פירוש על מעשר שני 3:10

הלקוח בכסף מעשר שני – produce that was purchased from the monies of Second Tithe

Introduction Today’s mishnah deals with produce purchased with maaser sheni money that then becomes unclean. This produce cannot be eaten because unclean maaser sheni can never The question is: can it be redeemed?

יקבר – since its commandment had been completed and he purchased produce from the Second Tithe monies, he does not have to further redeem it.

If that which was bought with maaser sheni money became unclean, it should be redeemed. According to the anonymous opinion in the mishnah, if produce was bought with maaser sheni money and then that produce became impure, it can be redeemed. This money will now be treated as maaser sheni money and used to buy produce that will be eaten as maaser sheni in Jerusalem.

שכן נפדה טהור ברחוק מקום – for Second Tithe that is pure, we redeem it outside of Jerusalem, as it is written (Deuteronomy 14:24): “….because the place [which the LORD your God has chosen to establish His name] is far from you….” But that which is purchased with [Second] Tithe money is not redeemed outside of Jerusalem when it is pure, as it is taught in the Mishnah of the first chapter (Mishnah 6), “but if wittingly, it must be brought to the place (i.e., Jerusalem) and eaten there. And the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.

R. Judah says: it must be buried. Rabbi Judah disagrees and says that the produce which was bought with maaser sheni money and then became impure must be buried. It cannot be redeemed.

They said to Rabbi Judah: if maaser sheni itself when it became unclean may be redeemed, should not also that which is bought with maaser sheni money be redeemed when it became unclean? The sages now begin to argue their case with Rabbi Judah. In yesterday’s mishnah we learned that maaser sheni itself which became impure can be redeemed. Why, then, shouldn’t maaser sheni produce that was bought with maaser sheni money be redeemed if it becomes impure?

He said to them: No! If you say this of maaser sheni itself, it is because it may be redeemed also when pure at a distance from the [holy] place. But how can you say this of that which is bought with maaser sheni money, seeing that it cannot be redeemed when clean at a distance from the [holy] place. Rabbi Judah responds that the two are not truly analogous. Maaser sheni produce itself can be redeemed outside of Jerusalem, even when it is pure. In contrast, produce bought with maaser sheni money cannot be redeemed outside of Jerusalem when it is pure. Such produce must be brought to Jerusalem and it can be eaten there. Since the rule is stricter concerning produce bought with maaser sheni money outside of Jerusalem, it is also stricter with produce bought with maaser sheni money inside Jerusalem. It cannot be redeemed, but rather must be buried.