Kiddushin, Daf Samekh Aleph, Part 1

 

Introduction

Since the mishnah dealt with sizes of fields, the Talmud brings in other material relevant to the subject.

 

גבי הקדש תנן המקדיש שדהו בשעת היובל נותן בזרע חומר שעורים חמשים שקל כסף

היו נקעים עמוקים עשרה טפחים או סלעים גבוהים עשרה טפחים אין נמדדין עמה פחות מכאן נמדדין עמה

 

With respect to sanctified property we learned: He who sanctifies his field when the Jubilee is observed, must pay [for its redemption] fifty silver shekels for [an area requiring] a homer of barley seed.

If it contains ravines ten handbreadths deep, or rocks ten handbreadths high, they are not measured with it; if less than this, they are measured with it.

 

The topic of this mishnah is one who dedicates his field to the Temple. What counts as his field such that he would have to pay 50 silver shekels for each area?

 

והוינן בה נהי דבהדי ארעא לא קדשו נקדשו באפי נפשייהו

 

Now we asked about this: Granted that they are not sanctified together with the [rest of the] field, yet let them be sanctified separately?

 

Elsewhere the Gemara asked a difficulty about this mishnah. While we can understand why the ravines and rocks do not count as part of the field, we should still consider them to have been separately dedicated to the Temple. Why does he not have to redeem them as well?

 

וכי תימא כמה דלא הוי בית כור לא חשיב ורמינהו שדה מה ת"ל לפי שנאמר (ויקרא כז, טז) זרע חומר שעורים בחמשים אין לי אלא שהקדיש בענין הזה מנין לרבות לתך וחצי לתך סאה תרקב וחצי תרקב ואפי’ רובע מנין ת"ל שדה מכל מקום

 

And should you answer, whatever is less than a bet kor is not counted. But the following contradicts it: [And if a man shall sanctify to the Lord part of a] field [of his possession, etc.] (Leviticus 27:16): why is this stated? Because it is said, the sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty [shekels of silver] ; I know it only if he sanctifies in such a manner. How do I know to include a letekh, half a lethek, a se’ah, a tarkava, half a tarkav, and even a quarter [se ah]? Because it is stated: a field, whatever its size!

 

The baraita cited here teaches that even the smallest sized field must be redeemed. So why doesn t he have to redeem the ravines and rocks that are higher or lower than ten handbreadths within the larger field he dedicated?

 

אמר מר עוקבא בר חמא הכא בנקעים מלאים מים עסקינן משום דלאו בני זריעה נינהו

דיקא נמי דקתני דומיא דסלעים גבוהים ש"מ

 

Mar Ukba b. Hama said: Here we are referring to ravines filled with water, because they are unfit for sowing. This also may be proved because of the precise reading, as it is taught like high rocks. This proves it.

 

Mar Ukba explains that while small fields must be redeemed, one need not redeem places that he could not sow. These ravines are full of water and therefore, he does not need to redeem them.

 

אי הכי אפילו פחות מיכן נמי הנהו נאגני דארעא מיקרו שדרא דארעא מקרו

 

If so, [it should be the same] even if less than this?

Those are called basins of the field and ridges of the field.

 

If the parts of the field that cannot be sown don t count in measuring the field, then why just ten handbreadths high or low? Even higher ravines or lower rocks can t be sown.

The answer is that when these features are less than ten handbreadths, they count as part of the field because it is normal for fields to have small rises and inclines. Only if they are ten handbreadths high do they not count.