1)

(a)Rebbi Elazar comment on the fact that Avraham promised his guests bread, and then ran to Shecht bulls - that Tzadikim promise little but do a lot.

(b)And he learns from Efron that Resha'im talk much but do nothing - because initially, Efron offered Avraham the Me'aras Hamachpelah free of charge (see Eitz Yosef), and in the end, he insisted on being paid in international currency (in the form of Kantarin).

(c)'Kantarin' are - coins of a hundred Manah (there are fifty regular Shekalim in a Manah).

2)

(a)Rebbi Yitzchak learns from the fact that the Pasuk refers to both Kemach and So'les - that Avraham must have told Sarah to bring So'les (good-quality flour), and she began to prepare Kemach (poor-quality flour), from which we see that a woman tends to be miserly towards her guests.

(b)Efrayim Maksha'ah quoting Rebbi Meir explains that Sarah did not serve bread, as Avraham originally instructed her because, as if in preparation for the baby that she would soon bear, her youth returned to her and she became a Nidah - and Avraham was particular to eat his Chulin bread be'Taharah.

(c)The problem with the angels' question "Where is Sarah your wife" - is the fact that they knew exactly where she was.

(d)Rav Yehudah Amar Rav (or Rebbi Yitzchak) attributes the question to the fact that they wanted to endear her on her husband, when he would answer with pride that she was in the tent (because of her high level of modesty). According to Rebbi Yossi b'Rebbi Chanina - they wanted to send her the Kos shel B'rachah (see Agados Maharsha), though it is unclear why a Kos shel B'rachah was used, seeing as they did not eat bread.

3)

(a)Rebbi Yossi explains that the dots on the letters 'Alef, 'Yud' and 'Vav' of the word "Eilav" (in the Pasuk "Va'yomru Eilav Ayei Sarah Ishtecha") - signify that they also asked Sarah about Avraham, and we learn from here that it is Derech Eretz to inquire about the well-being of one's host from the hostess and vice-versa.

(b)In spite of Shmuel, who forbids greeting a woman at all, even through a third person - the Angels inquired about Sarah, because a. they were asking her husband and not just anybody, and b. they were merely inquiring after her well-being, and not sending her regards.

(c)Rav Chisda interprets Sarah's surprise when she heard that she would bear a child - to the fact that she did not see how her aging skin could become youthful once again, or how her wrinkles would straighten out.

(d)Sarah said "va'Adoni Zaken" - whereas Hash-m quoted her to Avraham as having said "va'Ani Zakanti".

(e)Hash-m deliberately misquoted her, in order to maintain Shalom Bayis between them.

4)

(a)In the Pasuk "Mi Milel le'Avraham, Heinikah Banim Sarah", Rebbi Levi explains the word "Banim" (in the plural), despite the fact that Sarah only gave birth to one son - because in response to the people's skepticism that Sarah could possibly have given birth, Avraham and Sarah invited all the leaders of the generation together with their wives to a feast (the B'ris), but without their nurses. When Sarah miraculously fed all the babies, their skepticism quickly dissipated.

(b)And Hash-m allayed their doubts over the possibility that Avraham at the age of a hundred, should have fathered a son - by making Yitzchak look the splitting image of his father, so that everyone had to admit that he was Avraham's son.

(c)The first person to age was Avraham, to become ill (and confined to bed) before dying was Yitzchak (previously, someone who was destined to die would sneeze and drop dead), And the first person to recover from an illness - was the Navi Elisha.

(d)The reason that ...

1. ... Avraham Davened for old age was - in order to distinguish between him and Yitzchak, whose features were so similar that people would confuse the two.

2. ... Ya'akov Davened for weakness to precede death - to give a person a chance to write his last will and testament.

5)

(a)We learn from the Pasuk "ve'Elisha Chalah es Cholyo asher Yamus Bah" - that Elisha was ill over and above the illness that led to his death (in fact, he was ill on two other occasions, as we shall now see).

(b)Elisha's third illness is the one that led to his death. To deserve ...

