Gittin 7b — the Talmud in English

What is the meaning of

“And I will afflict you”?

Mar Zutra said: Even a poor person who is supported

by himself

from charity shall perform charity.

And through this, the continuation will be fulfilled in him,

“I will afflict you no more.”

The Holy One, blessed be He, will no longer afflict him with poverty.

It was taught —

he repeated —

Rav Yosef —

[in another formulation]:

Again, signs of poverty are not shown to him.

We learned in our Mishna:

Rabbi Judah says: From Rekem eastward, and so on:

And the Gemara says:

Is it to say —

meaning [that is, from the continuation of the wording of the Mishna it appears] —

that Akko is to its north —

at the end of the northern side — of

the Land of Israel, it stands —

it is located!

And an objection may be raised against this from the words of the Tosefta:

And it was contradicted —

a contradiction to this is difficult from the words of the Tosefta [tractate Ohalot, chapter 18, halakha 8]:

If one was traveling from Akko

to Cheziv

[which is located northeast of Akko].

To his right

of the traveler

to the

side

eastward,

the road is impure. Because of

the impurity that the Sages decreed upon

the Land of the Nations. And it is exempt from tithes,

as is the law of outside the Land,

and from

the mitzva of the sabbatical year in the

seventh year

until it becomes known to you, through a person thoroughly expert in the boundaries,

that it

[the road in this area]

is obligated!

Since this area also belongs to the Land of Israel.

To his left

of the traveler

to the

side

westward, the road is pure, because

it is not

the Land of the Nations,

but rather the Land of Israel

. And it is obligated in tithes

and in the sabbatical year. Until it becomes known to you,

through an expert,

that it is exempt! How far

does this status extend

? Until Cheziv!

Rabbi Ishmael son of Rabbi Yosei says in the name of —

in the name of —

his father:

This status continues

until

the place called

Levalbo.

And not until Cheziv.

And the Gemara answers:

Abaye said:

Although the city of Akko is located at the northern edge of the Land of Israel, nevertheless

a strip emerges —

a narrow strip extends from it toward the north, which also belongs to the Land of Israel.

But the Gemara is astonished at this:

And the tan-nai gave such a sign —

how could the tan-nai of the beraita use a single strip as a sign by which the boundaries of the Land are established? And the Gemara answers:

No —

yes, a sign of this sort may be used, for

the verse —

the Torah itself —

gave a sign —

it gave a similar sign

. For it is written —

as it is written in the Book of Judges [chapter 21]:

“Behold, the festival of the Lord is in Shiloh from year to year, which is north of Beth-El, east of the sun, toward the road that goes up from Beth-El to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” And Rav Pappa said,

that the verse intends to say that Shiloh is located

to the east of the road —

on the eastern side of the road.

The Gemara now discusses the status of a get written on a ship: is it considered to have been written outside the Land, so that the agent who brings it must say, “In my presence it was written and in my presence it was signed,” or is its status as though it was written in the Land of Israel?

And the Gemara brings a contradiction between two beraitot concerning this:

One tan-nai taught —

one tan-nai taught in a beraita:

One who brings a get

that was written

on a ship

to the Land of Israel has the status

of one who brings

by land

in the Land of Israel

itself. And he does not need to say, “In my presence it was written and in my presence it was signed.”

.

And another beraita taught —

in another beraita they taught: One who brings a get on a ship,

is like one who brings

a get that was written

outside

the Land

to the Land of Israel. Since a river has no status of dry land with regard to all laws. If so, the agent must say, “In my presence it was written and in my presence it was signed.”

Rabbi Yirmeya said: It is not difficult; this

one of the beraitot is according to the view of

Rabbi Judah

and

this

other one is according to the view of

the Sages. And as it is brought in the Mishna in tractate Hallah [chapter 2, Mishna 2].

For we learned: Soil from outside the Land that came by ship to the Land

of Israel

and was planted in it while it was on the ship, and produce grew in it,

is obligated,

what grew there,

in

teruma

and tithe. And in the sabbatical year,

its produce has the sanctity of the sabbatical year. Because the rivers of the Land of Israel are considered the Land of Israel.

Rabbi Judah said: When

is this law so?

When the ship scrapes the ground —

it touches the ground, since the water is not deep. And the reason is that the soil within it is considered attached to the soil of the Land.

But

if

the ship does not scrape the ground, it is exempt

from everything. And its status is like outside the Land.

But Abaye establishes both beraitot according to Rabbi Judah:

Abaye said: Both this and that [

both of them]

are according to Rabbi Judah —

according to Rabbi Judah’s method. Nevertheless,

there is no difficulty

the contradiction between them. Because

here,

where the one who brings a bill of divorce is considered as one who brings it from outside the Land of Israel, it is speaking

when the ship does not scrape the bottom.

But

here,

where he is considered as one who brings it within the Land of Israel, it is speaking

when the ship scrapes the bottom.

And from one matter to another in the same matter: Just as the Gemara discussed with regard to a ship that is in the water, whether it is considered as placed upon the ground, it now discusses with regard to a flowerpot that is in the air [and stands upon supports], whether its soil is considered connected to the ground, or not.

Rabbi Zeira said: A flowerpot

of wood,

pierced

beneath it,

placed upon supports—we came

to a dispute

with regard to the obligation of tithes, between

Rabbi Judah and the Sages.

For they disputed with regard to soil from outside the Land of Israel that comes by ship to the Land. According to the Sages, something that is in the air above the surface of the ground is considered as placed in the ground, and likewise here, the produce of the flowerpot is obligated in tithes. But according to Rabbi Judah, it is not obligated in tithes by Torah law like other produce of the ground, unless it is actually placed upon the earth.

Rava said: Perhaps it is not so

as you say [perhaps your comparison is not correct]?! For it is possible to argue [according to Rabbi Judah] as follows:

Rabbi Judah stated

there

there—his words [that it must be placed actually upon the ground in order to be considered connected to the ground],

only

specifically

with regard to a ship.