Commentary for Maaser Sheni 2:12

מעשר שני לאכילה ולשתיה – As it is written (Deuteronomy 14:26): “[And spend the money on anything you want] – cattle, sheep, wine, or other intoxicant,[or anything else you may desire]. And you shall feast there…” And drinking is included with eating and anointing is like drinking, as it is written (Psalms 109:18): “[May he be clothed in a curse like a garment,] may it enter his body like water, his bones like oil.”

Introduction This mishnah begins to provide some general rules that govern maaser sheni.

לאכול דבר שדרכו לאכול – for if he purchase bread with the monies of [Second] Tithe and it grew moldy, wine and it became sour, a [cooked] dish and it began to smell badly, we do not require him to eat something that he ordinarily would not eat in order not to waste monies of the Second Tithe. Alternatively, if he requested to eat a species of living, moist beets or a cup of living wheat, we do not listen to him, since it is not our manner to eat them as such.

Second tithe is set apart for eating, for drinking and for anointing; for eating what is usually eaten, for drinking what is usually drunk, and for anointing what is usually used for anointing. We have seen this same rule with regard to terumah and sabbatical year produce (see Sheviit 8:2). If one buys food with maaser sheni money, and it goes bad, he need not eat it, because it’s no longer in the category of that which is usually eaten. The same goes true for spoiled drink.

אין מפטמין את השמן – to put within it roots and the heads of spices, because they absorb the oil and go to ruin as the roots are not eaten.

One may not anoint oneself with wine or with vinegar, but one may anoint oneself with oil. Wine or vinegar are normally foods and not used for anointing. Therefore, one cannot anoint oneself with them.

אין לוקחין בדמי מעשר שני שמן מפוטם – because since we require something that is of equal value for every person, and this is not other than for the delicately reared and those who are indulged.

One may not spice oil of second tithe, nor may one buy spiced oil with second tithe money. There are a few explanations as to why one shouldn’t put spices in the second tithe oil. First of all, some of the oil is soaked up by the spices and that oil will not end up being used. Second, putting spices in the oil lessens its usefulness as food and therefore this shouldn’t be done. One shouldn’t buy spiced oil with second tithe money because one should only buy products with maaser sheni money that are used by all classes of people. Since only the wealthy use spiced oil, it should not be bought with maaser sheni money.

אבל מפטם הוא את היין – to make it wine mixed with honey and things similar to them.

But one may spice wine. But one may spice wine because the entire mixture will be drunk and all classes of people drink spiced wine.

נפל – honey or spices [fell] into the wine of Second Tithe when it is outside of Jerusalem, improving them (i.e., they grew in value), they divide the improvement according to its sum; for example, if the wine is worth two Sela, and the honey and/or spices are worth a Sela, and they increased in value, and stood at four Sela, he redeems the wine for two Selaim and two-thirds of a Sela.

If honey or spices fell into wine and improved its value, the improved value [is divided] according to the proportion. The rest of this mishnah deals with improving the value of a maaser sheni product. The general rule is stated in section eight. If someone uses hullin, non-sacred produce, to improve maaser sheni, the added value is divided up according to the percentage of hullin and maaser sheni in the product. Let’s take the example of honey or spices that fell into wine. If the maaser sheni wine was worth two dinars and the hullin spices and wine were worth one dinar, and the mixture was together worth four dinars, there is a one dinar improvement. Two-thirds of the original value was maaser sheni and therefore, two-thirds of the improvement is maaser sheni, and one-third is hullin. In the final mixture 2 2/3 are maaser sheni and 1 1/3 are hullin. This hullin can be bought with maaser sheni money and the money would become hullin.

קפלוטות – leek-green stuff; PURSH in the foreign tongue.

If fish was cooked with leek of second tithe and it improved in value, the improved value [is divided] according to the proportion. This is the same halakhah we saw in the above section.

השבח לשני – and he redeems the bread at its equivalent value, and we do not divide the increase [in value] to the non-sacred trees, but rather, all of the improvement goes to the Second Tithe since the improvement in trees is not that well recognized in sustenance.

