Talmud - Mo'ed Katan 3a מועד קטן ג׳ א׳

whereas the subcategories of labor that are derived from them, e.g., watering, were not prohibited by the Merciful One, i.e., by Torah law, but only by rabbinic law; and in a case of loss the Sages were lenient. The source for this distinction is as it is written: “But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath for the Lord: Your field you shall not sow, and your vineyard you shall not prune. That which grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your undressed vines” (Leviticus 25:4–5).

Since pruning is included in the principal category of sowing, as its objective is to encourage the plant’s growth, and picking grapes is included in the principal category of reaping grain, as both involve removal of produce from a plant, for the purpose of teaching what halakha did the Merciful One write them? Why did the Torah explicitly prohibit pruning and picking grapes, rather than sufficing with the general prohibitions against sowing and reaping?

The Gemara answers that these were individually enumerated to say that only for these subcategories of labor is one liable to be flogged, while for other subcategories of labor, i.e., watering a field, one is not liable. Consequently, there are only four types of labor that are prohibited by Torah law during the Sabbatical Year: Sowing and its subcategory of pruning, as well as reaping and its subcategory of grape picking. All other subcategories of labor are prohibited only by rabbinic decree.

The Gemara asks: And is there really no liability for other subcategories of labor? Isn’t it taught in a baraita: “Your field you shall not sow, and your vineyard you shall not prune” (Leviticus 25:4). I have derived from here an explicit prohibition only against sowing and pruning. From where do I derive that weeding, i.e., uprooting weeds, hoeing, and cutting weeds, even without uprooting them, are also prohibited? The verse states: “Your field you shall not sow” and “your vineyard you shall not prune.” This wording indicates that no labor may be performed in your field, and no labor may be performed in your vineyard.

Similarly, from where is it derived that one may not prune trees, and one may not trim dry branches from trees, and one may not cut large branches [mefasegin] from trees? The verse states: “Your field you shall not sow” and “your vineyard you shall not prune,” thereby teaching that no labor may be performed in your field, and no labor may be performed in your vineyard.

Similarly, from where is it derived that one may not fertilize fields and vineyards, and one may not remove stones that surround the base of a tree and impede its growth, and one may not cover exposed roots with dust, and one may not fumigate a tree in order to exterminate worms? The verse states: “Your field you shall not sow” and “your vineyard you shall not prune,” thereby indicating that no labor may be performed in your field, and no labor may be performed in your vineyard.

The apparent conclusion from this is that all labor in a field or a vineyard is prohibited. One might have thought that one may also not hoe lightly under olive trees and one may not hoe under grapevines, and one may not fill cracks in the ground with water, and one may not construct circular ditches around the bases of grapevines in order to collect rainwater. Therefore, the verse states: “Your field you shall not sow.”

The Gemara explains the derivation: Sowing was included in the general prohibition against performing agricultural labors during the Sabbatical Year, as the verse states “But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land” (Leviticus 25:4). Why was sowing singled out and mentioned explicitly? In order to compare other types of labor to it and to say to you: Just as sowing is unique in that it is labor performed both in the field and in the vineyard, so too, any other labor performed both in the field and in the vineyard is prohibited. However, labors performed only in the vineyard but not in the field, i.e., whose objective is merely to sustain the vines from year to year, such as the labors mentioned above, are permitted. In any case, this baraita indicates that many subcategories of labor are prohibited during the seventh year, and not just sowing and pruning, as Rava had stated.

The Gemara rejects this opinion: These labors, with the exceptions of sowing, pruning, grape picking, and reaping, are all prohibited only by rabbinic law, and the verse that is cited as a source from the Torah is a mere support, and not a bona fide source.

Incidental to this discussion, the Gemara asks: Is light hoeing under olive trees in fact permitted during the Sabbatical Year? Isn’t it written: “But the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow” (Exodus 23:11), and it is taught with regard to this verse: “You shall let it rest” from light hoeing, “and lie fallow” from clearing the field of stones. This indicates that light hoeing is indeed prohibited during the Sabbatical Year.

Rav Ukva bar Ḥama said: There are two types of light hoeing, one whose objective is to strengthen the trees, and another that is intended to seal cracks. There is a practical halakhic difference between them: Hoeing performed in order to strengthen the tree is prohibited, as it is similar to plowing in that it enhances the tree’s growth. However, hoeing undertaken in order to seal cracks is permitted, as by doing so one prevents damage to the tree.

