1)

MOIST ONIONS (Yerushalmi Peah Halachah 2 Daf 15a)

משנה המחליק בצלים לחים לשוק ומקיים יבישים לגורן נותן פיאה לאילו לעצמן ולאילו לעצמן וכן באפוני' וכן בכרם

(a)

(Mishnah): If one separates out moist onions for the market and leaves the dry ones for storage, he gives Peah for each separately. And the same applies to beans and to (the grapes of) a vineyard.

המידל נותן מן המשואר על מה ששייר והמחליק מאחת יד נותן מן המשואר על הכל:

(b)

But if he only thins them out (by removing some growths in order that those left in the ground should grow better), he gives Peah from the remainders (but not from those that were removed). And if he picked all of it for the same purpose (such as for the market or for storage), he gives from the reminder for all of it.

גמרא תני המירג חייב בתחילתו וחייב בסופו

(c)

(Gemara) (Baraisa): For Mireg, it obligates at the beginning (moist ones) and at the end (dry ones).

[דף כח עמוד א (עוז והדר)] ואי דינו מירוג

(d)

Question: What is the law of Mireg?

אמר רבי ירמיה כהדא דתנינן המחליק בצלים לשוק ומקיים יבישים לגורן

(e)

Answer (R. Yirmiyah): It is the case of our Mishnah - If one separates out moist onions for the market and leaves the dry ones for storage. (Mireg means dividing/separating out.)

אמר ר' יוסי הדין קיצחה כד את זרע לה היא עביד בצל דקיק כד את שתיל לה הוא עביד בציל רב

(f)

(R. Yosi disagrees): Mireg refers to an onion seed - when it is sown, a small (edible) onion grows; when that small onion is (removed from the ground and) later replanted, it becomes a large onion. (Both stages are obligated in Peah.)

דלא כן מה אנן אמרין הואיל הוא לזריעה יהא פטור מן הפיאה וחיטין לא לזריעה הן

(g)

Question: If not, what would we say? Would you think that just because it was planted and not for consumption, it should be exempt from Peah? Isn't wheat also used for sowing, but Peah must still be given!

חיטין רובן לאכילה וזה רובו לזריעה

(h)

Answer: Most wheat is eaten, but most onions are used for replanting.

ע''ד דר' ירמיה ירק חייב בפיאה

(i)

Question: According to R. Yirmiyah, that Mireg means separating out, is a vegetable (that cannot be stored away as it will rot) obligated in Peah? (So how could moist onions be obligated?)

מינו מכנסו לקיום

(j)

Answer: Its species (onions in general, albeit dry ones) is stored away.

מה עביד לה ר' יוסי גמור הוא ואינו מחוסר אלא ליבש

(k)

So how would R. Yosi explain the Mishnah? It is referring not to wet onions (that cannot be stored away as they rot), but rather to ripe onions that merely need to be dried out.

[דף כח עמוד ב (עוז והדר)] תני לקט קצירך ולא לקט קיטוף

(l)

Baraisa: The pasuk states (Vayikra 19:9), '(You shall not gather) the gleanings of your harvest' - but not the gleanings of your (hand) pickings (which is not usually done when harvesting).

ר' זעירא ר' חייא בשם ר' יוחנן המלקט שיבלין לעיסתו אפי' כל שהוא פטור מן הפיאה

(m)

(R. Zeira/ R. Chiya citing R. Yochanan): One who picks some ears for his dough, even as much as he wants (i.e. a large quantity), it is exempt from Peah (since harvesting is usually done to a significant portion of the field harvested at the same time).

ר' אלעזר אמר אפי' במגל

(n)

(R. Elazar): Even if harvested with a sickle (since it is for his dough).

אמר ר' יוסי והוא ששייר

(o)

(R. Yosi): This is only true if he left over some produce still standing.

והתני היה לו חמש גפנים והוא בוצרן ומכניסן לתוך ביתו פטור מן הפרט ומן (הערלה ומן הרבעי) [השכחה ומן הפאה] וחייב בעוללות

(p)

Question (Baraisa): If a person had (only) five vines and he harvested them and brought them into his house, it is exempt from Peret, from Shichechah and from Peah but it is obligated in Olelos. (Even if he did not leave any grapes on the vine, it is exempt from Peah?!)

אמר ר' יודן כאן בגמורות כאן בשאינן גמורות

(q)

Answer (R. Yudan): R. Yosi was referring to ripe produce; this Baraisa (that does not require leaving behind standing produce) is referring to unripe grapes.

א''ר יוסי אפי' תימא כאן וכאן בגמורות כאן וכאן בשאינן גמורות כאן כשביקש לאכלן ענבים ברם הכא כשביקש לעשותן יין עושה

(r)

Rebuttal (R. Yosi): They could both refer to ripe produce or both refer to unripe produce - the Baraisa refers to when he wants to eat them as grapes (immediately); R. Yosi is referring to when he wants to make wine from them (and will store them away).

הדא ילפא מן ההיא וההיא ילפא מן הדא הדא ילפא מן ההיא כשביקש לעשותן מלילות אפילו לא שייר וההיא ילפא מן הדא שאם בקש לעשותן יין והיא ששייר.

(s)

The law of the Baraisa and the law of R. Yosi can learn from each other - R. Yosi's law (he must leave over) can learn from the Baraisa - if he intended to eat the grain as kernels, he would not need to leave over any; and the Baraisa can learn from R. Yosi that if he intended to make grapes into wine, he must leave some over.

[דף כט עמוד א (עוז והדר)] המידל כו'. תניא א''ר יהודה בד''א במידל לשוק אבל במידל לבית נותן מן המשואר על [דף טו עמוד ב] הכל

(t)

(The Mishnah taught (above (b)) that if he only thins them out, he gives Peah from the remainders (but not from those that were removed). R. Yehuda taught in a Baraisa that this applies when he thins them out and sells them, but if he brings them home to store, they are also obligated in Peah.

א''ר זעיר' הדא דתימא בשעיבה על מנת להדל אבל אם עיבה על מנת שלא להדל לא סוף דבר לביתו אלא אפילו לשוק נותן מן המשואר על הכל:

(u)

(R. Zeira): Their exemption applies when he planted them densely to later be able to thin them out, but if that was not his original intention, (but he later decided to thin them out,) even if he sells them, they are obligated (since he originally viewed them as food).