Comentario sobre Sheviit 4:2

שנתקווצה – that took its thorns out in the Seventh Year.

Introduction It is forbidden to improve upon a field during the sabbatical year. Our mishnah deals with the halakhic consequences of one who nevertheless does improve upon the field.

שנטייבה – that was well plowed for the entire world plows one time and he plowed twice. But our Mishnah is speaking about a time of danger when the Kingdom (Rome) takes by force the tax that is placed upon the land masses and they permitted plowing in the Seventh Year in order to give the determined tax from its grain to the king, and if he plowed twice, the Rabbis fined him, for one plowing they permitted but not two plowings.

A field from which thorns had been removed may be sown in the eighth year. During the sabbatical year it is forbidden to remove the thorns from the field, because it is forbidden to improve upon the field. However, this prohibition is only derabanan, a rabbinic and therefore lesser prohibition. Therefore, one who has removed the thorns from his field during the seventh year can still plant the field during the eighth year, the year after the sabbatical year.

או שנדיירה – lthat they made from it a pen for the cattle that made with it an enclosure for cattle as we stated in the chapter above (Tractate Sheviit, Chapter 3, Mishnah 4), and di dnot make from it dung-heaps but rather left it in order to manure the field with it.

But if it had been improved upon, or cattle had been allowed to live upon it, it may not be sown in the eighth year. However, if he improved upon the field by plowing it, which is forbidden from the Torah, then he may not plant the field during the eighth year. For transgressing this prohibition, the rabbis penalized him by not allowing him to plant after the sabbatical year had passed. The same is true if he allowed animals to live on his field, and thereby fertilize it. This was a subject that we dealt with in 3:4.

לא תזרע למוצאי שביעית – for we fine him in that which is greater than removing the thorns.

A field which had been improved upon in the seventh year: Bet Shammai says: they may not eat its produce in the seventh year, But Bet Hillel says: they may eat. The mishnah now talks about what happens if despite the fact that one is not allowed to improve a field during the seventh year, one nevertheless goes ahead and does so. According to Bet Shammai, the produce of the field is now forbidden during the seventh year, because the rabbis punished the transgressor. Bet Hillel says that the produce may be eaten. Of course, the laws governing produce that grows on its own during the seventh year will apply to this produce as well.

בטובה – it is forbidden we don’t attach merit to it to the owners for the All-Merciful made them ownerless.

Bet Shammai says: they may not eat produce of the sabbatical year with an expression of thanks. But Bet Hillel says: they may eat [sabbatical year produce] with an expression for thanks and without an expression of thanks. During the Sabbatical year all of the produce grown in the fields is considered ownerless, and may be eaten by anyone. Beth Shammai holds that when one eats such produce one may not express his thanks to the owner of the field. These fruits are ownerless; giving thanks to the owner of the field may give people the impression that he is the one giving them, whereas in truth it is the Torah’s laws which have given them to the person eating. Bet Hillel holds that one may express thanks to the owner of the field or he may eat the fruit without expressing thanks.

חלוף הדברים – that the School of Shammai is lenient, But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.

Rabbi Judah says: the statements must be reversed, for this is one of the instances where Bet Shammai is lenient and Bet Hillel is stringent. In the previous two sections Bet Shammai was more stringent than Bet Hillel. Rabbi Judah says that the opinions should be reversed, because this is one of the cases where Bet Shammai is more lenient than Bet Hillel. In Mishnah Eduyot 5:1 Rabbi Judah teaches that this is one area where Bet Shammai is more lenient than Hillel.