בראשונה. כדרך שהוא מלקט מחברו את הגס הגס – this Mishnah is explained in the Jerusalem [Talmud]. – at first they would say that a person could gather within his own [field] the large ones in the manner that he gathers that of his neighbor, whether large whether small, and even though that wood and grasses when we collect them from within the field, he is clearing the field for sowing, when he gathers the large ones, meaning to say, the wood and the large grasses and leaves the small ones, we rely that he needs the wood and not to clear/repair the land he is doing so, in the manner that we rrely with someone who gathers in the field of his neighbor whether small or whether large, for a person doesn’ act to clear/repair the field of his neighbor and he certainly knows that it is for the wood tha the needs.

משרבו עוברי עבירה – that they would gather in the fields whether small whether large, and they say hat we gathered large ones.

שלא בטובה – that his neighbor does not attach merit, for now, he certainly does not come to gather the small ones, since his friend does not attach merit to this for now, he certainly doesn’t come to gather the small ones, since his neighbor does not attach merit on this.

אין צריך לומר שיקצץ להם מזונות – that he would say to him, gather from my field today and I will give you your meals, for that is clearly prohibited.

שנתקווצה – that took its thorns out in the Seventh Year.

שנטייבה – that was well plowed for the entire world plows one time and he plowed twice. But our Mishnah is speaking about a time of danger when the Kingdom (Rome) takes by force the tax that is placed upon the land masses and they permitted plowing in the Seventh Year in order to give the determined tax from its grain to the king, and if he plowed twice, the Rabbis fined him, for one plowing they permitted but not two plowings.

או שנדיירה – lthat they made from it a pen for the cattle that made with it an enclosure for cattle as we stated in the chapter above (Tractate Sheviit, Chapter 3, Mishnah 4), and di dnot make from it dung-heaps but rather left it in order to manure the field with it.

לא תזרע למוצאי שביעית – for we fine him in that which is greater than removing the thorns.

בטובה – it is forbidden we don’t attach merit to it to the owners for the All-Merciful made them ownerless.

חלוף הדברים – that the School of Shammai is lenient, But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.

חוכרין נירין – an Israelite can receive for it for such and such Korim for a year the field of a heathen that was plowed in the Seventh Year to be sown in the aftermath of the Seventh Year, and even though it causes the heathen to plow in the Seventh Year. [The word] ניר/freshly, newly plowed field , is the language of (Jeremiah 4:3): “Break up the untilled ground, [and do not ow among thorns].”

ומחזיקים ידי נכרים – if they found hi plowing, he can say to him, “May your strength (health) be firm,” and things of a similar manner.

ושואלים בשלומן – and even on the day of their idolatrous festival.

המדל בזיתים – when the olive [trees] become too close to each other, he takes one [tree] and leaves two or he takes two [trees] and leaves one, in order that it should grow and thicken. [The word] מדל/thins out is the language of slipping off and removal, but there are those who explain it as the language of something torn in shreds and poverty when he reduces/weakens his field from the olives.

יגום – he razes and cuts down the tree and leaves the root in the ground, but he does not uproot it completely so that it will not appear like he is working the land.

ומודים במחליק – as for example, if he takes three olive [trees], one on the side of the other, that he smoothens the face of the field too much, they (i.e., people) will say that the intended to work the field, and that is prohibited.

מתוך של חבירו כף המחליק ישרש- that a person doesn’t act that he clears/repairs the field of his neighbor, for it is known that intends only [to remove] the wood.

לא יחפה – that is split in the dirt, for he would be clearing/improving [the land] through this, for the dust becomes plaster and improves the tree.

באבנים ובקש – for it is like restoring a guard that it should not dry out.

בתולת שקמה – [a virgin tree] that was never cut down.

מפני שהיא עבוה – and it improves it with this.

כדרכה אסור – that it grows and becomes thicker with this, and it is like pruning the vines.

אלא מגביה עשרה – for it is not the manner ever to cut it other than below ten [handbreadths from the ground]

או גומם מעל הארץ – for it is not the manner to cut it as such. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yehuda.

