Shabbat 85a (פה.) — the Talmud in English

And the Sages have established that five

species of seeds divided within a garden bed

in six,

in an area of six by six handbreadths and in the manner that was explained,

do not draw nourishment from one another.

And we raised a question concerning this:

And from where do we know that this determination established by the Sages

concerning the measure of the area from which plants draw nourishment

is a substantive matter?

That is, is this determination regarding the measure of nourishment supported by a verse, or is it merely an estimation, such that one might question and be uncertain whether it is indeed correct?

And we said: It has a source in a verse.

From this

that Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yohanan said: As it is written [Deuteronomy 19]

[Deuteronomy 19]

“You shall not move your fellow’s boundary

to plant a tree beside your fellow’s boundary, thereby diminishing his land through your tree’s drawing nourishment from his soil—the boundary

which they demarcated

the inhabitants of the land, the

first”—

The boundary that the first inhabitants demarcated

by recognizing the area from which trees draw nourishment—

you shall not move.

What is the meaning of “the first demarcated”?

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani said that Rabbi Yohanan said:

What is the meaning of that which is written [Genesis 36]

[Genesis 36]

“These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land”?

Is it so

that

everyone

is not an inhabitant of the land, but rather

“they are inhabitants of the heavens”?

Rather,

the verse comes to teach

that they were experts in the settlement of the land. They would say: A full

length of

this measuring cane

with soil

in this

soil is the area suitable for growth, and it is the required distance

for

the nourishment of

an olive tree.

A full measure of this cane—

for vines; a full measure of this cane—

for fig trees.

And “Horite”—

those who could smell out the land,

and recognize which planting it was suited for.

And “Hivite”—

Rav Pappa said: They would taste the

soil of

the land like a snake,

like a snake that laps soil, and recognize its quality by its taste.

Rav Aha bar Yaakov said: “Horite”—

those who were made “free men” of their property,

as they lost it for the benefit of the descendants of Esau, who conquered it.

Rav Asi said: The garden bed

that we mentioned, in which it is possible to sow five species of seeds, must have

within it

the bed itself at least

six

by six handbreadths,

apart from its borders

all around. That is, this law of a garden bed was stated only when it is arranged in the form of a garden bed, with clearly marked borders around it formed by an empty strip of soil, so that it is evident that this is not a mixture of species but an orderly garden bed arranged by a method of separate division for different seeds [see the Ritva].

And the borders of the garden bed must be outside the six handbreadths, because if the borders are considered part of it, the garden bed itself would be only four handbreadths wide. Consequently, there would not be a space of three handbreadths between the seeds around the perimeter and the seed in the center.

It was also taught likewise:

A garden bed—

its interior is six

handbreadths.

Its borders—

how wide must they be?

And Rashi explains that the reference is to the width of the borders that give it the status of a garden bed, in relation to what will be explained below concerning the concept of a “row-head” extending from the garden bed or entering it, which does not constitute forbidden mixture of species. This concept will be explained below.

As we learned in the Mishna, Rabbi Yehuda says: The width

of the garden bed’s borders must be

the full width of a footstep

of a foot.

Rabbi Zeira said, and some say Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa: What is the reason for Rabbi Yehuda’s

opinion?

[Deuteronomy 11]

As it is written [Deuteronomy 11] “And you shall water it by foot, like a vegetable garden.”

Why does it say that one shall water it by foot? To tell you:

Just as a foot is one handbreadth, so too

a border

along which one walks around the garden bed in order to water it

is likewise one handbreadth.

Rav said:

This law of a

garden bed—

we learned it with regard to a ruin,

where there are no additional garden beds around it—

we learned.

For if there were additional garden beds, the distance between the outermost seeds of the two adjacent garden beds would be only two handbreadths, corresponding to the width of the borders between them.

And we challenged this:

But there is “the place of the corners,”

the unplanted corners of these garden beds that separate the rows of the beds. One can arrange each row perpendicular to the row in the other garden bed, and the distinction between them will be clearly visible.

The scholars in Rav’s academy said in the name of Rav: This is referring to one who fills in the corners,

so that there is no sign at the point of connection.

And we challenged this: What compels Rav to establish the case as one who fills in the corners, and specifically in a ruin?

Let him sow from the outside,

outside the place of the corners,

and not fill them in from the inside,

and not fill them.