כל ששבחו ניכר – that the improvement in the non-sacred [produce] is recognized in Second Tithe when they added the non-sacred [produce] on the [Second] Tithe by measure and/or by weight, but if they did not add other than in taste, even though its value raised in price on account of the taste, this improvement is not recognized.

If dough of second tithe was baked and it improved in value, the whole improved value is second [tithe]. In this case he used hullin sticks to light a fire to bake maaser sheni dough. Here the hullin is not noticeable in the maaser sheni final product and therefore it is not reckoned as part of the value. So if the maaser sheni dough was worth 2 dinars, and the baked bread is worth 3 dinars, all three dinars are maaser sheni.

This is the general rule: whenever the improvement is recognizable the improved value [is divided] according to the proportion, but whenever the improved value is not recognizable the improved value belongs to the second [tithe]. This is a restatement of the general rule illustrated above.

ר:ש אומר: אין סכין – He thinks that oil of Second Tithe is not given for anointing but only for eating alone.

Introduction In this mishnah Rabbi Shimon and the sages argue whether one can anoint oneself with second tithe oil in Jerusalem.

אם הקל בתרומה – as you admit that it is permitted for anointing, as it is taught in the eighth chapter of [Mishnah – Tractate] Shevi’it (see Mishnah 2), and similarly with Terumah and similarly with Second Tithe, and we do not disregard Terumah/heave-offering.

Rabbi Shimon says: one may not anoint oneself with oil of second tithe in Jerusalem. But the sages allow it. Albeck explains that Rabbi Shimon prohibits anointing oneself with second tithe oil in Jerusalem lest one does so and then leaves Jerusalem. This would be problematic because one can benefit from second tithe only in Jerusalem. The sages are no concerned with this problem. We should note that Rabbi Shimon really prohibits using second tithe oil for anointing altogether. This means that he disagrees with the opinion in yesterday’s mishnah which allowed anointing with maaser sheni oil.

שהקל בכרשינין ובתלתן – of Terumah/heave-offering more than with Second Tithe, as we require to say further on, therefore, it is a law also that we will be lenient with anointing concerning Terumah, but the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Shimon.

They said to Rabbi Shimon: if a lenient ruling has been adopted in the case of terumah which is a grave matter, should we not also adopt a lenient ruling in the case of second tithe which is a light matter? The sages argue with Rabbi Shimon using terumah as an analogy. A priest is allowed to anoint himself with terumah oil, even though terumah is a graver matter than maaser sheni, since it is forbidden to non-priests, whereas maaser sheni is not. Consequently, we should also rule leniently when it comes to anointing oneself with maaser sheni oil.

He said to them: No; a lenient ruling has been adopted in the case of terumah though it is a grave matter, because in terumah we have adopted a lenient ruling also with regard to vetches and fenugreek, but how can we adopt a lenient ruling in the case of second tithe though it is a light matter, when we have not adopted a lenient ruling in second tithe with regard to vetches and fenugreek? Rabbi Shimon responds that terumah is not always a graver matter than maaser sheni. There is one halakhah in which maaser sheni is actually graver than terumah, and that is a halakhah connected with vetches and fenugreek. This will be explained below in mishnayot three-four. Since sometimes the rules governing maaser sheni are stricter than those governing terumah, it is possible that this is one of those cases as well. Hence we cannot deduce that just because one may anoint oneself with terumah oil, one may also anoint oneself with maaser sheni oil.

תאכל צמחונים – when they are moist vegetables and he should not leave them alone until they grow and they will not be appropriate for eating, but Terumah can be eaten whether as buds (directly from the capsules before they are dry) or as dry.

Introduction Our mishnah deals with fenugreek of maaser sheni or terumah.

ב"ש אומרים: כל מעשיה בטהרה – even though fenugreek is not a complete food, and Terumah does not apply to it other than for the fact that it is eaten by some people, therefore, it is eaten in defilement; nevertheless, according to the School of Shammai, it is necessary that all of its preparations must be done in cleanness/purity, and with washing of the hands according to the law of all the rest of Terumah foods, for whomever comes in contact with them must first wash their hands. And the reason is in order that they would know that they are Terumah and that they should not be fed to foreigners (i.e., non-Kohanim).

