Commentary for Sheviit 2:5
סָכִין אֶת הַפַּגִּים וּמְנַקְּבִים אוֹתָם, עַד רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה. פַּגֵּי עֶרֶב שְׁבִיעִית שֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ לַשְּׁבִיעִית, וְשֶׁל שְׁבִיעִית שֶׁיָּצְאוּ לְמוֹצָאֵי שְׁבִיעִית, לֹא סָכִין וְלֹא מְנַקְּבִין אוֹתָן. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, מְקוֹם שֶׁנָּהֲגוּ לָסוּךְ, אֵינָן סָכִין, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא עֲבוֹדָה. מְקוֹם שֶׁנָּהֲגוּ שֶׁלֹּא לָסוּךְ, סָכִין. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן מַתִּיר בָּאִילָן, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא רַשַּׁאי בַּעֲבוֹדַת הָאִילָן:
Unripe figs may be oiled and pierced until <i>Rosh Hashanah</i>. The unripe fruit of the pre-Sabbatical year once the Sabbatical year has begun, or of the Sabbatical year once the post-Sabbatical year has begun, may not be oiled and may not be pierced. Rabbi Yehudah says, Where it is customary to oil, they may not oil, because it is work; but where it is not customary to oil, they may oil. Rabbi Shimon permits [working] trees [after the Sabbatical year, though they still bear fruit], because because one is permitted [then] to work the tree [itself].
Bartenura on Mishnah Sheviit
סכין את הפגים (pour oil on unripe figs) – fruit which did not complete their ripening, we pour oil on them when they are attached to the tree to hurry their ripening. But sometimes they perforate them and place oil inside the hole; alternatively, they perforate the unripe figs in order that rain can enter into them and they will ripen more quickly.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Sheviit
Introduction
This mishnah has to do with oiling and piercing unripe figs while they are on the fig tree. The oil would speed up the ripening process and the piercing would allow the oil to penetrate into the figs.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Sheviit
פגי ערב שביעית – fruit that do not ripen until Tishrei of the Seventh Year, and we don’t pour oil on them and we don’t perforate them on the Sixth Year from after which their ripening was not completed until the Seventh Year entered, and even in a place where thy had the practice not to pour oil, the first Tanna/teacher forbade it. But Rabbi Yehuda distinguishes between a place where they had the practice to pour oil and a place where they did not have the practice to pour oil, for in a place where they did not have the practice to pour oil, anointing is not seen as work and it is permitted.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Sheviit
They may oil unripe figs and pierce them until Rosh Hashanah. Oiling and piercing are allowed up until Rosh Hashanah, just as were the other activities meant to aid the tree that did not work the ground.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Sheviit
ר' שמעון מתיר באילן – which is filled with Seventh Yeaer fruit to perform on work on the aftermath of the Seventh Year, because it is permitted to work on the tree, even though the fruit are sanctified with the holiness of the Seventh Year. But the Halakha is according to the first Tanna/teacher.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Sheviit
Unripe figs of the sixth year which have [remained on the tree] until the seventh year, or of the seventh year which have remained on the tree until the eighth year, they may not oil them or pierce them. However, if despite the oiling and piercing, the figs did not ripen until the sabbatical year began, they may not be oiled and pierced during the seventh year. Similarly, figs from the seventh year which have remained on the tree until the eighth year may not be oiled or pierced because they are seventh year produce and as such, cannot be worked.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Sheviit
Rabbi Judah says: In a place where it was the custom to oil, one may not oil them, since that would be considered work; but in a place where it was not the custom to oil, they may oil them. Rabbi Judah provides what might seem to be a paradoxical ruling. Oiling is forbidden only if it is considered work in that locality. If it is customary to oil them, then oiling is considered work and it is forbidden to oil them in the seventh year. However, if oiling is not customary in that place, then it is not considered work and someone who wants to oil them may do so. In this he disagrees with the opinion in the previous section, according to which oiling was always prohibited in the seventh year. We should note that Rabbi Judah’s statement will make the halakhah vary from place to place. As we noted earlier in Sheviit, some sages seem to have objected to this phenomenon. It seems, in contrast, that it did not bother Rabbi Judah at all.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Sheviit
Rabbi Shimon permitted in connection with the tree, because he is permitted to do all work for the tree. Rabbi Shimon allows one to do any work on the tree itself in the eighth year, after the sabbatical year has been completed, because only the fruit carries the sanctity of the seventh year, and not the tree. Other commentators interpret Rabbi Shimon as permitting the oiling and piercing of seventh year figs which have entered the eighth year because on the eighth year all work done on the tree is permitted.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy