Chumashחומש

והיה ערכך לפי זרעו. לֹא כְּפִי שָׁוְיָהּ, אַחַת שָׂדֶה טוֹבָה וְאַחַת שָׂדֶה רָעָה פִּדְיוֹן הֶקְדֵּשָׁן שָׁוֶה — בֵּית כֹּר שְׂעוֹרִים בַּחֲמִשִּׁים שְׁקָלִים — כָּךְ גְּזֵרַת הַכָּתוּב, וְהוּא שֶׁבָּא לְגָאֳלָהּ בִּתְחִלַּת הַיּוֹבֵל. וְאִם בָּא לְגָאֳלָהּ בְאֶמְצָעוֹ, נוֹתֵן לְפִי הַחֶשְׁבּוֹן סֶלַע וּפֻנְדְּיוֹן לְשָׁנָה, לְפִי שֶׁאֵינָהּ הֶקְדֵּשׁ אֶלָּא לְמִנְיַן שְׁנוֹת הַיּוֹבֵל, שֶׁאִם נִגְאֲלָה הֲרֵי טוֹב, וְאִם לָאו הַגִּזְבָּר מוֹכְרָהּ בַּדָּמִים הַלָּלוּ לְאַחֵר, וְעוֹמֶדֶת בְּיַד הַלּוֹקֵחַ עַד הַיּוֹבֵל כִּשְׁאָר כָּל הַשָּׂדוֹת הַמְּכוּרוֹת, וּכְשֶׁהִיא יוֹצְאָה מִיָּדוֹ חוֹזֶרֶת לַכֹּהֲנִים שֶׁל אוֹתוֹ מִשְׁמָר שֶׁהַיּוֹבֵל פּוֹגֵעַ בּוֹ, וּמִתְחַלֶּקֶת בֵּינֵיהֶם, זֶהוּ הַמִּשְׁפָּט הָאָמוּר בְּמַקְדִּישׁ שָׂדֶה, וְעַכְשָׁו אֲפָרְשֶׁנּוּ עַל סֵדֶר הַמִּקְרָאוֹת:

והיה ערכך לפי זרעו [AND IF A MAN SHALL SANCTIFY SOME OF THE FIELD OF HIS POSSESSION] THEN THE VALUATION SHALL BE ACCORDING TO THE SEED THEREOF (i. e., according to the quantity of seed that can be grown in it) — not according to its value; but whether it is a good field or a bad field the money for redeeming it from its holy state is the same: an area requiring a Khor of barley seed (the equivalent of a חמר שערים mentioned in the text) is redeemable by fifty shekels (in the case of other seed the area redeemable by this sum is different) (cf. Arakhin 14a). Such is the enactment of Scripture (God). But this is only in the case that he comes to redeem it at the beginning of the Jubilee-period, but if he comes to redeem it in the middle of it he has only to pay according to the reckoning of one Selah (shekel) and a pundion (one forty-eighth of a shekel) for each year remaining in that Jubilee-period (cf. Rashi on v. 18); because, after all, it is the property of the Temple treasury only for the number of years contained in the Jubilee-period from the time when he sold it, so that if it was redeemed by the owner at any time during this period, well and good (the Temple treasury suffered no loss), and if not, the treasurer can sell it for the very same price to another person, when it remains in the hands of the purchaser till the Jubilee just like any other field sold right out (cf. vv. 20, 21). When it leaves his possession in the Jubilee year, it does not return to the Treasury, but it passes into the possession of the priests of that “Mishmar” (shift officiating) during whose turn the Jubilee happens to fall and is divided amongst them. This, in brief, is the law concerning one who dedicates a field to the Temple Treasury; and now I shall explain it, following the order of the verses.

אם משנת היבל יקדיש וגו'. אִם מִשֶּׁעָבְרָה שְׁנַת הַיּוֹבֵל מִיָּד הִקְדִּישָׁהּ, וּבָא זֶה לְגָאֳלָהּ מִיָּד.

אם משנת היבל יקדיש IF HE SANCTIFY [HIS FIELD] FROM THE YEAR OF JUBILEE — i. e. if as soon as the Jubilee-period was past he immediately dedicates it to the Temple treasury (so that the field could remain in the possession of the Sanctuary for a complete Jubilee-period), and he comes to redeem it immediately (so that the Treasury had no usufruct of the field at all).

כערכך יקום. כָּעֵרֶךְ הַזֶּה הָאָמוּר יִהְיֶה — חֲמִשִּׁים כֶּסֶף יִתֵּן:

כערכך יקום ACCORDING TO THE VALUATION IT SHALL STAND — i. e. according to that valuation above mentioned shall it be — 50 shekel shall he give [for each area requiring a Khor of barley seed].

ואם אחר היבל יקדיש. וְכֵן אִם הִקְדִּישָׁהּ מִשְּׁנַת הַיֹּבֵל וְנִשְׁתַּהָת בְּיַד גִּזְבָּר, וּבָא זֶה לְגָאֳלָהּ אַחַר הַיּוֹבֵל.

