Talmud sur L’Exode 23:19

MISHNAH: These are the matters that have no measure¹These are obligations spelled out in the Torah, so one has to fulfill them; but the Torah did not specify either minimum or maximum obligation. However, there are rabbinic minima and sometimes maxima established for all obligations.: Peah²In harvesting a field, one is not permitted to harvest the last corner (פאה); that must be abandoned to be harvested by the poor (Lev. 19:9,23:22). There is no minimum mentioned in the Torah; the Talmud will discuss whether one may declare one’s entire field as Peah., first fruits³There is an obligation to bring the first fruits of one’s land to the Temple, Lev. 23:19, 34:26; Neh. 10:36. No amount has been specified. This obligation is the subject of tractate Bikkurim., appearance⁴There is an obligation to appear in the Temple on the three holidays of pilgrimage (Ex. 23:17, 34:23–24, Deut. 16:16). It is forbidden to appear in the Temple emptyhanded (Ex. 23:15, 34:20, Deut. 16:16), i. e., without bringing a sacrifice. The Torah does not directly spell out the value of the sacrifice, but the verse in Deuteronomy requires it to be “proportional to the blessing that the Eternal has bestowed on you.” The Talmud will discuss which of the two obligations (appearance or sacrifice) is meant here., works of kindness⁵Charity has two aspects: one is giving money and valuables to the needy; this has no explicit lower and upper limit, but it does have rabbinic limits in both directions. This, in addition to the laws of Peah, is one of the topics of the tractate. The other aspect is giving one’s time to attend funerals, weddings, visiting the sick and mourners, to work for the public good, and similar deeds. That aspect has no limits, upper or lower, expressed anywhere., and Torah study⁶It is written of the Torah (Jos. 1:8): “You should meditate upon it day and night.” Hence, there is no upper limit. The obligation of Torah study can be fulfilled by the recitation of Shema‘, but that recitation is also an independent obligation. Hence, Torah study per se has no lower limit.. These are the matters whose product a person eats in this world and whose capital remains for him⁷As deeds which merit reward in the future life. in the future world: Honoring father and mother, works of kindness, making peace between people; the study of Torah is worth all of these.

MISHNAH: Some people bring First Fruits and make the declaration¹The thanksgiving declaration Deut. 26:5–10. It is forbidden to bring profane food into the Temple. If there is no obligation to bring First Fruits then there is a prohibition to bring. If there is an obligation, a dedication must sanctify the First Fruits as Temple offerings., some bring and do not make the declaration, and some do not bring. The following do not bring²The reason is explained in Mishnah 2.: He who plants in his own but provines³He bends a branch of a vine down into the earth and has it reappear elsewhere; cf. Kilaim 7:1, Note 1. into a private or a public plot; and so he who provines from a private or a public plot into his own. If someone plants in his own and provines into his own but a private or public road is in the middle he cannot bring; Rebbi Jehudah says he brings.

MISHNAH: He who says the heave of this heap is contained in it, the tithes are contained in it and the heave of this tithe is contained in it, Rebbi Simeon says he gave it a name⁵²In that case, the entire heap becomes dema‘ and can be used only by a Cohen since the heaves are valid but their place is indeterminate. The Sages hold that dema‘ can be created only by heave falling into profane food; heave and dema‘ can never be created simultanously. They hold that designating heave without indicating its place is an invalid action. but the Sages say, only if he said in its Northern or Southern part. Rebbi Eleazar Ḥisma⁵³Tanna of the second generation, student of R. Joshua. He admits even more possibilities than R. Simeon since the latter at least requires a declaration that the heave be “contained in it” whereas R. Eleazar Ḥisma already makes the declaration valid if only “from it” is declared. Since tithes and the heave of the tithe do not have to be earmarked, he will hold that tithes and heave of the tithe can be declared without specifying any place. says, he who says, the heave of this heap is from it for itself, gave it a name. Rebbi Eliezer ben Jacob says, he who says, one tenth of this tithe is made heave of the tithe for it, gave it a name⁵⁴R. Eliezer ben Jacob holds with the Sages for heave, which must be earmarked, and possibly for the first tithe. But he rejects the restrictions for heave of the tithe which may be given from any place (Chapter 2, Note 6)..
One who gives heave before First Fruits, First Tithe before heave, Second Tithe before First, even though he transgresses a prohibition what he did is done since it is said (Ex. 22:28): "Your fullness⁷²In Mekhilta Mišpaṭim 19, Babli Temurah 4a, it is explained that “your fullness” refers to First Fruits because they are taken when the harvest is still full and nothing had been taken yet. you should not make follow your dema ’ ”.
From where that First Fruits should precede heave since either one is called heave and first. First Fruits should precede since they are due before everything else, heave before First Tithe because it is first, First Tithe before the Second because it contains “first”⁷³Commentary of Maimonides: “The Eternal called heave ‘first’ when He said (Deut. 18:4): ‘The first of your grain, your cider, and your oil.’ He called it heave (Num. 18:8): ‘Lo, I gave to you the guarding of My heaves.’ The Eternal called First Fruits first when He said (Deut. 26:22): ‘You shall take from the first of any produce of the Land.’ He called it heave (Deut. 12:27): ‘You must bring there … and your hand’s heave.’ They said in Sifry (Deut. 62,73): ‘Your hand’s heave means First Fruits.’ This proves that the verse speaks of First Fruits since it deals only with what has to be brought to the Temple and no heave has to be brought to Jerusalem except First Fruits for which there is an explicit verse. They said that First Tithe contains ‘first’, i. e., the heave of the tithe about which the Eternal said (Num. 18:26): ‘You shall lift from it the Eternal’s heave,’ and heave is called ‘first’ ”. {The statement in Sifry is quoted in Bikkurim 2:1 (fol. 64c), Babli Pesaḥim 36b, Yebamot 73b, Makkot17a, Ḥulin 120b, Me‘ilah 15b.].