## Moed Katan Daf 6b

###### Moed Katan 6b:1
[Moed Katan 6b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:1)

רוֹבַע זֶרַע מִמִּין אַחֵר — יְמַעֵט.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**a quarter**-*kav* or more **of seeds of a different type,** i.e., one twenty-fourth of the mixture is a type of seed other than the main type, **one must reduce** the other type of seeds in the mixture by uprooting the shoots.


###### Moed Katan 6b:2
[Moed Katan 6b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:2)

וְהָתַנְיָא: הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהוּ מַפְקִירִין כׇּל הַשָּׂדֶה כּוּלָּהּ! לָא קַשְׁיָא: כָּאן קוֹדֶם תַּקָּנָה, כָּאן לְאַחַר תַּקָּנָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
With regard to the *halakha* that inspectors must go out and uproot the shoots of diverse kinds of seeds that grew in the fields, the Gemara asks: **But isn’t it taught** in a *baraita* that the Sages **ordained that they should pronounce** the crop of **the entire field** in which diverse kinds was found **ownerless,** rather than uprooting the diverse kinds? The Gemara responds: **This** is **not difficult. Here,** in the mishna, where it says that the inspectors go out and uproot the diverse kinds, it is referring to the time **before the** institution of the new **ordinance; there,** in the *baraita*, where it says that the entire field is pronounced ownerless, it is referring to the time **after the** institution of that **ordinance.**


###### Moed Katan 6b:3
[Moed Katan 6b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:3)

דְּתַנְיָא: בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה הָיוּ עוֹקְרִין וּמַשְׁלִיכִין לִפְנֵי בְּהֶמְתָּן, וְהָיוּ בַּעֲלֵי בָּתִּים שְׂמֵחִין שְׁתֵּי שְׂמָחוֹת: אַחַת שֶׁמְּנַכְּשִׁין לָהֶם שְׂדוֹתֵיהֶן, וְאַחַת שֶׁמַּשְׁלִיכִין לִפְנֵי בְּהֶמְתָּם,

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara explains this ordinance **as it is taught** in another *baraita*: **At first,** the agents of the court **would uproot** the diverse kinds **and cast them before the livestock** belonging to the owners of the fields. However, **the property holders would rejoice for two** reasons: **One, that** the agents of the court **weeded their fields for them** when they uprooted the plants of the other type; and another **one, that they cast** the diverse kinds **before their livestock,** thereby saving them from having to feed them. Accordingly, the field owners took no steps to keep their fields free of diverse kinds of seeds.


###### Moed Katan 6b:4
[Moed Katan 6b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:4)

הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהוּ עוֹקְרִין וּמַשְׁלִיכִין עַל הַדְּרָכִים. וַעֲדַיִין הָיוּ שְׂמֵחִין שִׂמְחָה גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁמְּנַכְּשִׁין שְׂדוֹתֵיהֶן, הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהוּ מַפְקִירִין כׇּל הַשָּׂדֶה כּוּלָּהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Sages, therefore, **ordained that** the agents of the court **should uproot** the diverse kinds **and cast** them **on the roads.** Yet the property holders **would still greatly rejoice that** the agents of the court **weeded their fields** free of charge. Finally, the Sages **ordained that they should pronounce** the crop of **the entire field** in which diverse kinds was found **ownerless.**


###### Moed Katan 6b:5
[Moed Katan 6b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:5)

**מַתְנִי׳** רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר: מוֹשְׁכִין אֶת הַמַּיִם מֵאִילָן לְאִילָן, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יַשְׁקֶה אֶת כׇּל הַשָּׂדֶה. זְרָעִים שֶׁלֹּא שָׁתוּ לִפְנֵי הַמּוֹעֵד — לָא יַשְׁקֵם בַּמּוֹעֵד. וַחֲכָמִים מַתִּירִין בָּזֶה וּבָזֶה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**MISHNA:** **Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov says:** In a field that is filled with trees, **one may draw water** via channels **from** one **tree to** another **tree** on the intermediate days of a Festival because trees are in dire need of water. **And** this is permitted **provided that** in doing so **he does not water the entire field.** With regard to **plants that were not watered prior to the Festival, one may not water them on** the intermediate days of **the Festival** because they do not need the water. **But the Rabbis permit** watering in **this** case, i.e., trees, **and that** case, i.e., plants.


###### Moed Katan 6b:6
[Moed Katan 6b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:6)

**גְּמָ׳** אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: אִם הָיְתָה שָׂדֶה מְטוּנֶּנֶת — מוּתָּר. תַּנְיָא נָמֵי הָכִי: כְּשֶׁאָמְרוּ אָסוּר לְהַשְׁקוֹתָן בַּמּוֹעֵד, לֹא אָמְרוּ אֶלָּא בִּזְרָעִים שֶׁלֹּא שָׁתוּ מִלִּפְנֵי הַמּוֹעֵד, אֲבָל זְרָעִים שֶׁשָּׁתוּ לִפְנֵי הַמּוֹעֵד — מוּתָּר לְהַשְׁקוֹתָן בַּמּוֹעֵד.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** **Rav Yehuda said: If the field was moist [*metunenet*]** before the Festival but in the meantime it dried up, **it is permitted** to water the entire field even according to Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov. **That** ruling **is also taught** in a *baraita*: **When they said** that **it is prohibited to water them on** the intermediate days of **a Festival, they said this only with regard to plants that were not watered** at all **before the Festival. However,** with regard to **plants that were** already **watered before the Festival** and had begun to grow, **it is permitted to water them on** the intermediate days of **the Festival** because failure to water them would lead to substantial financial loss.


###### Moed Katan 6b:7
[Moed Katan 6b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:7)

וְאִם הָיְתָה שָׂדֶה מְטוּנֶּנֶת — מוּתָּר. וְאֵין מַשְׁקִין שְׂדֵה גָרִיד בַּמּוֹעֵד, וַחֲכָמִים מַתִּירִין בָּזֶה וּבָזֶה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And if the field was moist** before the Festival, **it is permitted** to water it even if the field had not been watered prior to the Festival. **And one may not water a dry field on** the intermediate days of **a Festival. But the Rabbis permit** watering **this and that,** i.e., plants that were not watered before the Festival and a dry field.


###### Moed Katan 6b:8
[Moed Katan 6b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:8)

אָמַר רָבִינָא: שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ הַאי תַּרְבִּיצָא שְׁרֵי לְתַרְבּוֹצֵי בְּחוּלָּא דְמוֹעֲדָא. שְׂדֵה גָרִיד מַאי טַעְמָא — דְּאַפְלָא מְשַׁוֵּי לַהּ חָרְפָא, הָכָא נָמֵי — אַפְלָא מְשַׁוֵּי לָהּ חָרְפָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Ravina said: Learn from here that one is permitted to sprinkle a garden [*tarbitza*]** with water **on the intermediate days of a Festival.** Ravina explains how he arrived at this conclusion: **What is the reason** that the Rabbis permit one to water **a dry field** despite the fact that the plants will not die from a lack of moisture? This is because watering the field in advance **turns a late crop into an early crop.** It can be understood from this that the late ripening of a crop is considered a substantial financial loss that serves as a reason to permit labor that would otherwise be prohibited on the intermediate days of a Festival. **Here too,** in the case of a garden, sprinkling it with water **turns a late crop into an early crop,** and so it is permitted on the intermediate days of a Festival.


###### Moed Katan 6b:9
[Moed Katan 6b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:9)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: מַרְבִּיצִין שְׂדֵה לָבָן בַּשְּׁבִיעִית, אֲבָל לֹא בַּמּוֹעֵד.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Sages taught** the following *baraita*: **One may sprinkle** water in **a field of grain during the Sabbatical Year, but not on the** intermediate days of **a Festival.**


###### Moed Katan 6b:10
[Moed Katan 6b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:10)

וְהָא תַּנְיָא: מַרְבִּיצִין בֵּין בַּמּוֹעֵד בֵּין בַּשְּׁבִיעִית! אָמַר רַב הוּנָא, לָא קַשְׁיָא: הָא רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב, הָא רַבָּנַן.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **But isn’t it taught** in another *baraita*: **One may sprinkle** water in a field of grain **both on** the intermediate days of **a Festival and during the Sabbatical Year? Rav Huna said: This** is **not difficult. This** *baraita* that prohibits sprinkling water in a field of grain on the intermediate days of a Festival is in accordance with the opinion of **Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov,** who prohibits watering an entire field. **That** *baraita* that permits it is in accordance with the more lenient opinion of **the Rabbis.**


###### Moed Katan 6b:11
[Moed Katan 6b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:11)

תַּנְיָא אִידַּךְ: מַרְבִּיצִין שְׂדֵה לָבָן עֶרֶב שְׁבִיעִית כְּדֵי שֶׁיֵּצְאוּ יְרָקוֹת בַּשְּׁבִיעִית, וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא שֶׁמַּרְבִּיצִין שְׂדֵה לָבָן בַּשְּׁבִיעִית כְּדֵי שֶׁיֵּצְאוּ יְרָקוֹת לְמוֹצָאֵי שְׁבִיעִית.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**It is taught** in **another** *baraita*: **One may sprinkle** water in **a white field on the eve of the Sabbatical Year so that vegetables will sprout during the Sabbatical Year; and not only that, but one may sprinkle** water in **a field of grain** even **during the Sabbatical Year** itself, **so that vegetables will sprout upon the conclusion of the Sabbatical Year.** Since sprinkling water is not regarded as full-fledged agricultural labor, it is permitted as long as the sprinkling and the sprouting of the vegetables do not both occur during the Sabbatical Year itself.


