.
Why list specific trees if we already have the general principle from 1:4? Because trees present unique challenges. Their fruit ripens gradually—can that count as “harvested all at once”? Trees aren’t replanted annually—does that affect the obligation? By explicitly listing these trees, the mishna clarifies that the general criteria apply to orchards as well as fields.
Key Terms:
- אוג (Og) = Sumac; tree used for spices and tanning
- חרובין (Charuvin) = Carob; common food source, especially for the poor
- תמרים (Temarim) = Date palms; significant agricultural product in Israel
Mishna 1:6
משנה א:ו
Hebrew:
לְעוֹלָם הוּא נוֹתֵן מִשּׁוּם פֵּאָה וּפָטוּר מִן הַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת, עַד שֶׁיְּמָרֵחַ. וְנוֹתֵן מִשּׁוּם הֶפְקֵר וּפָטוּר מִן הַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת, עַד שֶׁיְּמָרֵחַ. וּמַאֲכִיל לַבְּהֵמָה וְלַחַיָּה וְלָעוֹפוֹת וּפָטוּר מִן הַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת, עַד שֶׁיְּמָרֵחַ. וְנוֹטֵל מִן הַגֹּרֶן וְזוֹרֵעַ וּפָטוּר מִן הַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת, עַד שֶׁיְּמָרֵחַ, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא. כֹּהֵן וְלֵוִי שֶׁלָּקְחוּ אֶת הַגֹּרֶן, הַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת שֶׁלָּהֶם, עַד שֶׁיְּמָרֵחַ. הַמַּקְדִּישׁ וּפוֹדֶה, חַיָּב בְּמַעַשְׂרוֹת, עַד שֶׁיְּמָרֵחַ הַגִּזְבָּר:
English:
He may always give peah and be exempt from giving tithes until he makes a stack. One who gives [to the poor] as ownerless [produce] and be exempt from giving tithes until he makes a stack. He may feed cattle, wild animals and birds and be exempt from giving tithes until he makes a stack. He may take from the threshing floor and use it as seed and be exempt from giving tithes until he makes a stack, the words of Rabbi Akiva. A priest or Levite who purchase [grain of] a threshing floor, the tithes are theirs unless [the owner] has already made a stack. One who dedicated [his crop] and redeems it [afterwards] is obligated to give tithes until the Temple treasurer has made a stack.
קלאוד על המשנה:
This mishna identifies the critical moment when tithe obligation begins: the “smoothing of the pile” (miruach)—when grain is gathered into a neat stack on the threshing floor. Before this point, the owner has flexibility. He can give peah, declare produce ownerless, feed animals, or use grain as seed—all without triggering tithe obligations.
Rabbi Akiva’s view (which becomes normative) is that the obligation crystallizes at miruach. This creates a window of opportunity for generosity and practical use. The subsequent cases—kohen/levi purchasing before miruach, and consecrated produce—show how this principle applies in complex situations.
The underlying concept: agricultural obligations attach at the point of “completion.” Until then, the produce is still in process and remains more flexible in its use.
Key Terms:
- מירוח (Miruach) = Smoothing the pile; completing the threshing floor stack
- מעשרות (Maasrot) = Tithes; portions given to Levites and for sacred purposes
- גזבר (Gizbar) = Temple treasurer; official who manages consecrated property
Mishna 2:1
משנה ב:א
Hebrew:
וְאֵלּוּ מַפְסִיקִין לַפֵּאָה. הַנַּחַל, וְהַשְּׁלוּלִית, וְדֶרֶךְ הַיָּחִיד, וְדֶרֶךְ הָרַבִּים, וּשְׁבִיל הָרַבִּים, וּשְׁבִיל הַיָּחִיד הַקָּבוּעַ בִּימוֹת הַחַמָּה וּבִימוֹת הַגְּשָׁמִים, וְהַבּוּר, וְהַנִּיר, וְזֶרַע אַחֵר. וְהַקּוֹצֵר לְשַׁחַת מַפְסִיק, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, אֵינוֹ מַפְסִיק, אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן חָרָשׁ:
English:
The following divide a field for peah: a stream, a pool, a private road, a public road, a public path, a private path in constant use in summer and the rainy season, fallow land, a plowed field and a different seed. One who harvested for animal fodder, [the plot] serves divides, the words of Rabbi Meir. But the sages say: it does not stop for peah unless it is plowed.
קלאוד על המשנה:
Chapter 2 begins with a practical question: what divides a field into separate units for peah purposes? If your field has natural or artificial boundaries within it, do you give one peah for the whole or multiple peahs for each section?
The mishna lists dividers: water features (stream, pool), paths (various types), agricultural variations (fallow land, plowed areas, different crops). Each of these creates a visual and functional break in the field.
Rabbi Meir and the Sages debate whether harvesting a section for animal fodder creates a division. Rabbi Meir says yes—the act of removal separates. The Sages require actual plowing to create a division. The practical difference: under Rabbi Meir, partial harvesting multiplies peah obligations; under the Sages, only structural changes count.
Key Terms:
- מפסיקין (Mafsikin) = Divide/interrupt; create separate peah zones
- נחל (Nachal) = Stream; watercourse that divides fields
- שלולית (Shelulit) = Pool; standing water that creates a barrier
- ניר (Nir) = Plowed field; land prepared for planting
- שחת (Shachat) = Fodder; grain cut early for animal feed
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