1. ... one of his two other illnesses, he totally rejected his servant Gechazi (instead of rejecting him with his left hand and drawing him close with his right).

2. ... his other illness - he incited two bears to kill forty children who were mocking him and whom he saew were destined to be total Resha'im.

(c)When Rav Acha b'rei de'Rav Yosef asked Rav Chisda whether our Mishnah (citing the words of Rebbi Yochanan ben Masya) reads 'Pas Kitnis' or 'Pas ve'Kitnis' - he replied that the correct version is Pas ve'Kitnis.

(d)What Rav Chisda actually said was that 'Kitnis requires a 'Vav' like 'Murdaya de'Livros' - (a barge-pole used by the sailors who ferried their barges down the river Livros [which presumably, was a river that flowed near his home-town]). In any event, a barge-pole is shaped like a 'Vav'.

6)

(a)Raban Shimon ben Gamliel in our Mishnah concludes 'ha'Kol Ke'Minhag ha'Medinah'. This concurs with the opinion of the Chachamim of Rebbi Yehoshua in Beraisa. In the case 'ha'Socher es ha'Po'el, ve'Amar Lo ke'Echad u'Shenayim mi'B'nei ha'Ir', Rebbi Yehoshua concludes - Nosen Lo ke'Pachos she'bi'S'chiros (based on the principle 'ha'Motzi me'Chavero Alav ha'Re'ayah').

(b)According to the Chachamim - he receives an average wage ('ha'Kol ke'Minhag ha'Medinah').

7)

(a)Our Mishnah now discusses the Dinim of a laborer eating from the food with which he is working. A laborer is permitted to eat, presuming that he works with ...

1. ... Mechubar (that is attached to the ground) - only during 'G'mar Melachah' (which means whilst he is actually detaching the fruit from the tree.

2. ... Talush (which is detached) - as long as it is prior to the stage of Nigmerah Melachto.

(b)The definition of 'Nigmerah Melachto' by Talush - is once it has reached the stage when it is ready to be Ma'asered or to have Chalah taken from it (whichever is applicable).

(c)A laborer is not allowed to eat at all - if he is working in food that does not grow from the ground.

(d)An example of ...

1. ... Mechubar that is not Nigmerah Melachto - is weeding the onion-beds.

2. ... Talush that is - is milking or cheese-making.

8)

(a)We learn that a laborer may eat from the grapes that he is picking from the Pasuk in Ki Seitzei "Ki Savo be'Kerem Re'acha Ve'achalta Anavim". We initially learn that this concession extends to other fruit - by treating "Kerem" as a Binyan Av. Just as the fruit of a vineyard grows from the ground and is speaking by G'mar Melachah (as we shall now see), so too do all fruits ... .

(b)We learn from the Pasuk "ve'el Kely'cha Lo Sitein" that this Din is referring specifically to a laborer who is picking the grapes (the G'mar Melachah of fruit) - by extrapolating "ve'el Kely'cha Lo Sitein", 'Ela le'Keilav shel Ba'al ha'Bayis Titein' (but into the vessels of the employer you shall place).

(c)We reject this 'Binyan Av' however, on the grounds - that the Mitzvah of 'Olelos' (incomplete clusters that must be left on the tree for the poor) applies exclusively to grapes (so perhaps this Mitzvah is confined to grapes too).

(d)Since we cannot incorporate other fruit from grapes alone, we add another source and learn it via a 'Binyan Av from two Pesukim'. The second source (also in Ki Seitzei) is - the Pasuk "Ki Savo be'Kamas Re'echa ... ".

9)

(a)The important condition that we learn from the Pasuk (in connection with Kamah) "ve'Chermesh Lo Sanif" is - that, like by Kerem, the concession is confined to G'mar Melachah (since that is when a sickle is used).

(b)We learn from the 'Gezeirah-Shavah' "Ki Savo be'Kamas Re'echa" from "me'Hachel Chermesh ba'Kamah" (written by the Omer, which is brought from barley) - that the Pasuk is referring to crops that are subject to Chalah.