Fenugreek of second tithe may be eaten when it is still tender. When fenugreek is young and still tender, it can be eaten. Therefore, one can purchase it with second tithe money and eat it. However, when it gets older its stalks become difficult to eat and it is used as a detergent in washing one’s hair. At this point one cannot buy it with maaser sheni money because maaser sheni money can only be used to buy food, drink and anointing oil, as we learned in mishnah one.

חוץ מחפיפתה – hat without washing of the hands, one can comb the head with it, for it was their practice to comb their heads with fenugree.

Fenugreek of terumah: Bet Shammai says: whatever is done with it must be done in a state of purity, except when it is used for cleansing the head. But Bet Hillel says: whatever is done with it may be done in a state of impurity, except soaking it in water. According to Bet Shammai, fenugreek terumah must always be treated as terumah and dealt with in purity until its stalks have become so hard that they are used only for washing one’s hair. Up until this late point it is considered food and the laws of terumah apply to it.

כל מעשיה בטומאה חוץ משרייתה – [steeping it] in water, that it is necessary to steep/soak them in ritual purity, for if he steeps them without the washing of the hands, their steeping makes them fit to receive impurity. And he defiles them immediately in his hands, and they forbade this alone because of the recognition in order that they would know that it is Terumah/Priest’s Due.

Bet Hillel says that fenugreek terumah is not treated as terumah unless it has been soaked in water to soften it to prepare it for food. In all other cases it is not treated as food and therefore one who is impure may handle it.

כרשיני – In the Arabic language, KARS’NA, and they are not food for humans other than in an emergency in the years of famine.

Vetches of second tithe may be eaten when still tender. Like the fenugreek we learned about in yesterday’s mishnah, vetches are eaten when soft and young. When they grow they are no longer used for human consumption and are given to animals. So when they are young, one can use maaser sheni money to buy them, but not when they age.

ונכנסים לירושלים ויוצאים – Even though that with the rest of produce, we hold that Second Tithe that goes into Jerusalem, one is not able to take it out from there, concerning vetches/horse-beans, they were lenient.

And they may be brought into Jerusalem and taken out again. Normally, once maaser sheni has been brought into Jerusalem, it cannot be taken out. Vetches are exceptional since when they age they become animal food.

יתחלקו לעיסות – and they are not like the rest of [Second] Tithe that was became impure that we redeem them and even in Jerusalem, but vetches/horse-beans, since they are not human food, we don’t redeem them, as Rabbi Tarfon holds, we don’t redeem the sanctified things to feed them to dogs. Therefore, we divide them among pure lumps of dough of Second Tithe and we place in each lump of dough from these vetches/horse beans that were defiled a little bit by a little bit less than the size of an egg, for he who eats [a quantity] less than the size of an egg is not defiled from others nor does he defile others and as such he eats them.

If they became unclean: Rabbi Tarfon says: they must be divided among pieces of dough. But the sages say: they may be redeemed. Maaser sheni that has become impure can usually be redeemed for money, in the same way that pure maaser sheni can. This is the sages’ opinion. Rabbi Tarfon holds that maaser sheni vetches that have become impure can no longer be redeemed for money, because it would be disgraceful to redeem them and then feed them to animals. Therefore, what one can do is divide the vetches up and bake them into impure loaves of bread and eat them while they are impure. This was something that was normally done, perhaps to make their flour last a bit longer. In this way the inedible vetches become fit for human consumption. If he wants to mix them in with pure dough, then he would have to put in less than the volume of an egg of vetches into each batch of dough. In this way the dough would remain pure.

וחכ"א יפדו – like the rest of Second Tithe [they should be redeemed] and the Halakha is according to the Sages.

