פירוש על עדיות 1:2

מקב לחלה – dough which has in it a Kab is liable for [separating] Hallah.

Shammai says: “[Dough] of a kav or more is subject to the law of hallah.” And Hillel says: “Of two kavs or more.” But the Sages say: “Neither according to the opinion of this one nor according to the opinion of this one, but [dough of] a kav and a half is subject to the law of hallah.” Numbers 15:20-21 commands Jews to set aside some of their dough and give it to the priests. This is called “hallah”. The question is how big of a batch of dough makes a person liable to separate hallah? According to Shammai, if one mixes one kav of dough he must separate hallah to give to the priests. A kav is about 1 ½ liters. According to Hillel, two kavs of dough make one obligated to separate hallah. The Sages compromise between the two positions and state that 1 ½ kavs is sufficient to obligate for hallah.

קב ומחצה חייבים בחלה – which are seven Logs and an egg and one-fifth of an egg, according to the Wilderness measure. And this is an Omer as a capitation tax, one-tenth of an Ephah which is liable for Hallah, as it is written (Numbers 15:20): “As the first yield of your baking, [you shall set aside a loaf as a gift….],” according to the dough of the wilderness. And they added one-sixth for the Jerusalem [measure], so that it was found that six Wilderness [Logs] become five Jerusalem [logs], and the Log that remains and the egg and the one-fifth egg go up to the Jerusalem Log, for the Wilderness log is [equal to] six eggs, which are given as five large eggs. It is found that the Log is missing one large egg. Give an egg and one-fifth of an egg in place of he large egg, for the one-fifth egg which is one-sixth from the outside additional on the egg, it is found that six large eggs which are a large Log, since six large Logs are one and-one-half Kabs.

And after they increased the measures they said: “[Dough of] five quarters is subject. Rabbi Yose said: “Five are exempt, five and more are liable.” Later in the Mishnaic period, in Tsippori which is in the Galilee, the measure of weights were increased so that a kav was now larger than it used to be. Therefore, the amount that obligates one to separate hallah became 1 1/5 kavs. According to Rabbi Yose, exactly 1 1/5 kavs does not obligate one to separate hallah, but anything over that amount does.

משהגדילו המדות – This is the Sepphoris measure, which they added one-sixth on that of the Jerusalem [measure], so it is found that the six Logim are five, which are five-fourths of a Kab, as the Kab is equivalent to four Logs.

Questions for Further Thought:
• Why should there be a minimum amount of dough to make one liable to separate hallah? Why shouldn’t a person have to separate hallah from even a small amount of dough?

חמשה ועוד חייבים – for as Rabbi Yosi holds, the Wilderness measure were larger eggs than ours by one-twentieth of an egg for each egg. And the Halakha is according to the Sages, that a Jerusalem Kab and one-half which equals six Jerusalem Logs which are the Wilderness seven Logs and an egg and one-fifth of an egg, which is the measure [required] for Hallah. And they are forty-three eggs and one-fifth of an egg. And Maimonides cut and examined and checked and found that the weight of five hundred and twenty of most of the commentators from the flour of wheat is the measure of flour that is obligated for Hallah. And the weight of most of the commentators was known in Egypt today and throughout the Land of Israel, which is the weight of nearly sixty-one grains of barley.