Pesachim 53a — the Talmud in English

And the grapevines

are forbidden to cut,

once they have reached the giru'a [

when they have grown somewhat and are called giru'a].

And the olive trees

are forbidden to cut

once they have begun to blossom [

when the blossom upon them has grown].

And all other trees, once they have produced

the beginning of the fruit.

And

Rav Asi

said:

This statement, which teaches: “And the grapevines, once they have reached the giru'a,”

means “unripe grapes,” means “giru'a,” and means “the size of a white bean”!

For all of these are one measure.

And we raised an objection: Is it conceivable that

“the size of a white bean”

is the same as giru'a and unripe grapes? But the discussion is about grapevines!

And we answer:

Rather, say:

“Unripe grapes” means “giru'a,” and

its measure

at this stage of its growth is

the size of

a

white bean.

And Rav Shimi concludes his proof:

And who

is the tanna who

is known to you as saying

concerning grapes that specifically when they are

unripe, they are not [

considered significant as fruit], but

the samdar is not

considered fruit?

It is

the Sages

who said this, and not Rabbi Yosei [who holds that even the samdar is called fruit].

And that Mishna follows their opinion.

And it teaches

in it:

“And all other trees, once they have produced”!

Already at the beginning of their emergence they are called fruit.

It follows that the small, unripe dates are considered fruit even according to the Sages. Once again, the original question returns: How could Rav Ila'i cut down the date palms without being concerned about destroying Shemitta produce?

And we answer:

Rather, Rabbi Ila'i cut down

a

male palm of the nisḥanei variety!

He cut down male date palms whose fruit never fully ripens on the tree. Rather, the dates are picked in Nisan, and they ripen on their own inside a vessel made from date-palm leaves. They always remain small. It follows that cutting down the palm caused them no loss.

The Sages taught: One may eat in

the seventh year from

the grapes

that are in the house

until they have been depleted

for the wild animals in the field—

the vines [

grapevines trained upon poles]

of Okhel [

the name of a place where vineyards grow].

And if there are

grapevines that are

later than these,

and are depleted after the vines of Okhel,

one may eat from them

until they are depleted.

And one may eat

olives

that are in the house

until the

olive tree is depleted from

the last place in Tekoa

for the wild animals in the field, since olives are plentiful in Tekoa, and there they are depleted later than in the other places.

Rabbi Eliezer says:

One may eat from the olives

until

the olive tree is depleted from

the last place in Gush Ḥalav.

Olives are also plentiful there, and they are depleted later than the olives of Tekoa.

And what is depletion? Until

a poor person can go out

to seek olives there

and find none, neither in its foliage [

among its branches]

nor even

find any

at its base

of the olive tree—olives that have fallen from its branches in the measure of

a quarter

of a kav.

And one may eat

dried figs

—figs that are in the house—

until the unripe figs of Beit Hini are depleted [

the name of a place] from the field, since there they are depleted last.

Rabbi Yehuda said: The unripe figs of Beit Hini were mentioned

as being considered fruit

only with regard to

the obligation of

tithing.

And as it is taught:

The unripe figs of Beit Hini, and the dates [

dates]

of Tuvina [

the name of a place]—although they always remain small, they are nevertheless considered fruit and are

liable for tithing.

We learned above:

One may eat dates until the last

date

in Zoar is depleted!

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: One may eat on the basis of

the dates

between the branches [

those found among the palm fronds], but

one may not eat on the basis of

the dates

between the thorns [

those found among the thorns at the bottom of the palm], because they are not considered accessible to the wild animals in the field, as the animals cannot take them from there.

And we raise a contradiction: One may eat grapes

of the seventh year

until Passover; and olives until Shavuot; and dried figs until Hanukkah; and dates until Purim,

as these are the times when each of the aforementioned species is depleted from the field.

And Rav Beivi said: Rabbi Yoḥanan

would

switch the last two

of these statements.

And he would teach

“dried figs until Purim, and dates until Hanukkah”!

In any event, it teaches that the time for removing dates is Hanukkah or Purim, and not as the other beraita teaches: “Until the last date in Zoar is depleted.”

And we answer:

Both are the same measure.

The last date in Zoar is depleted at Hanukkah.

And if you wish, say:

In any event, there is nothing difficult from that beraita.

For the tanna did not establish a fixed time for them.

For it explicitly teaches: “If there are later ones, one may eat from them.”

It was taught: Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: A sign of mountains is

the trees

called milin [

galls], for wherever these trees grow, it is a sign that the place is mountainous. Only these trees grow in the mountains; other trees do not grow well there.

A sign of valleys is date palms. (Gemara)

Гемара)

A sign of

a place of

streams

—

reeds.

A sign of

a place of

the lowlands

—

the sycamore.

But this is not conclusive proof. It is not necessary that every place without sycamores should not be called a lowland. Rather, sycamores characteristically grow in the lowlands.

And although there is no proof for the matter, there is an indication of it, as it is stated: “And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars he made as sycamores that are in the lowland in abundance.”

