Kommentar zu Maasrot 1:1
כְּלָל אָמְרוּ בַּמַּעַשְׂרוֹת, כָּל שֶׁהוּא אֹכֶל, וְנִשְׁמָר, וְגִדּוּלָיו מִן הָאָרֶץ, חַיָּב בַּמַּעַשְׂרוֹת. וְעוֹד כְּלָל אַחֵר אָמְרוּ, כָּל שֶׁתְּחִלָּתוֹ אֹכֶל וְסוֹפוֹ אֹכֶל, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהוּא שׁוֹמְרוֹ לְהוֹסִיף אֹכֶל, חַיָּב קָטָן וְגָדוֹל. וְכָל שֶׁאֵין תְּחִלָּתוֹ אֹכֶל אֲבָל סוֹפוֹ אֹכֶל, אֵינוֹ חַיָּב עַד שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂה אֹכֶל:
Sie gaben eine Regel in Bezug auf den Zehnten an: Alles, was Nahrung ist, bewacht wird und von der Erde wächst, erfordert den Zehnten. Und sie stellten eine andere Regel auf: Alles, was am Anfang steht, ist Nahrung, und am Ende ist Nahrung, auch wenn man sie bewacht [und nicht pflückt, wenn sie klein ist], um Nahrung hinzuzufügen, erfordert den Zehnten, ob sie klein ist oder groß. Und alles, was nicht am Anfang des Essens steht, sondern am Ende des Essens ist, benötigt keinen Zehnten, bis es zum Essen wird.
Bartenura on Mishnah Maasrot
כלל אמרו במעשרות כל שהוא אוכל – to exclude woad/a plant producing a deep blue dye, which they call “NEEL” in Arabic and madder/a plant used in dying red which they call ALETZPUR in Arabic for these do not consume. Even though they are eaten in distress, but they are not liable for tithes.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Maasrot
Introduction
Our mishnah teaches two general principles with regard to what foods cannot be eaten before they are tithed.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Maasrot
ונשמר – to exclude that which is ownerless, which have no owners to guard/watch it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Maasrot
They said a general principle concerning tithes: whatever is food, and is looked after, and grows from the land, is liable for tithes. This is the same principle we saw with regard to peah in Peah 1:4. Only plants that are food for humans, and are worthy of storing (looking after) and grow from the land (according to the rabbis this excludes mushrooms) are liable for tithes. Foods that don’t fit all three of these categories need not be tithed before they are eaten.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Maasrot
וגידולו מן הארץ – to exclude morils/a kind of mushroom, and truffles and all of these we derive from Scripture, as it is written (Deuteronomy 14:22): “You shall set aside every year a tenth part of all of the yield of your sowing,” – “all the yield”– similar to produce that he eats, - “your sowing” – that which is unique to you, excluding that which is ownerless that have no specific/special owners; “your seed” – that which you sow it and it grows, excluding morils and truffles which are not sown.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Maasrot
And they have further stated another general principle [concerning tithes]: whatever is considered food both at the beginning and at the conclusion [of its growth] even though he holds on to it in order to increase the quantity of food, is liable [to tithe] whether [it is harvested] in its earlier or later stages. If there is a plant that is generally eaten in its early stage of ripening and in a later stage, it must be tithed no matter when it was harvested. Even though he might generally leave it in the ground in order to give it time to grow bigger, since it is also eaten at the earlier stage, it must be tithed when it is picked earlier. We shall see examples of this below in mishnah four.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Maasrot
כל שתחלתו אוכל וסופו אוכל – such as vegetables that immediately when they grow are appropriate for food and we guard them until they grow and add food.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Maasrot
But whatever is not considered food in the earlier stages [of its growth] but only in its later stages, is not liable [to tithe] until it can be considered food. However, if the produce is not considered edible at its earlier stage of growth, if it is nevertheless harvested at this earlier stage, it can be eaten without being tithed. An example might be a banana. A banana harvested at an earlier stage is not considered food and therefore one who does eat such a banana need not tithe it. It would only need to be tithed if harvested when ripe.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Maasrot
חייב קטן וגדול – for they are appropriate for food, whether for adults or minors.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Maasrot
וכל שאין תחלתו אוכל – such as kinds of fruits.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Maasrot
אינו חייב עד שיעשה אוכל – as it is written (Leviticus 27:30): “whether from the ground or fruit from the tree” until it grows and makes fruit.
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