Chagigah 25a — the Talmud in English

Wine jars and oil jars ![](pamud.bmp "

Exact page location")

the mingled ones [and it might enter your mind that they became mixed in jars: tevel, teruma, and unconsecrated produce]

They are trusted concerning them during the winepresses. And before

the winepresses, seventy days.

And it will be explained in the Gemara.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: In Judea, they are trusted concerning the purity of wine and oil throughout the entire year:

And we infer:

In Judea—

yes,

indeed, ammei ha-aretz are trusted.

But

if

in the Galilee, they are not

trusted.

What is the reason?

He said

explained

Reish Lakish:

The people of the Galilee do not accept even from chaverim,

because a strip of the land of the Samaritans separates between them [between the Galilee and Judea]; and Jerusalem is situated in Judea, and it is impossible to bring them to Jerusalem in purity, because the Sages decreed concerning everyone who enters [whether a person, vessels, or foodstuffs] into the airspace of the land of the nations [if no tent separates between him and the airspace of the land of the nations] that he becomes impure.

The reason for this decree is the concern lest the person, food, or vessel have formed a tent while passing over the graves of gentiles. For the graves of gentiles render impure one who passes over them with the impurity of a tent, since when one passes over them the matter is considered as though one “forms a tent” over them.

between the Galilee and Judea. Jerusalem is in Judea, and it is impossible to bring the produce to Jerusalem in a state of ritual purity, because the Sages decreed that anything entering the airspace of gentile lands—whether a person, utensils, or food—becomes ritually impure, unless an enclosure separates it from the airspace of gentile lands.

And we object: Behold, he can also bring them from the Galilee,

and let him sit [let him sit] in a chest, box, or tower [closed boxes, into which a person can enter and lock himself] on an animal, and let him pass in them to Jerusalem, for they are a tent to separate between the consecrated property and the airspace of the land of the nations?!

And we answer:

Whose view is this

our Mishna?

It is Rabbi’s, who says: A tossed tent [a tent that is carried and thrown from place to place]

is not called a tent

and does not separate.

As it was taught in a beraita:

One who enters the land of the nations in a chest, box, or tower:

Rabbi declares the one who enters impure,

because it is a tossed tent and does not separate.

And Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Yehuda declares him pure, for he holds: A tossed tent is called a tent and separates.

And we still object:

Let him bring it in an earthenware vessel surrounded by

a tightly sealed cover, let him bring the consecrated property to Jerusalem inside a covered earthenware vessel, and then the consecrated property will no longer become impure from the airspace of the land of the nations, for an earthenware vessel surrounded by a tightly sealed cover saves [its contents] in the tent of a corpse, since an earthenware vessel receives impurity only through its airspace?!

Rabbi Eliezer said: They teach

the tannaim in the beraita:

Consecrated property is not saved by a tightly sealed cover,

because the Sages made a higher level of stringency concerning consecrated property, like the other higher levels that the Sages made concerning the purity of consecrated property.

an airtight cover.

And we objected to this:

But we learned

in the Mishna in tractate Para:

There is no saving of the purification water [consecrated water into which the ashes of the red heifer were placed]

by a tightly sealed cover.

What, is it not specifically the water of purification that is not saved,

but consecrated property is saved,

and not as you said: “Consecrated property is not saved by a tightly sealed cover”?!

And we answer:

No

do not infer, “but consecrated property is saved”; rather, infer this:

But water that is not consecrated [water upon which the ashes of the heifer have not yet been placed]

is saved by a tightly sealed cover,

and one can place the ashes upon it afterward.

contrary to your statement that consecrated property is not protected by an airtight cover?

And we still object:

But Ulla said: The colleagues purify in the Galilee [our colleagues purify their wine and oil in the Galilee in order to prepare them, lest the Temple be rebuilt in their days; Rashi, Nidda 6b].

And if it is as you say, that a strip of the land of the nations separates [Rashi], and they cannot bring them from the Galilee to Jerusalem because of the impurity of the land of the nations, for what purpose do they purify their consecrated property there?!