(c)Despite the fact that the concession pertains to crops that are subject to Chalah, we know that it extends to fruit that is not - from 'Kerem'.

10)

(a)The problem with the 'Mah Matzinu' of corn and grapes is - that they both go on the Mizbe'ach (in the form of Menachos and Nesachim), in which case, the fruit they can incorporate are olives (since oil is an intrinsic part of the Menachos).

(b)And we need a 'Mah Matzinu' to incorporate olives, - because although they are called "Kerem Zayis", they are not called "Kerem" (S'tam).

11)

(a)So we try to include fruits that do not go on the Mizbe'ach from "Chermesh" ('Le'rabos Kol Ba'alei Chermesh'). We refute the Kashya that Chermesh is needed to confine the concession to eat to the time of 'Chermesh' (G'mar Melachah) - because we know this already from "ve'El Kelyecha Lo Siten" (as we explained earlier).

(b)We nevertheless reject "Chermesh" as a source for all other species of fruit - because then we would only include fruit that is cut with a sickle, but not fruit that is picked by hand.

(c)An example of ...

1. ... 'fruit' that is a bar Chermesh is - legumes.

2. ... fruit that is not a bar Chermesh is - olives or dates.

12)

(a)So Rebbi Yitzchak finally learns other fruit from "Kamah", 'Lerabos Kol Ba'alei Kamah'. We did indeed use "Kamah" for a 'Gezeirah-Shavah', to confine the concession to crops that are subject to Chalah - but that was before we included legumes from "Chermesh" (once we did, the 'Gezeirah-Shavah' is proved to be unworkable).

(b)The problem with the Pasuk "Ki Savo be'Kerem Re'echa, ve'Achalta" is - that it now appears to be superfluous.

(c)To answer this, Rava cites a Beraisa, which explains the entire Pasuk. The Tana learns from ...

1. ... the 'Gezeirah-Shavah' "Ki Savo be'Kerem Re'echa" "be'Yomo Titen S'charo, ve'Lo Savo alav ha'Shemesh" - that the former Pasuk is speaking about a laborer (just like the latter one is).

2. ... the Pasuk "be'Kerem Re'echa" - 've'Lo be'Kerem Kuti' (that the basic prohibition on a laborer of placing some of the fruit he is picking into his own basket does not extend to someone who is working for a Nochri).

(d)Those who hold that Gezel Kuti is permitted anyway (and no special Pasuk is needed to permit a laborer to eat from a Nochri's crops) learn from the latter Pasuk - "be'Kerem Re'echa" - 've'Lo be'Kerem Hekdesh' (to preclude a laborer working for Hekdesh from the concession of eating from the fruit that he is picking).

13)

(a)The Tana Darshens from "Ve'achalta", 've'Lo Motzetz' (sucking the juice and spitting out the pits); from ...

1. ... "Anavim" - 've'Lo Anavim ve'Davar Acher' (forbidding him to eat the fruit together with something that adds sweetness to it, and that increases his desire to eat more.

2. ... "ke'Nafshecha" - 'ke'Nefesh shel Ba'al ha'Bayis' (exempting the laborer from Ma'asering the fruit that he eats, just like the owner is).

(b)The owner is Patur from Ma'asering - because the grapes have not yet reached the stage of G'mar Melachah (seeing as S'tam grapes are meant for wine-making, for which the G'mar Melachah is when the wine flows into the pit).

(c)We might otherwise have thought that the laborer is Chayav to Ma'aser what he eats, even though the owner is Patur - because, since he is permitted to eat against the will of the owner, it is like a sale, which fixes for Ma'aser (as we shall see later), even though the G'mar Melachah has not yet occurred.

(d)We have already learned from "ve'el Kelyecha Lo Sitein", that the Pasuk is speaking at the time of G'mar Melachah. The Tana Darshens from "Sov'echa", 've'Lo Achilah Gasah' (that the laborer is forbidden to stuff himself with the fruit that he picks).