§ It was stated that Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Elazar disagreed with regard to one who plows during the Sabbatical Year. One said: He is flogged for doing so, while the other one said: He is not flogged. The Gemara suggests: Let us say that they disagree with regard to the principle that Rabbi Avin said that Rabbi Ile’a said, and one accepts this principle while the other does not. As, Rabbi Avin said that Rabbi Ile’a said: Wherever a generalization is stated in the Torah as a positive mitzva, and a detail relating to that generalization is stated as a negative mitzva, one does not apply the hermeneutical principle of a generalization, and a detail, and a generalization, according to which the halakha under discussion is expanded to all cases that resemble the detail.

The Gemara explains: The one who said that one who plows during the Sabbatical Year is flogged does not accept the principle that Rabbi Avin said that Rabbi Ile’a said. Accordingly, he expounds the verses as follows: The verse “But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land” (Leviticus 25:4) is a generalization stated as a positive mitzva. The continuation of the verse is “Your field you shall not sow,” which is a detail stated as a negative mitzva. This is followed by another generalization: “For it shall be a year of rest for the land” (Leviticus 25:5). By applying the principle of a generalization, a detail, and a generalization, one can derive that there is a prohibition against performing any agricultural task that is similar to sowing, including plowing.

And the one who said that one is not flogged for plowing holds in accordance with the ruling that Rabbi Avin stated in the name of Rabbi Ile’a. Therefore, the prohibition stated as a detail, i.e., the prohibition against sowing, is not extended to include any other labor. One who plows violates the positive command to let the land rest, but does not transgress a Torah law phrased as a negative mitzva, and therefore he is not flogged.

The Gemara rejects this suggestion: No, one can say that everyone holds that the halakha is not in accordance with the principle that Rabbi Avin said that Rabbi Ile’a said. According to the one who said he is flogged, all is well, as he applies the hermeneutical principle of a generalization, a detail, and a generalization to derive a prohibition for plowing.

And the one who said that he is not flogged could have said to you: Since pruning is included in the primary category of sowing, and grape picking is included in the primary category of reaping, for the purpose of teaching what halakha did the Merciful One write them? They were individually enumerated to say that only for these specific subcategories of labor is one liable to be flogged, but for performing other subcategories of labor one is not liable. According to this opinion, the verse comes to teach that one is not liable to be flogged for performing any labor not explicitly enumerated in the Torah, including plowing.

The Gemara asks: And is there really no liability for other subcategories of labor? Isn’t it taught in a baraita with regard to the verse “Your field you shall not sow, and your vineyard you shall not prune” that I have derived from here an explicit prohibition only against sowing and pruning? From where do I derive that weeding, hoeing, and cutting weeds are also prohibited? The verse states: “Your field you shall not sow and your vineyard you shall not prune” (Leviticus 25:4). By placing the word “not” immediately following the words “field” and “vineyard,” the verse indicates that one may not perform any labor that is generally performed in your field, and one may not perform any labor that is generally performed in your vineyard.

Similarly, from where is it derived that one may not prune trees, and one may not trim dry branches from trees, and one may not cut large branches from trees? The verse states: “Your field you shall not sow and your vineyard you shall not prune,” indicating that any labor that is generally performed in your field may not be performed during the Sabbatical Year, and any labor generally performed in your vineyard may not be performed during the Sabbatical Year.

From where is it derived that one may not fertilize fields and vineyards, and one may not remove stones from around the base of a tree that impede its growth, and one may not fumigate a tree in order to exterminate worms? The verse states: “Your field you shall not sow and your vineyard you shall not prune,” thereby indicating that any labor that is generally performed in your field may not be performed during the Sabbatical Year, and any labor generally performed in your vineyard may not be performed during the Sabbatical Year.

One might have thought that one may also not hoe lightly under olive trees and one may not hoe under grapevines, and one may not fill cracks in the ground with water, and one may not construct circular ditches around the bases of grapevines in order to collect rainwater. Therefore, the verse states: “Your field you shall not sow.”

Sowing was included in the general prohibition against performing agricultural labors during the Sabbatical Year. Why was sowing singled out and mentioned explicitly? In order to compare other types of labor to it and to say to you: Just as sowing is unique in that it is labor performed both in the field and in the vineyard, so too, any other labor performed both in the field and in the vineyard is prohibited. However, labor performed only in the vineyard, but not in the field, i.e., whose objective is merely to sustain the vines from year to year, is permitted. In any case, this baraita indicates that many labors are prohibited during the seventh year, and not just sowing and pruning.

The Gemara rejects this opinion: These labors, with the exceptions of sowing, pruning, grape picking, and reaping, are all prohibited only by rabbinic law, and the verse that is cited as source from the Torah is a mere support, and not a bona fide source.

Traduction : The William Davidson digital edition of the Koren Noé Talmud, with commentary by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz.

MoedKatan 3a explores which Sabbatical Year labors carry Torah-level flogging penalties versus rabbinic prohibitions, focusing on sowing, pruning, and reaping.