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Rosh Hashanah 13b

ראש השנה י״ג ע״ב

Learn Rosh Hashanah 13b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Which point in a crop's growth decides its year for מעשרות and שביעית. The גמרא finishes the source for the 'one-third' (שליש) rule, then asks how the rule applies to rice, millet, poppy and sesame.

Overview

The גמרא finishes learning the שליש rule for grain by re-reading לשלש ("for three") as לשליש ("for one-third"). It defends this reading by showing that another פסוק already teaches the plain three-year blessing. Next it quotes a משנה: rice, millet, poppy and sesame go by the year in which they took root. רבה lists the usual rules: trees by חנטה, grain and olives by שליש, vegetables by לקיטה. He asks which group these four crops belong to. He answers that they ripen little by little, so the חכמים used rooting to keep each field in one year. אביי objects with a ברייתא about the Egyptian bean: there, piling the crop together and separating from the mix solves the mixed-years problem. רבה replies that this works only for רבי שמעון שזורי, who holds יש בילה. The רבנן hold אין בילה. Finally, שמואל rules like that ברייתא. רבי זירא asks how, since שמואל says only liquids mix. The answer is that שמואל holds a crop's year follows גמר פרי, so all the beans belong to one year anyway.

Opening lines

אַל תִּקְרֵי ״לִשְׁלֹשׁ״,

Do not read it "for three,"

אֶלָּא ״לִשְׁלִישׁ״.

but rather "for one-third."

וְהָא מִיבְּעֵי לֵיהּ לְגוּפֵיהּ!

But it is needed for itself!

כְּתִיב קְרָא אַחֲרִינָא:

Another verse is written:

The steps (14)

  1. ProofReading 'for three' as 'for one-third'
  2. ChallengeThe word is needed for its plain meaning
  3. ResolutionAnother פסוק already teaches the three years
  4. Statementמשנה: rice, millet, poppy and sesame go by rooting
  5. Statementרבה lists the three standard rules
  6. QuestionWhich category do the four crops belong to?
  7. Responseרבה explains: these crops ripen little by little, so the חכמים followed rooting
  8. Challengeאביי asks: why not just pile everything together and separate from the mix
  9. ProofA ברייתא about the Egyptian bean: no separating between years
  10. ProofThe ברייתא's solution: pile it all together and separate from the mix
  11. Rejectionרבה says the ברייתא is only one opinion
  12. Statementשמואל rules like רבי שמעון שזורי
  13. Challengeרבי זירא: שמואל holds only liquids mix
  14. Resolutionשמואל's real reason: everything follows full ripening