[Vetches] of terumah: Bet Shammai says: they must be soaked and rubbed in a state of purity, but may be given as food [to an animal] in a state of impurity. Bet Hillel says: they must be soaked [only] in a state of purity, but they may be rubbed and given as food [to an animal] in a state of impurity. Shammai says: they must be eaten dry [only]. Rabbi Akiba says: whatever is done with them may be done in a state of impurity. Bet Shammai says that when it comes to terumah vetches, if they are being soaked and rubbed in order to eat them, the person doing so must be in a state of purity. If they are being fed to an animal, the person may be impure. Bet Hillel holds that only the soaking needs to be done in a state of purity. If he is rubbing them, then according to Bet Hillel he is preparing them for animal food and he need not be pure. Shammai himself rules that terumah vetches should not be soaked at all, because that would cause them to be susceptible to impurity. Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel both allow one to soak the vetches, as long as one does so in a state of purity. It is interesting that Bet Shammai rules differently from their eponymous ancestor Shammai, and that the latter is stricter than his own school. It seems that we can note a movement toward leniency in this matter, from Shammai who rules most strictly, to Rabbi Akiva, who rules most leniently and allows one to be impure even when soaking terumah vetches. Since they are mostly used for animal food, even the vetches that are used to feed humans are not subject to the rules of terumah and once can always make them impure.

שורין – [soak them] in water and rub them into the meat in ritual purity, with the washing of the hands, since [one’s mere] hands are second-degree of Levitical uncleanness which invalidate the Priest’s due.

ומאכילין – to cattle

יאכלו צריד – (See also, Mishnah Eduyot, Chapter 1, Mishnah 8) [The word צריד ] is the language of “dry matter,” such as the dry-matter of meal offerings (Tractate Pesahim 20a), which is the place of the meal-offering where the oil did not reach it; that is to say, it should be eaten dry, so that liquid should not be upon them at the time of eating, in order that they would be not recognized as susceptible to receive defilement.

כל מעשיהם בטומאה – and even soaking. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Akiba.

מה שליקט ליקט למעשר – All of whatever he harvests, all of it goes to [Second] Tithe until he completes [what he needs] for the [Second] Tithe monies, and he gives it and states: “If all of what I have harvested are monies for [Second] Tithe,” that is good, and if not, those of [Second] Tithe that are left over shall be redeemed with those.

Introduction This mishnah deals with maaser sheni coins (money that had been used to redeem maaser sheni produce) and hullin, non-sacred coins, that were mixed up together. The mishnah assumes that the person knows how many of the coins were maaser sheni, but he doesn’t know which coins are maaser sheni.

ואם בלל וחפן – if he did not harvest those one by one from here and from there, but rather, they were mixed up and combined and he took from them a handful’s worth.

Hullin coins and second tithe coins which were scattered together: whatever is picked up [one at a time] belongs to second tithe until the sum is completed, and the remainder is hullin. If the coins are scattered such that he picks them up one at a time, then the first coins he picks up are maaser sheni, until he has picked up the number of coins that he knows were originally maaser sheni. The remaining coins are hullin. It doesn’t really matter which coins were originally what all that matters is that in the end, there are just as many maaser sheni coins as there were in the beginning. According to the Yerushalmi, he also needs to say, “If that which I picked up first was not maaser sheni, then let the [real] maaser sheni be redeemed for these coins.”

לפי חשבון – that if for this one – there is a Maneh (i.e., one-hundred) and for the other one, two hundred, he gives to this one of the Maneh a third and to that one of two-hundred two-thirds.

If they were so mixed up as to be taken up by the handful, [they are divided] according to the proportion. But if he gathers them all together and picks up a handful of them, then they are divvied up according to the proportion. So if originally half the coins were maaser sheni and half hullin, then half of the coins in his hand are maaser sheni and half are hullin.

This is the general rule: what is picked up [one at a time] must be first given to second tithe, but [what is picked up] mixed [quantity is divided] according to the proportion. This is the general rule that sums up the examples in the beginning of the mishnah.

שנתערבו – and he wishes to remove that which is non-sacred produce outside of Jerusalem.

Introduction This mishnah deals with a case of a sela of maaser sheni and a sela of hullin that gets mixed up and he wants to take the hullin sela out of Jerusalem.

מביא בסלע מעות – of copper which have on them a form/shape, that are worth a silver Sela.

