Komentarz do Maser seni 1:5

הלוקח מים ומלח – water and salt are not purchased with the monies of Second Tithe, as it is written (Deuteronomy 14:26): “And spend the money on anything you want”– a generalization – “cattle, sheep, wine, or other intoxicant,” – a specification – “anything that you may desire” – another generalization; “if a general rule is followed by a specification and this again by a generalization, you must be guided by the specification.” Just as the specification is explained as something that is food or grows in the ground, but cattle and sheep grow from the plants which are things that grow in the ground, and from something that is detached, and something that is preserved until one leads them to Jerusalem – even all things that are food and grow in the ground and are detached, and something that is preserved, which excludes water and salt, even though they are food, but are not [something] grown in the ground, and excludes produce that are attached to the ground that are not detached, which excludes produce that has become rotten before it arrives in Jerusalem, which is not something preserved. For all of these are not purchased with the monies of [Second] Tithe.

One who bought water or salt, or produce still joined to the soil, or produce which cannot reach Jerusalem, he has not purchased maaser [sheni]. Water and salt are not considered to be food and therefore one should not buy them with maaser sheni money. Produce still attached to the ground also is not considered food and therefore, it too should not be bought with maaser sheni money. Finally, one should not buy produce that will rot before it can reach Jerusalem. In all of these cases, that which he bought is not considered maaser. What he will need to do is use an equivalent amount of money to buy the type of food that he should have bought in the first place. That food he should bring to Jerusalem and eat there.

לא קנה מעשר – and the holiness of [Second] Tithe does not take effect on something that is purchased, and were not fulfilled through the use of [Second Tithe] monies for non-sacred [foods].

One who bought produce unwittingly, the money must be restored to its former place. This person bought produce using maaser sheni money without knowing that it was maaser sheni money. The result of this would be that he would have to take the produce to Jerusalem and eat it there. However, since he did this by accident, the purchase is considered an accidental purchase and he can return the produce to the seller and get his money back. Since it was accidental, we don’t trouble him to take the food all the way to Jerusalem, which might be difficult.

הלוקח פירות שוגג – for he did not know that from [Second] Tithe monies he was purchasing them.

But if intentionally, the produce must be taken up and be consumed in the [holy] place, and when there is no Temple, it must be left to rot. Maaser sheni money should be used to purchase food only in Jerusalem. If a person nevertheless intentionally buys produce with maaser sheni money outside of Jerusalem, he has to take the produce to Jerusalem and eat it there. He cannot ask for his money back. If there is no Temple, then he must let the produce rot it is forbidden for him to redeem it for money.

יחזרו דמים למקומן – the seller takes his produce/fruits and returns the monies, because it is like a fraudulent purchase, and if the purchaser had known that they are [Second] Tithe monies, he would not have purchased with them this produce/fruits, because of the painstaking preparations on the way, and because he erred inadvertently, the purchase is nullified.

יעלו ויאכלו במקום – (Deuteronomy 14:24): “in the place where He will choose [to establish His name],” that is to say, Jerusalem.

ואם אין מקדש ירקבו – for the thing purchased with the monies of [Second] Tithe are not redeemed purely in a place distant [from Jerusalem], as it is taught in the Mishnah further on in Chapter three.