###### Moed Katan 6b:12
[Moed Katan 6b:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:12)

**מַתְנִי׳** צָדִין אֶת הָאִישׁוּת וְאֶת הָעַכְבָּרִים מִשְּׂדֵה הָאִילָן וּמִשְּׂדֵה הַלָּבָן כְּדַרְכּוֹ בַּמּוֹעֵד וּבִשְׁבִיעִית. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: מִשְּׂדֵה הָאִילָן — כְּדַרְכּוֹ, וּמִשְּׂדֵה הַלָּבָן — שֶׁלֹּא כְּדַרְכּוֹ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**MISHNA:** **One may trap moles** [***ishut***] **and mice in an orchard and in a field of grain in his** usual **manner,** i.e., as he would trap them all year round, both **on** the intermediate days of **a Festival and during the Sabbatical Year. But the Rabbis say: In an orchard** he may trap them **in his** usual **manner, but in a field of grain,** where there is no danger of substantial financial loss, he may only trap them in a way that is **not his** usual **manner.**


###### Moed Katan 6b:13
[Moed Katan 6b:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:13)

וּמְקָרִין אֶת הַפִּירְצָה בַּמּוֹעֵד, וּבַשְּׁבִיעִית בּוֹנֶה כְּדַרְכּוֹ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And one may seal a breach** in the wall of his garden **on** the intermediate days of **a Festival, and during the Sabbatical Year one may** even **build** a wall **in his** usual **manner,** as this is not considered an agricultural labor. Consequently, despite the fact that this benefits the garden by offering it protection, it is not prohibited during the Sabbatical Year.


###### Moed Katan 6b:14
[Moed Katan 6b:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:14)

**גְּמָ׳** מַאי אִישׁוּת? אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: בְּרִיָּה שֶׁאֵין לָהּ עֵינַיִם. אָמַר רָבָא בַּר יִשְׁמָעֵאל וְאִיתֵּימָא רַב יֵימַר בַּר שֶׁלֶמְיָא: מַאי קְרָא? ״כְּמוֹ שַׁבְּלוּל תֶּמֶס יַהֲלֹךְ נֵפֶל אֵשֶׁת בַּל חָזוּ שָׁמֶשׁ״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** The Gemara asks: **What is** meant by the term ***ishut*? Rav Yehuda said:** An *ishut* is **a creature that has no eyes,** a rodent that digs holes in the ground and can cause damage to roots and vegetables. **Rava bar Yishmael said, and some say** that it was **Rav Yeimar bar Shelamya** who **said: What is the verse** that indicates the identity of the *ishut*? **“As a snail that melts and disappears; like the fall of a young mole [*eshet*] that has not seen the sun”** (Psalms 58:9). It is understood that this creature has not seen the sun because it does not have eyes.


###### Moed Katan 6b:15
[Moed Katan 6b:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:15)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: צָדִין אֶת הָאִישׁוּת וְאֶת הָעַכְבָּרִים מִשְּׂדֵה הַלָּבָן וּמִשְּׂדֵה הָאִילָן כְּדַרְכּוֹ, וּמַחְרִיבִין חוֹרֵי נְמָלִים. כֵּיצַד מַחְרִיבִין? רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר: מֵבִיא עָפָר מֵחוֹר זֶה וְנוֹתֵן לְתוֹךְ חוֹר זֶה, וְהֵן חוֹנְקִין זֶה אֶת זֶה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara expands upon the *halakha* recorded in the mishna. **The Sages taught** the following *baraita*: **One may trap moles and mice in a field of grain and in an orchard in his** usual **manner, and one may destroy ant holes** so that the ants will cause no damage. **How does one destroy** ant holes? **Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: One brings soil from this** ant **hole and places it in that** ant **hole, and** since the ants from the two nests are not familiar with each other, **they strangle each other.**


###### Moed Katan 6b:16
[Moed Katan 6b:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/6b:16)

אָמַר רַב יֵימַר בַּר שֶׁלֶמְיָא מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּאַבָּיֵי: וְהוּא דְּקָאֵי בִּתְרֵי עֶבְרֵי נַהֲרָא, וְהוּא דְּלֵיכָּא גִּשְׁרָא, וְהוּא דְּלֵיכָּא גַּמְלָא, וְהוּא דְּלֵיכָּא מִצְרָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Yeimar bar Shelamya said in the name of Abaye: And this** advice works only in certain circumstances: **When** the ant holes **are** located **on two** opposite **sides of a river, when there is no bridge** connecting the two sides, **when there is not** even **a plank** bridge over the water, **and when there is not** even **a rope** stretched taut across the river. If there is any connection whatsoever between the two sides of the river, the ants from the two nests are likely to recognize each other and not fight.