Water that has not been consecrated—

And we answer:

They leave them

in their place,

and when Elijah comes and purifies it [he will show them a path that is not part of the land of the nations], then they will bring them to Jerusalem. We learned in the Mishna:

And during the winepresses

and the olive presses,

they are trusted even concerning teruma:

And we juxtapose what we learned in a Mishna in Tohorot, chapter nine: a. “When do olives become susceptible to impurity? When the sweat of the vat has flowed, but not the sweat of the basket.”

That is to say: It is customary to place the olives, before their pressing, in a vessel or in a pit in the ground, and this is called a vat. In that vat, because they lie one upon another, sweat emerges from them, and it is a liquid that makes them susceptible to receiving impurity, since it emerges with the consent of the owners. But the sweat that emerges from them while they are still in the basket—in which they gathered the olives—does not make them susceptible to receiving impurity, since it emerges without consent, because the sweat is spoiled.

b. An am ha-aretz

who completes

his

olives

to bring them into the vat [Meiri]; and if he places all of them into the vat, he will no longer be able to separate teruma from them and give it to a chaver priest, for they will become susceptible to receiving impurity, and an am ha-aretz is not trusted concerning its safeguarding.

What should he do?

He should leave one basket

of olives and not place them into the vat, so that they will not become susceptible to receiving impurity,

and give it before the eyes of

[Rashi’s version, as explained in Tosafot]

a priest,

who sees that they have not yet become susceptible to impurity, and the priest will prepare it in purity.

his

You have therefore learned: Even during the olive presses he is not trusted to say that the oil is pure; therefore, he must leave it in the basket and show the priest that it indeed has not become susceptible.

He said

he answered

Rav Naḥman: It is not difficult,

because:

This—

our Mishna, which we learned: An am ha-aretz is trusted during the olive presses—speaks

of the early ones [those who press early], since most people press at that time.

This—

the Mishna in Tohorot—speaks of the late ones [those who press late], after most people have already pressed their olives, and this is not the time of the winepresses and olive presses during which an am ha-aretz is trusted.

Rav Adda bar Ahava said

to Rav Naḥman:

Rav Naḥman said: This is not difficult,

Such as what

are called “late ones”?

Like those of your father’s household,

who used to press after most of the people.

Rav Yosef said

to answer that there should not be a difficulty from the Mishna in Tohorot:

In the Galilee [in the Galilee]

they taught,

for they have a great amount of oil and delay the olive presses because of the great amount of oil that they have to process; therefore, they are not trusted [Tosafot].

Rav Adda bar Ahava said

to Rav Naḥman:

Abaye raised an objection to him concerning Rav Yosef’s answer, from what was taught in a beraita:

The Transjordan and the Galilee are like Judea,

for

they are trusted concerning wine

of teruma

during the time of wine [the winepresses]

and concerning oil during the time of oil [the olive presses],

but not concerning wine during the time of oil, nor concerning oil during the time of wine.

You have therefore learned that concerning teruma they did not distinguish between Judea and the Galilee.

Rather, it is properly as we answered at first [the main point is according to the first answer given by Rav Naḥman].

We learned in the Mishna: If the winepresses and olive presses passed, and they brought him [the ammei ha-aretz to the chaver] a barrel of wine, he may not accept it from him, but he leaves it

[with the am ha-aretz in his hand]

for the next winepress:

They asked them

the members of the academy

of Rav Sheshet:

If

the chaver

passed by and accepted it—

from the am ha-aretz, not during the time of the winepresses and olive presses—

what is the law: may he leave it

in the chaver’s possession

for the next winepress

and eat it?

He said to them

Rav Sheshet to the members of the academy:

You have learned it

as the answer to your question in a beraita:

For we learned in the Mishna in tractate Demai:

until the next winepress season:

The members of the study hall asked

the members of the academy

Rav Sheshet:

If

the reliable associate

passed by and accepted it—

from a common person, outside the winepress and olive-press seasons—

may he leave it

in his own possession

until the next winepress season

and then eat it?

He said to them

Rav Sheshet said to the members of the study hall:

You can learn the answer

to your question from a baraita:

For we learned in the Mishna in tractate Demai: