פֿאַרבונדענע פּסוקים אויף ישעיהו 28:26

Rebbi Samuel ben Naḥman understood it from the following verse (Is. 28:25): “He puts wheat, śorāh, barley; nismān and spelt are its limit.” “He puts wheat”, that is wheat³⁰The rabbinic equivalents to the biblical Hebrew names are given for all five kinds.. “Śorāh” is foxtail and why is it called śorāh? Because it is made in a line³¹The expression חטה שׂוֹרה probably means “ripe wheat”, cf. Accadic šer‘u “ripe grain”. All expressions are explained here as names of grains. The interpretation of שׂורה as שׁורה shows that in Talmudic times in Galilee, š was heard as s, under the influence of Greek. Cassuto in his biblical commentary accepts the interpretation as genuine.. “Barley”, that is barley. “Nismān” is oats. “Spelt” is spelt. “Its limit”, bread: So far the definitions of bread. Does one infer anything from tradition³²The common name for Prophets and Hagiographs. These are sources of moral teachings but have no standing as books of law.? Rebbi Simon said, since it is written (Is. 28:26): “He instructs in the law, his God will teach him,³³This interpretation, in contrast to that of the next paragraph, follows the masoretic division of the text.” it is as if it were a word of the Torah³⁴But the next paragraph immediately contradicts this statement; there is no source of biblical law other than the Torah. {Prophets and Hagiographs are used as basis for rabbinic decrees.}.

Rebbi Simon said, those women who say: we shall not send our sons to the communal school; if he is good at learning he will learn [by himself]; they do not act well, but (Is. 28:29): “He shall be instructed in his God’s law, it will teach him.”

Rebbi Jehudah bar Pazi in the name of Rebbi Jonathan: This³⁵The Mishnah which forbids harvesting any of the five kinds of grain before the ‘omer. The statement of R. Ismael ben R. Joḥanan ben Beroqa is in Sifra Wayiqra Paršata 13(5). The problem is Lev. 2:14–16, speaking of the cereal offering of first fruits. The verse cannot speak of individual first fruits (Deut. 26:1–11) since no cereal offering is connected with these. For any other cereal offering, the flour is specified. It is always wheat except for the ‘omer sheaf (Lev. 23:9–14) and the offering for the wife suspected of infidelity (Num. 5:15). Lev. 2:14 does not specify the kind of cereal for the offering. The cereal offering of first fruits is identified as the ‘omer offering; this determines the flour as barley flour. is from Rebbi Ismael the son of Rebbi Joḥanan ben Beroqa, as Rebbi Joḥanan stated; “Rebbi Ismael the son of Rebbi Joḥanan ben Beroqa said, I could think you could bring spelt, foxtail and oats. But is it not logical: If wheat which is usable for all other cereal offerings is not acceptable for the ‘omer offering, spelt, foxtail and oats which are not usable for any other cereal offerings certainly are not acceptable for the ‘omer offering. No; you might say about barley from which the offering of the straying wife³⁶In Sifra, the second argument also refers to the ‘omer. is brought; what can you say about spelt, foxtail and oats which are not usable for the offering of the straying wife? Wheat is excluded by the verse³⁷The nature of the grain cut for the ‘omer is not specified in Lev. 23:9–14. But since the “new grain” for the cereal offering of the 50^th day is specified as fine wheat flour, the earlier offering cannot possibly be wheat.; spelt, foxtail and oats are excluded by a reasoning a minore ad majus.”