Gemara Clarity

Arachin 28a

ערכין כ״ח ע״א

Arakhin 28a

Learn Arachin 28a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Arachin 28a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The limits on making חרם: how much one may dedicate, what counts as one's own, and whether כהנים and לוים may dedicate

Overview

The amud opens by finishing an earlier discussion: the original owner gets first rights to buy back his field from הקדש only when his offer plus the added fifth brings הקדש more money than the other bidder's offer. A new משנה then teaches that a person may make חרם of part of each kind of property, but not all of it. רבי אליעזר says a חרם of everything does not take effect, and רבי אלעזר בן עזריה adds a קל וחומר: a person should certainly not give away all his property to people. The גמרא learns these rules from the wording of ויקרא 27:28. It explains why each category in the פסוק is needed and learns from the word ״בהמה״ that only what a person may always sell can be made חרם. It finds a practical difference between the two opinions in the תקנה of אושא: do not give more than a fifth to צדקה. A second משנה rules that one cannot make חרם of what is not truly his, and records a dispute about whether כהנים and לוים may make חרם. The גמרא concludes that everyone agrees לוים cannot make חרם of land, and they argue only about movables. The amud ends as רבי חייא בר אבין begins teaching that movable חרם may go to any כהן the owner chooses; his proof continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

הֵיכִי דָּמֵי?

What is the case?

דַּאֲמוּר בְּעֶשְׂרִים וְאֶחָד —

Where the owner said twenty-one,

הַבְּעָלִים קוֹדְמִין,

the owners take precedence,

וְאִם לָאו —

and if not,

The steps (25)

  1. ResponseWhen the owner gets first rights to redeem his field
  2. StatementA person may dedicate some, but not all, of his property
  3. StatementA person should not give away all his property
  4. QuestionWhere does this rule come from?
  5. ResponseThe פסוק says 'of' and not 'all'
  6. ProofThe word 'אך' shows a חרם of everything does not take effect
  7. Statementרבי אלעזר בן עזריה's קל וחומר in the ברייתא
  8. StatementWhy the verse needs every category
  9. QuestionWhy does the verse mention animals?
  10. ResponseOnly what you can sell can be dedicated
  11. ChallengeBut a father may sell his young daughter
  12. ResolutionOnly what you can sell forever
  13. ChallengeIsn't רבי אלעזר בן עזריה saying the same thing as the תנא קמא?
  14. ResolutionThe difference: the Usha rule about giving no more than a fifth
  15. StatementA story about giving more than a fifth
  16. StatementNew משנה: You cannot dedicate what is not yours
  17. StatementCan כהנים and לוים dedicate their property?
  18. Statementרבי's compromise: land like רבי יהודה, movables like רבי שמעון
  19. ChallengeWhy does רבי יהודה forbid לוים to dedicate movables?
  20. ResolutionA פסוק links movables to land
  21. ChallengeWhy would רבי שמעון let לוים dedicate land?
  22. Resolutionרבי שמעון only meant movables
  23. Challengeרבי's words suggest רבי שמעון did allow land
  24. ResolutionEven רבי שמעון agrees about land
  25. StatementMovable חרם may go to any כהן the owner chooses