Peah 2:2-5
משנה פאה ב:ב-ה
Seder: Zeraim | Tractate: Peah | Time4Mishna
📖 Mishna
Mishna 2:2
משנה ב:ב
Hebrew:
אַמַּת הַמַּיִם שֶׁאֵינָהּ יְכוֹלָה לְהִקָּצֵר כְּאַחַת, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, מַפְסֶקֶת. וְכֹל הֶהָרִים אֲשֶׁר בַּמַּעְדֵּר יֵעָדֵרוּן, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין הַבָּקָר יָכוֹל לַעֲבֹר בְּכֵלָיו, הוּא נוֹתֵן פֵּאָה לַכֹּל:
English:
A water channel that makes harvesting [on one side] impossible [while standing on the other side], Rabbi Judah says: it divides. But all of the hills that can be tilled with a hoe, even though cattle cannot pass over it with their equipment, [is regarded as part of the field] he gives one peah from it all.
קלאוד על המשנה:
This mishna refines the rules about field divisions. Rabbi Yehuda teaches that a water channel wide enough to prevent simultaneous harvesting from both sides creates a division—the physical barrier disrupts the field’s unity.
The second case is fascinating: hilly terrain within a field. Even if the slope is too steep for oxen with their plowing equipment, as long as a person can till it with a hand hoe, it remains part of the unified field. The test isn’t whether modern agricultural machinery works, but whether the land is cultivable at all.
This reflects an important principle: the field’s unity depends on its agricultural function, not mere convenience. Difficult terrain that can still be farmed doesn’t fragment the field.
Key Terms:
- אמת המים (Amat HaMayim) = Water channel; irrigation canal
- מעדר (Ma’ader) = Hoe; hand tool for tilling soil
- בקר (Bakar) = Cattle; oxen used for plowing
Mishna 2:3
משנה ב:ג
Hebrew:
הַכֹּל מַפְסִיק לַזְּרָעִים, וְאֵינוֹ מַפְסִיק לָאִילָן אֶלָּא גָדֵר. וְאִם הָיָה שֵׂעָר כּוֹתֵשׁ, אֵינוֹ מַפְסִיק, אֶלָּא נוֹתֵן פֵּאָה לַכֹּל:
English:
All of these divide in the case of a field [planted] with seeds, but in the case of trees nothing divides except a fence. Should the branches intertwine [on top of the fence], then it does not divide and he gives one peah for the whole field.
קלאוד על המשנה:
Trees and grain crops have different division rules. For grain (seeds), all the dividers listed in 2:1 apply—streams, paths, fallow land, etc. But for trees, ONLY a fence creates a division. Why the difference?
Trees have larger root systems and canopies that transcend minor barriers. A stream that divides a wheat field doesn’t really separate olive trees whose roots may extend underneath it. Only a fence—an intentional human-made barrier—divides orchards.
But even a fence doesn’t divide if the branches intertwine above it. The trees’ physical connection above the fence unifies them. This shows the principle is about functional agricultural unity, not arbitrary lines.
Key Terms:
- זרעים (Zeraim) = Seeds; grain crops planted annually
- אילן (Ilan) = Tree; perennial fruit-bearing trees
- גדר (Gader) = Fence; physical barrier between properties
- שער כותש (Se’ar Kotesh) = Branches intertwining; canopy connection
Mishna 2:4
משנה ב:ד
Hebrew:
וְלֶחָרוּבִין, כָּל הָרוֹאִין זֶה אֶת זֶה. אָמַר רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, נוֹהֲגִין הָיוּ בֵּית אַבָּא, נוֹתְנִין פֵּאָה אַחַת לַזֵּיתִים שֶׁהָיוּ לָהֶם בְּכָל רוּחַ, וְלֶחָרוּבִין, כָּל הָרוֹאִין זֶה אֶת זֶה. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בְּרַבִּי צָדוֹק אוֹמֵר מִשְּׁמוֹ, אַף לֶחָרוּבִין שֶׁהָיוּ לָהֶם בְּכָל הָעִיר:
English:
As for carob trees, [they are not divided] as long as they see one another. Rabban Gamaliel said: we had this custom in the house of my father. We would give separate peah from the olive trees in each direction and [one peah] for all the carob trees that saw one another. Rabbi Elazar bar Zadok said in his name: also for the carob trees they had in the whole city [they only gave one peah].
קלאוד על המשנה:
Carob trees have a unique rule: visual connection determines unity. If carob trees can “see” each other—i.e., there’s a line of sight between them—they count as one unit for peah.
Rabban Gamliel shares his family’s practice: separate peah for olive trees on each side of their property, but unified peah for all carob trees within sight of each other. Rabbi Elazar bar Tzadok adds that this extended to all carob trees they owned throughout the entire city!
Why the difference between olives and carobs? Possibly because carobs were often scattered among other crops or along boundaries, while olives were planted in dedicated orchards. The “line of sight” rule accommodates carobs’ scattered distribution.
Key Terms:
- רואין זה את זה (Ro’in Zeh Et Zeh) = They see one another; visual connection
- בית אבא (Beit Abba) = My father’s house; family tradition
- רוח (Ruach) = Direction; side of the property
Mishna 2:5
משנה ב:ה
Hebrew:
הַזּוֹרֵעַ אֶת שָׂדֵהוּ מִין אֶחָד, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֵׂהוּ שְׁתֵּי גְרָנוֹת, נוֹתֵן פֵּאָה אַחַת. זְרָעָהּ שְׁנֵי מִינִין, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁעֲשָׂאָן גֹּרֶן אַחַת, נוֹתֵן שְׁתֵּי פֵאוֹת. הַזּוֹרֵעַ אֶת שָׂדֵהוּ שְׁנֵי מִינֵי חִטִּין, עֲשָׂאָן גֹּרֶן אַחַת, נוֹתֵן פֵּאָה אַחַת. שְׁתֵּי גְרָנוֹת, נוֹתֵן שְׁתֵּי פֵאוֹת:
English:
He who plants his field with one kind of seed, even though he makes up of it two threshing-floors, he gives only one peah [for the lot]. If he plants it of two kinds, even though he makes up of it one threshing-floor, he must give two peahs. One who plants his field with two species of wheat: If he makes up of it one threshing-floor, he gives only one peah; But if two threshing-floors, he gives two peahs.
קלאוד על המשנה:
This mishna clarifies that species—not processing method—determines peah obligations. If you plant one species but process it in two separate threshing floors, you still owe only one peah. But if you plant two species and combine them in one threshing floor, you owe two peahs.
The interesting case is two varieties of wheat. Are they one “species” or two? The mishna rules: it depends on how you process them. If combined into one threshing floor (treating them as one crop), one peah. If separated into two threshing floors (treating them as distinct), two peahs. Here, the farmer’s own classification matters.
This reflects a broader principle: the owner’s intentions and practices can affect halachic categories when the underlying reality is ambiguous.
Key Terms:
- מין (Min) = Species; type of crop
- גורן (Goren) = Threshing floor; place where grain is processed
- מיני חיטין (Minei Chitin) = Species of wheat; different wheat varieties