ולא את השדה עד שיהיה בה ט' קבין וכולי—And not the field until it has nine קבין, etc.

OVERVIEW The משנה teaches us that one partner cannot coerce the other partner to divide a field unless after the division each partner will have a field of no less than nine קבין. תוספות anticipates a difficulty: אף על גב דבכל דהו מקרי שדה¹ – Even though that a miniscule parcel is also called a שדה (field), so why is it necessary that each partner receive nine קבין? תוספות proves that even a כל דהו is called a שדה: כדאמרינן בפרק האומר בקידושין (דף סא,א) אין לי² אלא בית כור זרע חומר שעורים³ – As the ברייתא states in פרק האומר in מסכת קידושין; ‘I only know regarding a (בית כור) field which is seeded with a כור of barley that it is redeemed [for fifty שקלים] – מנין לרבות סאה וחצי סאה תרקב וחצי תרקב תלמוד לומר שדה⁴ – How do we derive to include a smaller field which was planted with only [a לתך]⁵, a סאה, a תרקב’ or half-a-תקרב; the תורה teaches by stating שדה to include any size field. This concludes the ברייתא. It is evident since we even include a field of a חצי תרקב; that this too is called a שדה, so seemingly we should be allowed to divide a field of any size even a חצי תרקב (or less).⁶ תוספות replies: מכל מקום אינו חשוב לטרוח לחרוש ולזרוע בפחות מט' קבין – Nevertheless a field which is less than nine קבין is not sufficiently significant to bother with plowing and planting it**. ⁷** תוספות anticipates a difficulty: והא דאמר בסוף כתובות (דף קיב,א) אמר ההוא מינא⁸ לרבי חנינא – And regarding this which the גמרא relates in the end of מסכת כתובות, ‘a certain מין said to ר' חנינא – יאות משבחיתו בארעייכו⁹ בית סאה הניח לי אבא – ‘It is proper that you praise you land (א"י); my father left me a בית סאה (in א"י) – ממנה משח [ממנה חמר] ממנה עיבור ממנה קטנית כולי – From it there was oil [from it there was wine], from it there was grain, from it there were legumes, etc. It is apparent from that גמרא that it is worthwhile to till a בית סאה (which is six קבין), why do we require ט' קבין?! תוספות responds:

That field of the מין was in a place where it was exceedingly blessed:¹⁰ however usually it requires ט' קבין to be worthwhile to plow and plant.

SUMMARY It is not worthwhile to prepare a field of less than nine קבין for planting [even though it is considered a שדה], unless it is especially fertile.

THINKING IT OVER

1. How can we reconcile that which the משנה states כל שיחלק ושמו עליו חולקין וכו', with the fact that a שדה retains its name even if it is less than ט' קבין, and nevertheless we do not divide it?!¹¹
2. In an extremely fertile field;¹² can it be divided with less than ט' קבין לכל אחד?

footnotes: ¹ See footnote # 6. ² The הגהות הב"ח amends this to read, אלא (בית כור) זרע חומר שעורים בחמישים מנין לרבות לתך סאה (וחצי סאה) תרקב; the words בית כור and חצי סאה are deleted. ³ The תורה in ויקרא (בחוקתי) כז,טז teaches that if one is מקדיש his inherited field (immediately after יובל), he can redeem it (immediately after יובל) at the rate fifty שקלים for an area where you can plant a כור of barley (this area is called a בית כור). A כור is the equivalent of thirty סאה. For redeeming it each subsequent year (after יובל) the redemption fee is reduced by a forty-ninth (1/49), or slightly more than a שקל (for each year). ⁴ The תורה wrote משדה אחוזתו וגו' it could have written only מאחוזתו, the extra word שדה includes the abovementioned. In all these smaller fields the same laws of redemption apply proportionally (a לתך can be redeemed for twenty-five שקלים, etc.). ⁵ A לתך is fifteen סאה or half a כור. A תרקב is three קבין (תר meaning two and קב a third קב), which is half a סאה (a סאה contains six קבין). Half a תרקב is a quarter of a סאה (one and a-half קבין). ⁶ Our משנה concludes זה הכלל כל שיחלק ושמו עליו חולקין; here too it is שמו עליו, even if the divided field is a חצי תרקב (one and a half קבין, which is much smaller than ט' קבין), it is still called a שדה. ⁷ All the work that is necessary to prepare a field of seventeen קבין (for instance) is not much more that preparing a field of eight קבין. If the field is kept in partnership the expenses and bother for both together is about the same as the expenses and bother for each of them individually if they will divide. Therefore we are causing the partner an undue loss by coercing him to divide. See ‘Thinking it over’ # 1. ⁸ In כתובות the גירסא in the גמרא is צדוקי; it refers to one who does not believe in תושבע"פ. ⁹ The הגהות הב"ח amends this word to read לארעייכו. ¹⁰ See ‘Thinking it over’ # 2. ¹¹ See סוכ"ד אות יא and נח"מ. ¹² See footnote # 10.