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שביעית

Sheviit

משנה · סדר זרעים

The seventh year: the land rests, and the debts go.

The opening

עַד אֵימָתַי חוֹרְשִׁין בִּשְׂדֵה הָאִילָן עֶרֶב שְׁבִיעִית. בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהוּא יָפֶה לַפֶּרִי. וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, עַד הָעֲצֶרֶת. וּקְרוֹבִין דִּבְרֵי אֵלּוּ לִהְיוֹת כְּדִבְרֵי אֵלּוּ:

Until when may they plow an orchard in the sixth year? Bet Shammai say: as long as such work will benefit the fruit. And Bet Hillel says: till Atzeret (Shavuot). The views of this [school] are close to those of the other.

אֵיזֶהוּ שְׂדֵה הָאִילָן, כָּל שְׁלֹשָׁה אִילָנוֹת לְבֵית סְאָה, אִם רְאוּיִין לַעֲשׂוֹת כִּכַּר דְּבֵלָה שֶׁל שִׁשִּׁים מָנֶה בָּאִיטַלְקִי, חוֹרְשִׁים כָּל בֵּית סְאָה בִּשְׁבִילָן. פָּחוֹת מִכָּאן, אֵין חוֹרְשִׁין לָהֶן אֶלָּא מְלֹא הָאוֹרֶה וְסַלּוֹ חוּצָה לוֹ:

What constitutes an orchard? Any field in which there are at least three trees for every bet seah. If each tree is capable of yielding a cake of pressed figs, the size of sixty in the Italian maneh, then the entire bet seah may be plowed for their sake. If less than this amount, they may only plow the area that is occupied by the gatherer when his basket is placed behind him.

Translation

3241 words, about 25 minutes of reading.

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