Commento su Ma'aser Sheni 4:11
הַמּוֹצֵא כְלִי וְכָתוּב עָלָיו קוּ"ף, קָרְבָּן. מ', מַעֲשֵׂר. ד', דְּמַאי. ט', טֶבֶל. ת', תְּרוּמָה, שֶׁבִּשְׁעַת סַכָּנָה הָיוּ כוֹתְבִין ת' תַּחַת תְּרוּמָה. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, כֻּלָּם שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי אָדָם הֵם. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, אֲפִלּוּ מָצָא חָבִית וְהִיא מְלֵאָה פֵרוֹת וְכָתוּב עָלֶיהָ תְּרוּמָה, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ חֻלִּין, שֶׁאֲנִי אוֹמֵר אֶשְׁתָּקַד הָיְתָה מְלֵאָה פֵרוֹת תְּרוּמָה, וּפִנָּהּ:
Chi trova una nave e su di essa è scritto " Kuf " [lettera ebraica, che inizia la parola ebraica per sacrificio], è un sacrificio. [Se ha una] " Mem " [lettera ebraica, che inizia la parola ebraica per decime], sono le decime. [Se ha un] " Daled " [lettera ebraica], è Demai . [Se ha un] " Tet " [lettera ebraica], è Tevel [prodotto non abbinato]. [Se ha un] " Taf " [lettera ebraica], è Terumah [prodotto consacrato per il consumo sacerdotale], perché in un momento pericoloso scriverebbero " Taf " invece di " Terumah ". Il rabbino Yossi afferma che queste sono tutte [iniziali per] i nomi delle persone. Il rabbino Yossi ha detto: "Anche se uno ha trovato un barile ed è pieno di frutta e su di esso è scritto" Terumah ", questi sono Chulin , perché dico che è stato riempito per ultimo con il frutto di Terumah , e li ha svuotati. "
Bartenura on Mishnah Maaser Sheni
English Explanation of Mishnah Maaser Sheni
If a mem, it is maaser.
If a dalet, it is demai.
If a tet, it is tevel (untithed.
If a tav, it is terumah.
For in the time of danger people would write a tav for terumah.
Rabbi Yose says: they may all stand for the names of people.
Rabbi Yose said: even if he finds a jar which was full of produce and on it was written ‘terumah’ it may yet be considered hullin, because I can say that last year it was full of produce of terumah and was afterwards emptied.
Sections one-six: According to the first opinion in the mishnah, people would write on vessels the first letter of the type of produce contained in the vessel. The reason that they wouldn’t write the whole word is that in the time of danger if people were caught observing the commandments, the Roman authorities would punish them. To avoid this danger, they would write only the first letter. Hence, if one finds a vessel with one of these letters on it, he must be concerned lest the contents are that type of produce.
Section seven: Rabbi Yose is lenient and says that these letters may stand for the names of the people who own them. Therefore, we need not be concerned lest they are these types of produce.
Section eight: Finally, Rabbi Yose states an even greater leniency. Even if the jar says on it “terumah” we need not be concerned lest it is actually terumah, because it might be that the jar held terumah last year. Since jars are reused, we can’t be certain that the contents match what is written on the jar.