Demai 3

מַאֲכִילִין אֶת הָעֲנִיִּים דְּמַאי, וְאֶת הָאַכְסַנְיָא דְּמַאי. רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הָיָה מַאֲכִיל אֶת פּוֹעֲלָיו דְּמַאי. גַּבָּאֵי צְדָקָה, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, נוֹתְנִין אֶת הַמְעֻשָּׂר לְשֶׁאֵינוֹ מְעַשֵּׂר, וְאֶת שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְעֻשָּׂר לִמְעַשֵּׂר. נִמְצְאוּ כָל הָאָדָם אוֹכְלִין מְתֻקָּן. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, גּוֹבִין סְתָם וּמְחַלְּקִין סְתָם, וְהָרוֹצֶה לְתַקֵּן יְתַקֵּן:

One may feed poor people <i>Demai</i> [produce from which it is uncertain if tithes were already taken], and the guest <i>Demai</i>. Rabban Gamliel would feed his employees <i>Demai</i>. Concerning charity collectors, the school of Shammai say that one gives tithed produce to those who do not tithe and untithed produce to those who do tithe: this way, everybody eats fixed [tithed] produce. The sages say, one simply takes and simply distributes, and he who wants to fix will fix.

הָרוֹצֶה לַחֲזֹם עֲלֵי יָרָק לְהָקֵל מִמַּשָּׂאוֹ, לֹא יַשְׁלִיךְ עַד שֶׁיְּעַשֵּׂר. הַלּוֹקֵחַ יָרָק מִן הַשּׁוּק וְנִמְלַךְ לְהַחֲזִיר, לֹא יַחֲזִיר עַד שֶׁיְּעַשֵּׂר, שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְחֻסָּר אֶלָּא מִנְיָן. הָיָה עוֹמֵד וְלוֹקֵחַ וְרָאָה טֹעַן אַחֵר יָפֶה מִמֶּנּוּ, מֻתָּר לְהַחֲזִיר, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא מָשָׁךְ:

One who desires to trim leaves of vegetables in order to lighten his burden should not discard [the leaves] until he has tithed them. If one buys vegetables from the market and then decides to return them, he should not return them until he has tithed them, since they [the bundles] lack nothing but counting. However, if he is standing and selecting [the vegetables] and then sees another bundle that is of better quality he may put return them [without tithing] because he has not yet grasped them [in a manner of acquisition].

הַמּוֹצֵא פֵרוֹת בַּדֶּרֶךְ וּנְטָלָן לְאָכְלָן, וְנִמְלַךְ לְהַצְנִיעַ, לֹא יַצְנִיעַ עַד שֶׁיְּעַשֵּׂר. וְאִם מִתְּחִלָּה נְטָלָן בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁלֹּא יֹאבֵדוּ, פָּטוּר. כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין אָדָם רַשַּׁאי לְמָכְרוֹ דְּמַאי, לֹא יִשְׁלַח לַחֲבֵרוֹ דְּמַאי. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי מַתִּיר בְּוַדַּאי, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁיּוֹדִיעֶנּוּ:

Someone who finds produce on the road, and takes them to eat them, but then decides to hide them, should not hide them until he tithes them. If from the start he took them [the produce] so that they should not spoil, they are exempt. Anything which a person is not permitted to sell when it is <i>Demai</i> should also not be sent to a friend when it is <i>Demai</i>. Rabbi Yossi allows this [in a case of] certainly [untithed produce], as long as he informs him.

הַמּוֹלִיךְ חִטִּים לְטוֹחֵן כּוּתִי אוֹ לְטוֹחֵן עַם הָאָרֶץ, בְּחֶזְקָתָן לַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת וְלַשְּׁבִיעִית. לְטוֹחֵן עוֹבֵד כּוֹכָבִים, דְּמַאי. הַמַּפְקִיד פֵּרוֹתָיו אֵצֶל הַכּוּתִי אוֹ אֵצֶל עַם הָאָרֶץ, בְּחֶזְקָתָן לַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת וְלַשְּׁבִיעִית. אֵצֶל הָעוֹבֵד כּוֹכָבִים, כְּפֵרוֹתָיו. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, דְּמָאי:

One who brings his [tithed and non-Sabbatical year] wheat to a Cuthite miller or an <i>Am HaAretz</i> [one who is lax in observing tithes and purity laws] miller, it [the wheat] retains its presumptive status for tithes and for the Sabbatical year; to a non-Jewish miller, [the wheat is considered to be] <i>Demai</i>. One who leaves his [tithed] produce in the keeping of a Cuthite or an <i>Am HaAretz</i>, it [the produce] retains its presumptive status for tithes and for the Sabbatical year; in the keeping of a non-Jew, it is like his [the non-Jew's] produce. Rabbi Shimon says, "[It is] <i>Demai</i>."

הַנּוֹתֵן לְפֻנְדָּקִית, מְעַשֵּׂר אֶת שֶׁהוּא נוֹתֵן לָהּ, וְאֶת שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֵל מִמֶּנָּה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁחֲשׁוּדָה לַחֲלֹף. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, אֵין אָנוּ אַחֲרָאִין לָרַמָּאִין, אֵינוֹ מְעַשֵּׂר אֶלָּא מַה שֶּׁהוּא נוֹטֵל מִמֶּנָּה בִּלְבָד:

One who gives [his tithed produce] to an innkeeper [so that she can prepare it for him] must tithe from what he gives to her and from what he receives [back] from her because she is suspected of exchanging [her <i>Demai</i> for his tithed produce]. Said Rabbi Yossi, "We are not responsible for deceivers; he does not tithe except for what he receives from her exclusively."

הַנּוֹתֵן לַחֲמוֹתוֹ, מְעַשֵּׂר אֶת שֶׁהוּא נוֹתֵן לָהּ, וְאֶת שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֵל מִמֶּנָּה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא חֲשׁוּדָה לַחֲלֹף אֶת הַמִּתְקַלְקֵל. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, רוֹצָה הִיא בְתַקָּנַת בִּתָּהּ וּבוֹשָׁה מֵחֲתָנָהּ. מוֹדֶה רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בְּנוֹתֵן לַחֲמוֹתוֹ שְׁבִיעִית, שֶׁאֵינָהּ חֲשׁוּדָה לְהַחֲלִיף לְהַאֲכִיל אֶת בִּתָּהּ שְׁבִיעִית:

One who gives his [tithed produce] to his mother-in-law, must tithe from what he gives to her and from what he receives [back] from her because she is suspected of exchanging what is spoiled. Said Rabbi Yehudah, "She desires the well-being of her daughter and is ashamed before her son-in-law." Rabbi Yehudah acknowledges in [the instance of] giving Sabbatical produce to his mother-in-law, that she is not suspected [of exchanging] to feed her daughter Sabbatical year produce.