A sela of maaser sheni which was mixed up with a sela of hullin, one may bring copper coins for the sela and say: “Let the sela of maaser sheni wherever it may be, be exchanged for these coins.” After the coins are mixed up, he can declare that one of the coins is exchanged for an equivalent value of copper coins.

ובורר את היפה שבהן – that are on the two Selas, and he redeems these monies with it (i.e., the better of the two) and redeems these coins for it, and the second Sela and the rest of the monies are non-sacred.

Then he must select the better of the two selas, and change [again] the copper coins for it. Then he takes the better of the two selas and redeems the copper coins for this sela. In this way he has transferred maaser sheni from one of the two selas to the copper coins and then back to the better sela. The better sela ends up being maaser sheni and the copper coins and the worse sela are hullin.

מדוחק – when he is pressed and he cannot do it in another way.

For they have said: one may change silver for copper [only] in case of necessity, and not to leave it so but to change it again for silver. The mishnah explains why he can’t simply exchange the copper coins for one of the selas and be done with it. Also, why can’t he exchange one silver sela for another? Why does he have to bring copper coins to exchange for the silver sela? The mishnah teaches that changing silver to copper is allowed, but only if there is no other way to solve the problem. By implication, changing silver coins for other silver coins is never allowed. And even when he is allowed to change copper for silver, he can only do so temporarily as soon as he has done so he must change the copper back for silver.

ולא שיתקיים כן – and the copper monies should remain as [Second] Tithe, but he goes back and redeems them for silver. And if a difficulty arises and for what does he bring monies for a Sela, he should take one of the Selas that were combined and say: If this is of [Second] Tithe, it is well, and if not, the second which is of [Second] Tithe will be redeemed for it. And if one of them is permitted for him to purchase and to make a condition, we are suspicious that perhaps he will come to take one of them without a condition made on it.

לא יעשה אדם סלעיו דינרי זהב – Silver Selahs that he has from Second Tithe monies, he should not make into golden denars, lest he delay their being brought up [to Jerusalem] until he can exchange his Selahs and will be interrupted from going up [to Jerusalem] for the Festival. But the School of Hillel holds that we do not make this decree.

Bet Shammai says: one may not turn his selas into gold dinars. According to Bet Shammai, if one has gathered together a large amount of silver coins of maaser sheni, coins which he used to redeem his produce, he should not exchange them for gold dinars in order to lighten the load that he has to bring to Jerusalem. According to the Talmud, Bet Shammai does not allow this because they are concerned that if this were allowed, people would delay bringing their silver coins to Jerusalem until they had gathered enough to turn them into gold dinars. Delaying bringing coins to Jerusalem might be problematic if this would lead to one accidentally uses them for a profane purpose.

But Bet Hillel permits it. Rabbi Akiva said: For Rabban Gamaliel and Rabbi Joshua I turned silver into gold dinars. Bet Hillel is not concerned with this problem, and neither are Rabbi Akiva, Rabban Gamaliel or Rabbi Joshua. It is interesting to see Rabbi Akiva “serving” his elders. This would have been common for young scholars, who served as apprentices for their teachers.

הפורט סלע ממעות מעשר שני – He who has copper coins of Second Tithe and comes to change the money into a silver Sela to bring up to Jerusalem because of the burden of the way.

Introduction This mishnah continues to deal with what types of maaser sheni coins may be exchanged for which others.

ב"ש אומרים בכל הסלע מעות – if he comes to change them (i.e., the monies), he can change all of them and give them for the entire Sela.

One who changes copper coins of second tithe for a sela: Bet Shammai says: he may change copper coins for a whole sela. But Bet Hillel says: a shekel of silver and a shekel’s worth of copper coins [can be exchanged for the sela]. The person in this mishnah has some copper coins that he used to redeem second tithe produce and he wants to exchange the copper coins for a silver sela, so that he doesn’t have to carry all of the copper to Jerusalem. According to Bet Shammai, if he has enough copper coins to equal an entire silver sela, he can exchange them. However, if he only has enough coins for half of a sela, and for the other half he has a silver shekel (worth half of a sela) of maaser sheni money, he cannot exchange the copper and the silver shekel for the silver sela because silver maaser sheni money cannot be exchanged for other silver. Bet Hillel says that one can exchange copper coins and a silver shekel for a silver sela. Even though in general it is forbidden to exchange silver maaser sheni coins for other silver maaser sheni coins in this case it is permitted because he is exchanging copper coins for half of the sela.

