Wie [entscheidet Rabbi Akiva]? Wenn es fünfzig schwarze und fünfzig weiße Feigen gab und eine schwarze Feige hineingefallen ist, sind die Schwarzen verboten, aber die Weißen sind erlaubt; und wenn ein Weiß hereinfällt, sind die Weißen verboten und die Schwarzen erlaubt. Wenn nicht bekannt ist, in was [Art] gefallen ist, kann die eine [Art] zusammen mit der anderen gezählt werden. In diesem Fall ist Rabbi Eliezer streng und Rabbi Yehoshua nachsichtig.
Bartenura on Mishnah Terumot
כיצד – it comes to explain the words of Rabbi Akiva.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Terumot
Introduction Our mishnah is a continuation of Rabbi Akiva’s statement from yesterday’s mishnah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Terumot
ובזו ר' אליעזר מחמיר – of that which we taught above (in Mishnah 8), but in what that he need to say further on (the next Mishnah), it is the opposite.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Terumot
How so? If there were fifty black figs and fifty white fig, and a black fig fell in, the black figs are forbidden, but the white figs are permitted; and if a white fig fell in them, the white figs are forbidden and the black figs are permitted. In yesterday’s mishnah Rabbi Akiva stated that if they knew which type of fig fell in, then only similar figs can help in counting towards the 100 to 1 ratio. So if we know what color fig fell in, then all of the figs of the same color are forbidden because they are “medumma” (doubtful terumah). But the other color figs are fine because we know that they didn’t fall in.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Terumot
If it is unknown which kind fell in, then each kind helps to bring up the other. If they don’t know which color fig fell in, then all the figs are potentially the terumah fig, and as long as there is a 100-1 ratio, one fig can be removed and the rest remains hullin, as we stated in yesterday’s mishnah.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Terumot
In this case, Rabbi Eliezer is stringent and Rabbi Joshua is lenient. Rabbi Eliezer was strict in this case, and Rabbi Joshua was lenient in this case (there opinions are found in yesterday’s mishnah). In tomorrow’s mishnah we will see an opposite case, one where Rabbi Eliezer is more lenient than Rabbi Joshua.
