Mishnah Demai · chapter 3

Tap any Hebrew word to trace it to its Jastrow dictionary entry.

1. 1

   מַאֲכִילִין אֶת הָעֲנִיִּים דְּמַאי, וְאֶת הָאַכְסַנְיָא דְּמַאי. רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הָיָה מַאֲכִיל אֶת פּוֹעֲלָיו דְּמַאי. גַּבָּאֵי צְדָקָה, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, נוֹתְנִין אֶת הַמְעֻשָּׂר לְשֶׁאֵינוֹ מְעַשֵּׂר, וְאֶת שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְעֻשָּׂר לִמְעַשֵּׂר. נִמְצְאוּ כָל הָאָדָם אוֹכְלִין מְתֻקָּן. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, גּוֹבִין סְתָם וּמְחַלְּקִין סְתָם, וְהָרוֹצֶה לְתַקֵּן יְתַקֵּן:

   They may feed demai to the poor and to guests (alt. passing troops). Rabban Gamaliel used to feed demai to his workmen. [As for] charity collectors: Bet Shammai says: they should give tithed [produce] to one who doesn’t tithe, and untithed [produce] to one who does tithe. In this way it will turn out that every one will eat [produce] that has been fixed (tithed). But the sages say: they may collect indiscriminately and distribute indiscriminately. And one who wishes to fix [his produce by tithing it], let him fix it.

2. 2

   הָרוֹצֶה לַחֲזֹם עֲלֵי יָרָק לְהָקֵל מִמַּשָּׂאוֹ, לֹא יַשְׁלִיךְ עַד שֶׁיְּעַשֵּׂר. הַלּוֹקֵחַ יָרָק מִן הַשּׁוּק וְנִמְלַךְ לְהַחֲזִיר, לֹא יַחֲזִיר עַד שֶׁיְּעַשֵּׂר, שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְחֻסָּר אֶלָּא מִנְיָן. הָיָה עוֹמֵד וְלוֹקֵחַ וְרָאָה טֹעַן אַחֵר יָפֶה מִמֶּנּוּ, מֻתָּר לְהַחֲזִיר, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא מָשָׁךְ:

   One who wants to cut off leaves of vegetables in order to lighten his burden, he may not throw them down until he has [first] tithed them. One who takes vegetables from the market [with the intention of buying them], and then decides to put them back, he should not put them back until he has [first] tithed them, for nothing is missing [after they are tithed] except for their quantity. But if he was standing [there and deciding what to] buy and then saw another load of better quality, he may put them back [untithed], since he had not yet drawn them into his possession.

3. 3

   הַמּוֹצֵא פֵרוֹת בַּדֶּרֶךְ וּנְטָלָן לְאָכְלָן, וְנִמְלַךְ לְהַצְנִיעַ, לֹא יַצְנִיעַ עַד שֶׁיְּעַשֵּׂר. וְאִם מִתְּחִלָּה נְטָלָן בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁלֹּא יֹאבֵדוּ, פָּטוּר. כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין אָדָם רַשַּׁאי לְמָכְרוֹ דְּמַאי, לֹא יִשְׁלַח לַחֲבֵרוֹ דְּמַאי. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי מַתִּיר בְּוַדַּאי, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁיּוֹדִיעֶנּוּ:

   If one finds produce on the road and picks it up in order to eat it, and then decides to hide it, he may not hide it unless he has [first] tithed it. But if from the outset he picked it up only in order to guard it against being destroyed, he is exempt [from tithing it]. Any produce which one may not sell [in the condition of] demai, he may not send it [as a gift] to his friend [in the condition of] demai. Rabbi Yose permits [one to send as a gift produce] that is certainly untithed, on condition that he makes the matter known to the recipient.

4. 4

   הַמּוֹלִיךְ חִטִּים לְטוֹחֵן כּוּתִי אוֹ לְטוֹחֵן עַם הָאָרֶץ, בְּחֶזְקָתָן לַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת וְלַשְּׁבִיעִית. לְטוֹחֵן עוֹבֵד כּוֹכָבִים, דְּמַאי. הַמַּפְקִיד פֵּרוֹתָיו אֵצֶל הַכּוּתִי אוֹ אֵצֶל עַם הָאָרֶץ, בְּחֶזְקָתָן לַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת וְלַשְּׁבִיעִית. אֵצֶל הָעוֹבֵד כּוֹכָבִים, כְּפֵרוֹתָיו. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, דְּמָאי:

   One who takes his wheat to a Samaritan miller or to an am haaretz miller, [the wheat when ground] retains its former status in respect of tithes and the law of seventh year produce. [But if he carried it] to a Gentile miller, [the wheat when ground has the status of] demai. One who deposited his produce with a Samaritan or am haaretz, [the produce] retains its former status in respect of tithes and the law of seventh year produce. [But if he left it] with a Gentile, it is like the produce of the Gentile. Rabbi Shimon says: [it becomes] demai.

5. 5

   הַנּוֹתֵן לְפֻנְדָּקִית, מְעַשֵּׂר אֶת שֶׁהוּא נוֹתֵן לָהּ, וְאֶת שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֵל מִמֶּנָּה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁחֲשׁוּדָה לַחֲלֹף. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, אֵין אָנוּ אַחֲרָאִין לָרַמָּאִין, אֵינוֹ מְעַשֵּׂר אֶלָּא מַה שֶּׁהוּא נוֹטֵל מִמֶּנָּה בִּלְבָד:

   One who gives [produce] to an innkeeper [to prepare it for food], he must tithe what he gives to her and what he takes back from her, because she is suspected of exchanging it [with her own produce]. Rabbi Yose said: we are not responsible for deceivers. Rather, he must tithe only that which he takes from her.

6. 6

   הַנּוֹתֵן לַחֲמוֹתוֹ, מְעַשֵּׂר אֶת שֶׁהוּא נוֹתֵן לָהּ, וְאֶת שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֵל מִמֶּנָּה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא חֲשׁוּדָה לַחֲלֹף אֶת הַמִּתְקַלְקֵל. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, רוֹצָה הִיא בְתַקָּנַת בִּתָּהּ וּבוֹשָׁה מֵחֲתָנָהּ. מוֹדֶה רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בְּנוֹתֵן לַחֲמוֹתוֹ שְׁבִיעִית, שֶׁאֵינָהּ חֲשׁוּדָה לְהַחֲלִיף לְהַאֲכִיל אֶת בִּתָּהּ שְׁבִיעִית:

   One who gives [produce] to his mother-in-law [to prepare it], he must tithe what he gives to her and what he takes back from her, because she is suspected of changing any [food] which has spoiled. Rabbi Judah said: she desires the welfare of her daughter and is ashamed [of serving spoiled food] to her son-in-law. Rabbi Judah agrees [with the other sages] that if one gives his mother-in-law seventh year produce, she is not suspected of changing it and giving her daughter to eat of seventh year produce.