וב"ה אומרים – he cannot change other than half of them, for the coins are spent in Jerusalem and when he comes there, for he will need coins immediately to buy the needs of the meal, and if everyone runs to the money-changer to change [monies], the coins will go up in value and will be found that the Second Tithe [monies] are lost. Therefore, they should carry coins with them to spend on a part [of his needs] and when they run out, he should change from the silver that is in his hand, little by little.

Rabbi Meir says: one may not exchange silver and produce for silver. But the sages allow it. If someone has half a sela’s worth of produce, and half a sela’s worth of silver coins, according to Rabbi Meir he may not exchange all of them for a silver sela. This is similar to Bet Shammai in section one who held that one cannot exchange silver coins for another larger silver coin, even if some of the larger coin is being exchanged for copper. So too, Rabbi Meir holds that one may not exchange silver coins for larger silver coin, even if part of the exchange is being done with produce, which is usually a permitted exchange. The other sages stick closer to Bet Hillel and rule permissively. Just as one can exchange copper and silver for silver, so too one can exchange produce and silver for silver. As long as half of the exchange is done in a normally permitted manner (silver for produce or copper) the rest may be done in a normally forbidden manner (silver for silver).

שקל – which is one-half of a Sela.

אין מחללין כסף ופירות על כסף – Whomever has one-half of a silver denar of [Second] Tithe and produce of {Second] Tithe worth one-half denar, he should not combine them together to redeem them on the denar.

וחכמים מתירין – for in that manner, via a combination of produce, since he only has one-half of a silver denar. But, to redeem a silver dinar and produce which are worth a dinar on half-a sela which is two denarim, the Sages agree that we don’t redeem them. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.

הפורט סלע של מעשר שני בירושלים – he would exchange the Sela that is in his hand and takes coins to spend them for the needs of the [Second] Tithe meal.

Introduction Today’s mishnah deals with exchanging maaser sheni coins in Jerusalem for other coins. In Jerusalem one can exchange silver coins for copper coins. This would make it easier to go to the store and buy food, because silver coins are too big for use in a store. This was opposite the case outside of Jerusalem, where people wanted to exchange copper for silver to make it easier to carry the coins to Jerusalem. As was the case with regard to exchanging coins outside of Jerusalem, it is generally forbidden to redeem silver for silver. The question is what to do if all he has is enough copper coins to redeem part of the silver coin.

ב"ש אומרים – if he comes to exchange all the Selas that are in his hand for monies, he should exchange [them].

There are a whopping six opinions in this mishnah! I should note that this is exceedingly rare. Usually we see two, perhaps three opinions.

ובית הלל אומרים – he should not exchange other than half, lest he not stay in the city until he spends all of them. And he should deposit them in the city until another Festival, for the coins become moldy/decay, and he returns and exchanges them for Selas, it will be found that the money-changer earns double and the Second Tithe [monies] lose [value].

One who exchanges a sela of second tithe in Jerusalem:
Bet Shammai says: he may exchange the whole sela for copper coins. Bet Shammai’s opinion is the same as his opinion in yesterday’s mishnah. If one wants to exchange a sela of maaser sheni for copper coins, he must have enough copper coins for the whole sela. He cannot exchange half copper coins and a silver coin for the sela.

ודנין לפני חכמים – Shimon ben Azzai and Shimon ben Zoma and Hanan the Egyptian.

Bet Hillel says: a shekel of silver and a shekel’s worth of copper coins [can be exchanged for the sela]. Like Bet Shammai, Bet Hillel has the same opinion as in yesterday’s mishnah. One can exchange a silver sela, half for copper coins (one shekel’s worth) and half for silver coins (one shekel’s worth). Since half of the exchange is being done with copper, the other half can be done with silver.

