Sukkah, Daf Mem, Part 4

 

Introduction

When one sells sabbatical year produce, the money takes on the sanctity of the produce. Note that the produce remains sacred (this is something we will learn in part six of this daf). Our sugya discusses whether there are other ways to redeem sabbatical year produce.

 

אמר רבי אלעזר: אין שביעית מתחללת אלא דרך מקח. ורבי יוחנן אמר: בין דרך מקח בין דרך חילול.

 

R. Elazar said: Sabbatical year produce is redeemed only by way of sale.

But R. Yohanan said: Either by way of sale or by way of exchange.

 

R. Elazar says that the only way to redeem sabbatical year produce is to sell it. R. Yohanan adds that one can intentionally exchange it–i.e. he takes some money and declares that it is in place of the produce.

מאי טעמא דרבי אלעזר – דכתיב +ויקרא כה+ בשנת היובל הזאת וגו’ וסמיך ליה וכי תמכרו ממכר – דרך מקח, ולא דרך חילול.

 

What is the reason of R. Elazar? As it is written, "In this year of Jubilee" (Leviticus 25:13) and then comes the following verse, "And if you sell something to your neighbor" [implying,] only by way of sale, but not by way of exchange.

 

R. Elazar derives his law from the juxtaposition of Leviticus 25:13 which mentions the Jubilee, a year that is similar to the normal sabbatical year, with the following verse which mentions selling. From this juxtaposition he derives the halakhah that sabbatical year produce is redeemed only by selling it.

 

ורבי יוחנן מאי טעמא – דכתיב כי יובל היא קדש מה קדש – בין דרך מקח בין דרך חילול, אף שביעית – בין דרך מקח בין דרך חילול.

 

And what is the reason of R. Yohanan? Since it is written, "For it is a Jubilee, it shall be holy" (Leviticus 25:12); just as sacred objects can be redeemed either by way of sale or by way of exchange, so the produce of the Sabbatical Year can be redeemed either by way of sale or by way of exchange.

 

Rabbi Yohanan notes that the Torah calls the sabbatical year "holy." Just as holy things such as items dedicated to the Temple can generally be redeemed by exchanging them for money, so too sabbatical year produce can simply be exchanged for money.