Rather, sycamores are found abundantly in the lowlands.

And we explain: The statement that teaches

“A sign of mountains is milin, and a sign of valleys is date palms” has a practical implication with regard to first fruits.

As we learned: One brings first fruits only from the seven species.

This is derived by a gzera shava from the words “land” and “land.” It is written concerning first fruits, “from your land,” and it is written concerning the seven species, “a land of wheat and barley.”

And one does not

bring first fruits

from date palms in the mountains

because they are not of superior quality; rather, one brings them from date palms in the valleys.

Nor from produce—

grain crops—

of the valleys,

because water collects there, and the grain rots and withers because of it.

And the statement that teaches

“A sign of streams is reeds” has a practical implication

with regard to

a perennial stream,

where the beheaded heifer is performed. Any place in which reeds do not grow is not called a stream.

And the statement that teaches

“A sign of the lowlands is the sycamore” has a practical implication with regard to a sale!

For if one says to another, “I am selling you a lowland,” it must contain sycamores.

And we conclude:

And now that you have explained it in this manner, with regard to all of them [

mountains, valleys, and streams]

as well

one can say that there is a practical implication

for a sale.

Mishna:

It is forbidden for a Jew to lend or lease a large animal to a gentile, because he is commanded concerning the resting of his animal on Shabbat. We are concerned that the gentile may work with it on Shabbat, with the result that the Jew violates the prohibition: “You shall not do any manner of work, you, nor your animal.”

The Sages also decreed that one may not sell a large animal to a gentile.

Two reasons were given [Avoda Zara 15a]: The first is due to a decree lest one come to lend or lease it. The second is due to nissuyoni—we are concerned that the Jew might sell it to a gentile on Friday afternoon, close to nightfall, and say to him: “Come, let us test it, to see whether it walks properly when laden.” The animal will walk because of the Jew’s voice, with the result that he violates the prohibition against causing an animal to carry a burden on Shabbat.

This decree does not apply to a small animal, since it is not suited for labor. However, in certain places people adopted the stringency of not selling even small animals, so that they would not come to sell large animals. This practice is binding only in the place where it was adopted, and not in other places.

1.

A place where it was customary

to

sell small animals to gentiles

—there they

sell them. And a place where it was not customary

to

sell

them—

they may not sell them.

And everywhere they may not sell a large animal to them,

for this prohibition does not depend on local custom; rather, it is a decree of the Sages, as explained above.

And one may not sell even

calves

that are young,

or foals

that are young, whether

whole and

whether

broken.

Although the young and broken animals are not suited for labor, the Sages decreed against them as well, because they may be confused with larger and whole animals. If people see them in the gentile’s possession, they may come to permit the sale of an animal that is suited for labor as well.

Rabbi Yehuda permits

a

broken

animal to be sold to a gentile. Since it is broken, the gentile will not keep it in his possession; rather, he will slaughter it immediately. Therefore, there is no concern that another Jew will see it in his possession and come to permit every sale.

Ben Beteira permits the sale of a horse

to a gentile, because its only function is riding. It does not involve a Torah-prohibited labor; rather, it is prohibited merely as a matter of shevut. Therefore, the Sages did not decree against selling it, lest one come to lend or lease it, or to test it.

b. In certain places people adopted the practice of not eating roasted meat on the night of Passover, because it appears as though one is eating the Paschal offering outside the Temple courtyard.

A place where it was customary to eat roasted meat on the nights of Passover—one may eat it.

And a place where it was customary not to eat

roasted meat on the nights of Passover—

one may not eat it!

Gemara:

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: It is forbidden for a person to say, “This meat is for Passover,” because

he

appears to be consecrating

his

animal. And

afterward, when he eats it, he appears

to be eating sacrificial meat outside.

Rav Pappa said: Rav prohibited saying this specifically with regard to meat

and did not prohibit saying it with regard to wheat.

But with regard to wheat he did not

prohibit it. For when one says, “These wheat grains are for Passover,” the meaning is

that

the wheat should be

guarded [

protected]

for Passover

from leavening—

that is what he is saying.

It does not at all imply that he intends to sell it and use the proceeds to purchase a Paschal offering (Rashi).

But

with regard to meat, it is not

understood as meaning that he is guarding it for Passover; rather, it implies that he is consecrating it.

We raise an objection:

It was taught:

Rabbi Yosei said: Todaos the Roman instituted the practice among the Romans of eating kid goats roasted whole [

roasted in their entirety, like the roasting of the Paschal offering, with their legs hanging at their sides like those carrying their weapons; the translation of “helmet” is “kulsa”]

on the nights of Passover.

The Sages sent word to him

:

Were you not Todaos, we would decree excommunication upon you

because

you are feeding the Jewish people sacrificial meat outside!

And we wonder: Is

eating sacrificial meat conceivable

to be involved here? Surely the kid goats had not been sanctified with the sanctity of the Paschal offering; they merely resembled Paschal offerings.