בשלשה דינרין כסף ובדינר מעות – The Sela is [worth] four denars, and when he comes to exchange the Selah, he will not receive anything other than one denar in coins and three denarim will be silver.

Those discussing before the sages say: silver for three dinars and copper coins for one denar. This is an interesting phrase “those discussing before the sages.” The Talmud interprets this to be younger sages, perhaps too young to merit their names being attached to their statements. In any case, they go a step further than Bet Hillel. As long as one dinar, equivalent to ¼ of a sela, consists of copper coins being exchanged for the silver sela, the remaining ¾ can consist of silver coins. Bet Hillel said that at least ½ had to be copper.

רביעית כסף ברביעית מעות – The fourth denar of silver, he shall not take other than one-quarter copper coins, and three-quarters silver, so that is found that he takes only one out of a sixteenth of a Sela. -

Rabbi Akiva says: silver for three denars and copper coins for a fourth [of the fourth denar]. Rabbi Akiva is even more lenient and says that there doesn’t need to be a full dinar of copper, but rather only ¼ of the dinar need be copper. Thus three dinars can be silver and as long as the fourth dinar of the sela is redeemed for ¼ of a dinar’s worth of copper coins, the exchange is valid.

ארבעה אספרי כסף – A denar is equal to five Aspers, and this coin is [found] in Greece and until today, we call it Aspero. It is found that the Sela is worth 20 Aspers, and when he redeems the denar, he redeems it for four silver aspers and one of copper. It is found that he takes one copper out of twenty for a Seal alone.

Rabbi Tarfon says: four aspers in silver. Rabbi Tarfon says that the fourth dinar of the sela (1/4 of the value of the sela) can be exchanged for four asperim of silver and one asper of copper. Rabbi Tarfon is slightly more lenient than Rabbi Akiva, who said that ¼ of the last dinar had to be copper. We can now note that there are not really six different opinions in the mishnah Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Akiva and “those discussing before the sage” are all more and more lenient versions of Bet Hillel.

Shammai says: he must leave it in a shop and eat as much as it is worth. Shammai provides a different solution altogether. Instead of trying to figure out how to exchange the coin when he doesn’t have sufficient copper coins to equal the sela, what he should do is just give the coin to the shopkeeper and keep eating food until he has taken enough food to cover the value of the coin. It seems likely that Shammai is actually the strictest opinion, and says that once in Jerusalem, it is forbidden to exchange the coin for other coins altogether.

יניחנה בחנות ויאכל כנגדה – he should redeem at all on the coins, let he forget and make them non-sacred. But he leaves the Sela with the store-keeper and consume its value until it is completely used up. But the Halakha is not according to any [of the opinions mentioned] but the School of Hillel alone.

מקצת בניו טמאין ומקצתן טהורים – and he (i.e., the father) wishes that they should drink from one pitcher, and those who are ritually impure are prohibited [to consume] wine bought with the monies of [Second] Tithe.

Introduction In this mishnah a man has sons, some of whom are pure and some of whom are not. He is in Jerusalem and he wants to buy the pure sons wine with maaser sheni money, and give regular non-sacred wine to his impure sons who are not allowed to drink maaser sheni. The mishnah finds a way for him to let them both drink from the same jug.

מניח את הסלע ואומר – What those who are ritually pure will drink from the wine, when they drink, this Sela should be given in exchange from now. It is found, that what the ritually pure drank was [Second] Tithe, and what the ritually impure drank was non-sacred; but non-sacred and Second Tithe do not combine with each other, and the wine is not sacred with the sacredness of [Second] Tithe, but when they will drink it, the wine that they drank alone will retroactively return to be [Second Tithe].

If one had some of his sons pure and some impure, he may put down a sela and say: “What the pure drink, this sela will be redeemed for it.” In this way the pure and the impure may drink from one jar. What he needs to do is take the maaser sheni sela and say that it is being redeemed only for what the pure sons drink. In this way, only the wine that the pure sons take from the jug will be maaser sheni. What the impure sons take remains hullin, non-sacred produce. Note that the impure sons do not need to touch the wine in the jug. They can pour wine from it and drink from it.