Question (Mishnah): The following apply to Terumah and Bikurim, but not to Ma'aser: A Zar (non-Kohen) or Tamei Kohen who eats them is Chayav Misah b'Yedei Shamayim; if a Zar ate them b'Shogeg, he pays for them and adds a fifth; they are forbidden to a Zar; they are the property of the Kohen; if one measure of them becomes mixed with 100 measures of Chulin, they are Batel (nullified); one must wash his hands before eating them; one who was Tamei may not eat them until the night after he immerses.

Inference: Terumah (or Bikurim) is Batel in 100 parts of Chulin, but Ma'aser is not. This implies that Ma'aser is Batel in a majority of Chulin!

Chizkiyah holds that (even less than a Perutah's worth) Ma'aser can be redeemed. Anything she'Yesh Lo Matirim (it can be permitted in some way) is never Batel!

Answer #1: Terumah is Batel in 100 parts, but Ma'aser is never Batel!

Objection #1: The Mishnah lists stringencies of Terumah over Ma'aser, not leniencies.

Answer: That is not true. It says that Terumah is the Kohen's property! (He can buy land or Tamei animals with it. This is a leniency!)

Objection #2 (Beraisa): Ma'aser is Batel in a majority of Chulin.

This applies to less than a Perutah's worth of Ma'aser, or Ma'aser that entered Yerushalayim and left. (It cannot be redeemed or eaten.)

According to Chizkiyah, (in the former case) it can be redeemed on prior coins!

Answer: The case is, he has no prior coins.

Question: He can redeem the Ma'aser (that became mixed with Chulin) together with other Ma'aser worth a half-Perutah!

Answer: Mid'Oraisa, the Ma'aser is Batel in the mixture. It is considered Ma'aser only mid'Rabanan. It does not help to join it with mid'Oraisa Ma'aser.

Question: He can redeem it together with a half-Perutah's worth of Ma'aser of Demai (Peros bought from an Am ha'Aretz, who is suspected about Ma'aser. Most Amei ha'Aretz do tithe, so Ma'aser of Demai is only mid'Rabanan.)

Answer: We decree not to, lest he redeem it with mid'Oraisa Ma'aser.

Question: He can redeem a Perutah and a half of mid'Oraisa Ma'aser on two Perutah coins, and redeem the mixed Ma'aser on the other half-Perutah!

Answer: If he tries this, a Perutah of Ma'aser is redeemed on one coin, but the other half-Perutah of Ma'aser cannot be redeemed on the other coin (since it is less than a Perutah)!

Question: He can redeem mid'Oraisa Ma'aser (worth less than an Isar) on an Isar (a coin worth six or eight Perutos), and redeem the mixed Ma'aser on Chulin that remains in the Isar!

Answer: We decree lest he redeem on Perutos.

Question: The Beraisa said that Ma'aser that entered Yerushalayim and left is Batel. He can return it to Yerushalayim and eat it there! (Since Yesh Lo Matirim, it should not be Batel!)

Answer #1: The case is, it became Tamei.

Question: If so, he can redeem it!

(R. Elazar): Tamei Ma'aser Sheni can be redeemed even in Yerushalayim (since it cannot be eaten) - "Ki Lo Suchal Se'eiso";

"Se'eiso" refers to eating - "va'Yisa Masa'os".

Answer: The Ma'aser was bought with Ma'aser money.

Question: Even so, he can redeem it!

(Mishnah): If food was bought with money of Ma'aser Sheni, and it became Tamei, it can be redeemed.

Answer: The Beraisa is R. Yehudah, who says that it must be buried.

Objection: If so, it would be Batel even in Yerushalayim, for it cannot be eaten or redeemed!

Answer #2: Rather, it is still Tahor. The Beraisa says that it left Yerushalayim, i.e. the walls of Yerushalayim fell (so it can no longer be eaten).

Question: Rava taught that mid'Oraisa, Ma'aser can be eaten only within the walls. Mid'Rabanan, once Ma'aser enters the walls, it cannot be redeemed.

Presumably, Chachamim decreed only for when there are walls (and it can be eaten). If the walls fell, why can't it be redeemed?!

Answer: Chachamim did not distinguish whether or not there are walls.

Answer #3 (Rav Huna bar Yehudah): The Beraisa teaches one case: if less than a Perutah's worth of Ma'aser that entered Yerushalayim and left, it can be Batel.

Question: He can return it to Yerushalayim and eat it! (It has Matirim. Why is it Batel?!)

Answer: The case is, the walls of Yerushalayim fell.

Question: If so, he can redeem it!

Rava taught that mid'Oraisa, Ma'aser can be eaten only within the walls. Mid'Rabanan, once Ma'aser enters the walls, it cannot be redeemed.

Presumably, Chachamim decreed only for when there are walls. If the walls fell, why can't it be redeemed?!

Answer: Chachamim did not distinguish whether or not there are walls.

Question: If so, even if it is worth a Perutah, it can be Batel!

Answer: The Beraisa teaches a bigger Chidush:

Chachamim decreed that Ma'aser cannot be redeemed once it entered Yerushalayim. This is not only when it is worth a Perutah. Rather, even when it is not worth a Perutah, and it is not common to redeem it (on a prior coin), Chachamim decreed that it cannot be redeemed once it entered.

(Beraisa): "If one will redeem mi'Ma'asero" teaches that not all Ma'aser can be redeemed. This excludes Ma'aser Sheni that there is not in it a Perutah (it cannot put Kedushah onto a Perutah).

(Rav Ami and R. Yochanan): This means that the Ma'aser is worth less than a Perutah.

(Rav Asi and Reish Lakish): This means that the Chomesh is worth less than a Perutah.

Question (Beraisa): If Ma'aser is worth less than a Perutah, it suffices to say that it and its Chomesh are redeemed on prior coins.

Granted, according to Rav Asi, even though the Ma'aser is more than a Perutah, since the Chomesh is not, it suffices to redeem on prior coins (he need not take it to Yerushalayim or redeem it with more Ma'aser so the Chomesh will be a Perutah);

According to Rav Ami the Ma'aser is less than a Perutah. Why does it say 'it suffices'? It should just say, he redeems it on prior coins!

This is left difficult.

Question: Is the fifth an inner fifth (of the principal), or an outer fifth (of the principal and fifth, i.e. a quarter of the principal)?