ואם אחר היבל יקדיש BUT IF HE SANCTIFY [HIS FIELD] AFTER (i. e. some years after) THE JUBILEE, — and similarly, of course, if he dedicated it from the year of (i. e. immediately after) the Jubilee, — and in either case it remained for a time in the possession of the treasurer and then this man comes to redeem it some years after the Jubilee,

וחשב לו הכהן את הכסף על פי השנים הנותרת. כְּפִי חֶשְׁבּוֹן; כֵּיצַד? הֲרֵי קָצַב דָּמֶיהָ שֶׁל אַרְבָּעִים וְתֵשַׁע שָׁנָה חֲמִשִּׁים שֶׁקֶל, הֲרֵי שֶׁקֶל לְכָל שָׁנָה וְשֶׁקֶל יָתֵר עַל כֻּלָּן, וְהַשֶּׁקֶל אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁמוֹנָה פֻנְדְּיוֹן, הֲרֵי סֶלַע וּפֻנְדְּיוֹן לְשָׁנָה, אֶלָּא שֶׁחָסֵר פֻּנְדְּיוֹן אֶחָד לְכֻלָּן, וְאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁאוֹתוֹ פֻּנְדְּיוֹן קַלְבּוֹן לִפְרוֹטְרוֹט, וְהַבָּא לִגְאֹל, יִתֵּן סֶלַע וּפֻנְדְּיוֹן לְכָל שָׁנָה לַשָּׁנִים הַנּוֹתָרוֹת עַד שְׁנַת הַיּוֹבֵל (עי' ספרא; ערכין כ"ד):

וחשב לו הכהן את הכסף על פי השנים הנותרת THEN THE PRIEST SHALL RECKON FOR HIM THE MONEY ACCORDING TO THE YEARS THAT ARE LEFT — it must be according to a reckoning. How is it to be done? You see, it (Scripture) has fixed the value of forty-nine years at fifty shekels, that is, one shekel for each year and one additional shekel for all of them (for all the years together). Now a shekel is forty-eight pundion; that gives one selah (shekel) and one pundion for each year, except that there is one pundion short for all the years (reckoning the price per year as the Torah prescribes, he pays forty-nine shekels and forty-nine pundion, equal to fifty shekels and one pundion whereas really he should pay fifty shekels, which is one pundion less than the calculation based upon the yearly rate. Our Rabbis said that that pundion is the commission for the money-changing (Bekhorot 50a), and therefore if he comes to redeem the field some years after the Jubilee, he must give a selah and a pundion for each year of those years that remain until the Jubilee year (Sifra, Bechukotai, Chapter 10 10; Arakhin 24b).

ונגרע מערכך. מִנְיַן הַשָּׁנִים שֶׁמִּשְּׁנַת הַיּוֹבֵל עַד שְׁנַת הַפִּדְיוֹן:

ונגרע מערכך AND THERE SHALL BE ABATED FROM THE VALUATION the number of years that have elapsed from the Jubilee year until the year when the redemption takes place.

ואם גאל יגאל. הַמַּקְדִּישׁ אוֹתוֹ, יוֹסִיף חֹמֶשׁ עַל הַקִּצְבָּה הַזֹּאת:

ואם גאל יגאל AND IF HE WILL IN ANY WAY REDEEM IT “he” means, the man who dedicated it; then he shall add a fifth part to this fixed price (not a fifth of the fifty shekels, but a fifth of the value determined by this calculation is to be added to that value).

ואם לא יגאל את השדה. הַמַּקְדִּישׁ:

ואם לא יגאל את השדה AND IF HE WILL NOT REDEEM THE FIELD— “he” means, the man who dedicated it,

ואם מכר. הַגִּזְבָּר:

ואם מכר OR IF HE HATH SOLD — “he”: the treasurer of the Temple property has sold (Arakhin 25b),

את השדה לאיש אחר לא יגאל עוד. לָשׁוּב בְּיַד הַמַּקְדִּישׁ:

את השדה לאיש אחר לא יגאל עוד THE FIELD TO ANOTHER MAN, IT SHALL NOT BE REDEEMED ANY MORE so as to return into the possession of him who dedicated it.

והיה השדה בצאתו ביבל. מִיַּד הַלּוֹקְחוֹ מִן הַגִּזְבָּר, כְּדֶרֶךְ שְׁאָר שָׂדוֹת הַיּוֹצְאוֹת מִיַּד לוֹקְחֵיהֶם בַּיּוֹבֵל:

והיה השדה בצאתו ביבל BUT THE FIELD, WHEN IT GOETH OUT IN THE JUBILEE from the possession of him who purchased it from the treasurer, just as is the way with other fields in the Jubilee which also go out from the possession of those who purchase them, SHALL BE

קדש לה'. לֹא שֶׁיָּשׁוּב לְהֶקְדֵּשׁ בֶּדֶק הַבַּיִת, לְיַד הַגִּזְבָּר, אֶלָּא כשדה החרם הַנָּתוּן לַכֹּהֲנִים — שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "כָּל חֵרֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לְךָ יִהְיֶה" (במדבר י"ח) — אַף זוֹ תִּתְחַלֵּק לַכֹּהֲנִים שֶׁל אוֹתוֹ מִשְׁמָר שֶׁיּוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים שֶׁל יוֹבֵל פּוֹגֵעַ בּוֹ (ערכין כ"ח):

קדש לה׳ HOLY UNTO THE LORD; — not that it shall return to the Temple treasury that provides for the Temple repair, into the treasurer’s hand, but, כשדה החרם it shall be AS A FIELD DOOMED, which has to be given to the preists, as it is said, (Numbers 18:14) “Every thing doomed (חרם) in Israel shall be thine” (i. e. Aaron’s to whom this was spoken); this field, too, shall be divided amongst the priests of that “Mishmar” during whose turn the Day of Atonement of the Jubilee-year happens to fall (Arakhin 28b).