המזנב גפנים – cut/lop off the extreme branches of the vine, on order that what grows from the trunk will grow and thicken and increase its strength, and similarly, he cuts reeds in order that they thicken and add to them.

ירחיק טפח – [it should be distanced one handbreadth] from the ground and further it will not appear as work.

שנפשה – that was split, like (Lamentations 3:11): “[He has forced me off my way] and mangled me.”

לא שיעלה – that its split parts will not become reattached.

אלא שלא יוסיף – to split further.

מאימתי אוכלים פירות האילן בשביעית – because we have expounded, “to eat it” and not “to become lost” and if they eat them before they ripen, that is loss.

הפגים – unripe dates, as it is written (Song of Songs 2:13): “The green figs form on the fig tree, [the vines in blossom give off fragrance].”

משהזריחו – they redden and this is the beginning of their ripening.

אוכל בהם פתו בשדה – but to gather and to bring them into his house, he is not allowed until they should complete [their ripening].

בחלו – that it grew a great deal, and similar to it (Zechariah 11:8): “and they in turn were disgusted with me.” But in the Jerusalem [Talmud] it derives it from (Leviticus 25:7): “[and your cattle and the beasts in your land] may eat all its yield,” and it is written (Leviticus 25:12): “you may only eat the growth directly from the field,” with two grains the Biblical verse speaks – one from the house and the other from the field.

משהביא מים – when he presses the fruit/wrings them out, and the liquid comes out from them.

משהבאישו – when they are called in the early stage of ripening, and that is when they begin to ripen and they have ripened until the shells of the grapes that are inside appear from the outside from within the shell.

רביעית לסאה – that from a Seah of olives, he is able to produce/bring forth a quarter of a Log of oil.

פוצע – it is the manner of olives to burst them open in order to sweeten their bitterness.

ואוכל בשדה – for it is a thing whose manner is to eat it, but to pour oil, it was not fit, and they don’t pour oil other than from something whose manner is to pour oil.

הכניסו חצי לוג – when they became ripe until he is able to remove one-half a LOG from a Seah.

הכניסו שלשי – when they have grown one -third from what they will eventually grow; alternatiely, when he removes from them now one-third from what he he removes for a Seah when they have ripened well.

כך עונתן לשביעית – one does not eat from them in the Seventh Year until they arrive at the season for tithing that is explained in the first chapter of [Tractate] Maaserot (see especially Mishnah 2), for especially figs and grapes and olives that are one eats customarily prior to their ripening, therefore, they permitted to eat of them in the field in the Seventh Year prior to their reaching the season of tithing, but ot with other fruit/produce.

אין קוצצין את האילן בשביעית – because the All-Merciful said, to eat them, but not to loss them, and I heard since the All-Merciful made them ownerless, for fruit, if he cut them down, he would rob the many.

משיוציא – the beginning of the leaves in the days of Nisan.

משישלשלו (let them down) -when they begin to become heaven and to hang down like a chain.

משיגרעו – when they make kernels of fruit/stones; another explanation: the half-ripe grapes when [the grapes] grow and they become like a white bean that is called inferior.

משינצו – when it grows a blossom, like (Song of Songs 2:12): “The blossoms have appeared in the land,” when they have reached these measurements it is forbidden to cut them in the Seventh Year.

מותר לקצצו – and there is nothing here because of loss of the fruit, or because of theft, to the other language, for the fruit is already appropriate for eating, and because he cuts down good trees, it is not if it of great monetary worth, for its worth is expensive for wood more than for a tree.

וכמה יהא בזית – It does not refer to the Seventh Year, but rather that it would be forbidden to cut it because cutting good trees, as it is written (Deuteronomy 20:19): “you may eat of them, but you must not cut them down.”

רובע –[one quarter] of a Kab, because it is considered greater from other trees, whereas, with the palm-tree, it is permitted to cut it until It is laden with a Kab.