Perek III Daf 8 Amud a PERSONALITIES Th e dispute in the mishna with regard to the third due date for animal ַּת ָּמן ָּת ֵנ ַינן, ַר ִּבי ֵמ ִאיר ֵאוֹמר: ְּב ֶא ָחד He was one of the greatest :ַר ִּבי ֵמ ִאיר – tithes stems from a disagreement concerning the date of the new year Rabbi Meir tanna’im of the generation that preceded the redaction ֶּב ֱא ּלול רֹ ׁאש ַה ָּׁש ָנה ְל ַמ ְﬠ ַׂשר ְּב ֵה ָמה. for animal tithes. Th e Gemara now cites the various opinions about of the Mishna. There is no clear information available ַר ִּבי ֶא ְל ָﬠָזר ְוַר ִּבי ׁ ִש ְמעוֹן ְאוֹמִרים: ְּב ֶא ָחד this matt er. We learn elsewhere in a baraita (Rosh Hashana b): concerning Rabbi Meir’s parents, though it is told that P ְּב ִת ׁ ְשֵרי. ֶּבן ַﬠַזּאי ֵאוֹמר: ָה ֱא ּלו ִל ִיים Rabbi Meir says: On the fi rst of Elul it is the new year for animal he descended from a family of converts from the house .tithes.H All the animals born prior to that date belong to the previous of the Roman emperors ִמ ְת ַﬠ ְּׂשִרין ִּב ְפ ֵני ַﬠ ְצ ָמן. tithe year and are tithed together, whereas those born aft er that date Rabbi Meir’s exceptional brilliance in Torah study was belong to the next tithe year. Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon say: evident from a very early age. He was a student of the Th e new year for animal tithes is on the fi rst of Tishrei. Ben Azzai two greatest scholars of the generation, Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Akiva. He was also the lone Sage who contin- says: Th e animals that are born in the month of Elul are tithed by ued to study with Elisha ben Avuya, despite the latter’s themselves, separate from those born before the fi rst of Elul and estrangement from Judaism. His primary teacher was from those born aft erward, which belong to the next tithe year. Rabbi Akiva, who ordained him when he was very young. For this reason he was ordained a second time by Rabbi .With regard to Rabbi Meir’s opinion that the new year for animal Yehuda ben Bava ָא ַמר ַר ִּבי ּחו ָנה: ַט ְﬠ ָמא ְ ּדַר ִּבי ֵמ ִאיר, tithes is on the fi rst of Elul, Rabbi Ĥuna said: Th e reason for the In recognition of his outstanding scholarship, Rabbi ַﬠד ָּכאן ֵהן ִמ ְת ַמ ּצוֹת ֵל ֵילד ִמן ַה ְיּ ׁ ָשנוֹת, Meir was offi cially appointed hakham, literally wise man, opinion of Rabbi Meir is that he maintains that the new year for ִמ ָּכאן ְו ֵא ָיל ְך ֵהן ַמ ְת ִחילוֹת ֵל ֵילד ִמן animal tithes begins on the fi rst of Nisan, and the year to which an which was the third-highest rank, below the Nasi, or the ַה ֲח ָד ׁשוֹת. animal is assigned is determined not by its birth date, but by the date head of the Sanhedrin, and the president of the court. The halakhic discussions between Rabbi Meir and his of its conception. Since the period of gestation of small livestock is colleagues Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yosei, Rabbi Shimon, fi ve months (see Bekhorot a), up to that time, the fi rst of Elul, they and Rabbi Elazar form the foundation of the Mishna. conclude giving birth from the old, i.e., from the animals that con- Rabbi Meir’s greatest undertaking appears to have been ceived before the fi rst of Nisan. From here on, from the fi rst of Elul, a structured, oral redaction of the Oral Law, including the they begin giving birth from the new, i.e., from the animals that establishment of specifi c formats for the halakhot. Ap- conceived aft er the fi rst of Nisan. parently, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi followed in Rabbi Meir’s footsteps and incorporated his work into the Mishna. Th e Gemara explains the opinion of Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon, Consequently, it is a well-known principle that the author ַר ִּבי ֵיוֹסה ַּבר ַר ִּבי ּב ּון ְּב ׁ ֵשם ַרב ּחו ָנה: who maintain that the new year for animal tithes is on the fi rst of of an unattributed statement in the Mishna is Rabbi Meir, as the assumption is that this was one of the mishnayot ַט ְﬠ ָמא ְ ּדַר ִּבי ֶא ְל ָﬠָזר ְוַר ִּבי ׁ ִש ְמעוֹן – Tishrei. Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Bun said in the name of Rav Ĥuna .he formulated ָ״ל ְב ׁש ּו ָכִרים ַה ּצֹאן״ – ֵא ּל ּו ַה ַּב ִּכירוֹת, that the reason for the opinion of Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon Due to his involvement in the attempt to depose ַ״ו ֲﬠ ָמ ִקים ַי ַﬠ ְט ּפו ָבר״ – ֵא ּל ּו ָה ֲא ִפילוֹת, is as follows. Th e verse states: “Th e fl ocks are clothed in the meadows, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, the head of the Sanhedrin, -and the valleys are wrapped in grain; they shout for joy, they also Rabbi Meir was punished, and for a long period his teach ִ״י ְת ֲרוֹﬠ ּעו ַאף ָי ׁ ִש ּירו״ – ֵא ּל ּו ָו ֵא ּל ּו sing” (Psalms :). “Th e fl ocks are clothed in the meadows,”N ings were not cited in his name but were introduced ִנ ְכ ָנ ִסים ַלִ ּדיר ְל ִה ְת ַﬠ ֵּׂשר. meaning the sheep have donned extra fl esh, because they have con- with the words: Others say. His private life too was full of N suff ering. His two sons died during his lifetime, and his ceived; these are the animals that conceive early in Adar and de- extraordinary wife, Beruria, also died in painful circum- liver by the fi rst of Elul. “And the valleys are wrapped in grain”: stances. Nevertheless, it is known that a daughter of his Th ese are the animals that conceive late in Nisan, when the grain survived. He was eventually forced into exile in Asia Minor, has already grown and is clearly recognizable, and deliver only by the where he died. He requested that his coffi n be transferred fi rst of Tishrei. “Th ey shout for joy, they also sing”: All the animals, to Eretz Yisrael and that he be temporarily interred on the those that are born early and those that are born late, become friends, shore of the sea where the waves reach the Holy Land. and they all enter the pen together in order to be tithed. Rabbi Meir was famous in his lifetime not only for his sharp intellect, which exceeded that of all his peers, but -Th e Gemara proceeds to explain the opinion of ben Azzai. Ben Azzai also for his personal attributes, his eff orts as a peacemak ָא ַמר ֶּבן ַﬠַזּאי: ִהוֹאיל ְו ֵא ּל ּו ְאוֹמִרים er, and his willingness to relinquish personal honor for said: Since the date of the new year for animal tithes is in doubt, as ָּכ ְך ְו ֵא ּל ּו ְאוֹמִרים ָּכ ְך, ְי ּהו ָה ֱא ּלו ִל ִיים there are those who say thus, that it is the fi rst of Elul, and there are the good of others. He was also known as a magnifi cent public speaker. It is said that following his death, there ִמ ְת ַﬠ ְּׂשִרין ִּב ְפ ֵני ַﬠ ְצ ָמן. those who say thus, that it is the fi rst of Tishrei, the animals born in ceased to be composers of parables. Elul cannot be tithed with animals born in another month, as per- haps they were born in a diff erent tithing year, and one may not tithe HALAKHA רֹ ׁאש ַה ָּׁש ָנה ְל ַמ ְﬠ ַׂשר – animals from the new year for animals from the old year, or vice The new year for animal tithes Following the majority opinion of Rabbi Elazar : ְּב ֵה ָמה versa. Th erefore, the animals that are born in the month of Elul are tithed by themselves. and Rabbi Shimon, the new year for animal tithes is on the first of Tishrei (Rambam Sefer Korbanot, Hilkhot Bekhorot 7:6). NOTES to those animals that conceive in Adar and give birth in Av. Many : ָל ְב ׁש ּו ָכִרים ַה ּצֹאן – The flocks are clothed in the meadows Rashi on Rosh HaShana 8a interprets this verse to mean that early and late commentaries ask: This reasoning is applicable only the sheep conceive in this month. Rabbeinu Ĥananel explains: to sheep whose gestation period is five months. The gestation pe- The sheep become garb for the karim, their fetal lambs. Tosafot riod of cattle, however, is nine months, and so the cows give birth point out that the Targum understands karim as referring to the later. They answer that the verse, “The tithe of the herd or of the rams who mount the ewes, as this is their mating season. Most flock” (Leviticus 27:32), indicates that one time was established for biblical commentaries interpret karim as meadows where the all animal tithes. Since “the flock” constitutes the majority, both flocks come to graze. in terms of the species of sheep and goat, and in terms of the number of births (Turei Even), the gestation period with regard .(This term is referring to animal tithes follows that of the flock (Ran : ַה ַּב ִּכירוֹת – The animals that conceive early Perek III . 8a 65 . פרק ג׳ דף ח. How so? If fi ve animals were born in Av and fi ve in Elul of the ָהא ֵּכ ַיצד? ַנוֹלד לוֹ ַּב ֲח ִמ ָּׁשה ְּב ָאב ַו ֲח ִמ ָּׁשה same year and fi ve in Tishrei of the following year, they do not ֶּב ֱא ּלול ַו ֲח ִמ ָּׁשה ְּב ִת ׁ ְשֵרי – ֵאין ִמ ְצ ַטְר ִפין.