12th Cycle Dedication

ERCHIN 6-9 - Two weeks of study material have been dedicated by Mrs. Estanne Abraham Fawer to honor the twelfth Yahrzeit of her father, Rav Mordechai ben Eliezer Zvi (Rabbi Morton Weiner) Z'L, who passed away on 18 Teves 5760. May the merit of supporting and advancing Dafyomi study -- which was so important to him -- during the weeks of his Yahrzeit serve as an Iluy for his Neshamah.

1)

GIVING MAASER RISHON TO KOHANIM (Yerushalmi Maaser Sheni Perek 5 Halachah 3 Daf 31a)

áéåîåé ãøáé éäåùò áï ìåé áé÷ùå ìäéîðåú ùìà ìéúï îòùø ìëäåðä.

(a)

In the days of R. Yehoshua ben Levi they wished to come together and rule than Maaser Rishon may not be given to the Kohanim.

àîøéï îàï ééòåì øáé éäåùò áï ìåé ãäåà îñééò ììéåàé. [ãó ðâ òîåã á (òåæ åäãø)] òàì åñééò ìëäðéí. àîø áòùøéí åàøáòä î÷åîåú ð÷øàå äëäðéí ìåéí åæä àçã îäï (éçæ÷àì îã) åäëäðéí äìåéí áðé öãå÷.

(b)

They said, "Who will enter the Beis Midrash? R. Yehoshua ben Levi, who will help the Leviim (since he is a Levi himself)!". He came, but he instead helped the Kohanim. He said, "In 24 places, Kohanim are referred to as Levi. One such place is (Yechezkel 44:15), "...and the Kohanim, the Leviim, the children of Tzadok".

øáé áðéîéï áø âéãåì åøáé àçà äååï éúéáéï àîøéï åäà ëúéá (ðçîéä é) åäéä äëäï áï àäøï òí äìåéí áòùø äìåéí

(c)

Question: R. Binyamin bar Gidul and R. Acha were sitting and saying, "But the pasuk states (Nechemia 10:39), "And the Kohen, the son of Aharon, shall be with the Leviim at their tithing"? (This indicates that the Kohanim receive Maaser.)

ìéúï ìå úøåîä îòùø.

(d)

Answer: To give them Terumas Maaser.

åäëúéá (ùí) åäìåéí éòìå àú [îòùø] äîòùø.

(e)

Question: But the pasuk states (ibid.), "...and the Leviim shall bring up the tithe (from the tithe)"?

øá çåðà åçáøééà çã îðäåï àîø ìáðé ìåé îä úìîåã ìåîø åìáðé àìà îëàï ùðåúðéï îòùø ìëäåðä.

(f)

There was a disagreement between Rav Chuna and the Chevraya. One said - the pasuk states (Bamidbar 18:21), "And to the children of Levi (I have given all tithes of Yisrael as an inheritance)". Why didn't it just say 'To the children of Levi'? It teaches that we may give Maaser to the Kohen.

åçøðà àîø àôéìå ìéú ëúéá àìà ìáðé ðåúðéï îòùø ìëäåðä. àìå îàï ãàîø ôìï áøé éñá î÷îú ôìï åùàø ðëñé éøùå áðé ãéìîà ìà ðñá òîäåï.

(g)

The other opinion said - even without that word 'and', we could still give Maaser to the Kohen. If a person is coming to bequeath his estate to his children and says, "My son Ploni should receive a certain gift and the rest of my estate should be inherited by my children", would Ploni not also be included? (Just because the Kohanim receive the 24 gifts, should that prevent them from receiving Maaser as members of the tribe of Levi?!)

øáé éåðä éäá îòùøåé ìøáé àçà áø òåìà ìà îùåí ãäåä ëäï àìà îùåí ãäåä ìòé áàåøééúà.

(h)

R. Yona gave his Maaser to R. Acha bar Ula, not because he was a Kohen but because he was involved in Torah learning (who should precede a Levi).

îä èòîà (ãáøé äéîéí á ìà) åéàîø ìòí ìéåùáé éøåùìéí ìúú îðú äëäðéí åäìåéí ìîòï éçæ÷å áúåøú ä'.

(i)

What's the source for this? The pasuk states (Divrei HaYamim 2:31:4), "And he commanded the inhabitants of Yerushalayim to give the portion of the Kohanim and the Levites, in order that they be strengthened in the Law of Hash-m."

øá äåðà ìà ðñá îòùø øáé àçà ìà ðñá îòùø øáé çééà áø áà äåøé òì âøîéä ìöàú ìçåõ ìàøõ áâéï ãìà îéñá îòùø.

(j)

Rav Huna (who was a Kohen) would not accept Maaser. R. Acha also would not accept Maaser. R. Chiya bar Ba moved to Chutz LaAretz to avoid being pressured to accept Maaser.

ùàì áø ðù ìøáé ùîåàì áø ðçîï ùàì ìøáé éåðúï îäå ãðñá. àîø ìå ñá åîä ãðôì ìùáèê ðôì ìê.

(k)

A Kohen once asked R. Shmuel bar Nachman if he should accept Maaser. R. Shmuel responded that he should and that which he accepts he should view it as if fell to the tribe of Levi of which he is a member.

øáé éðàé îô÷ã ì÷øéáåé ëã úäéååéï çëøéï àøò ìà úçëøåï àìà îï ãçìåðééà:

(l)

R. Yannai ordered his relatives, "When you accept a field as a sharecropper, only accept from non-Kohanim (as if the landowner is a Kohanim he will incorrectly keep the Maaser for himself).

åàó òì âá ãàú àîø àéï ðåúðéï îòùø ìëäåðä îåãä ùàéï îåöéàéï ùìå îéãå [ãó ðã òîåã à (òåæ åäãø)] îä èòîà (áîãáø éç) ëé ú÷çå îàú áðé éùøàì àú äîòùø àùø ðúúé ìëí îàúí áðçìúëí åäøîåúí îîðå àú úøåîú ä' îòùø îï äîòùø. îàú áðé éùøàì àú îåöéà åàéï àú îåöéà (îîëéøé)[îéã] ëäåðä åìåééä.

(m)

Although one should not give Maaser to a Kohen, if it was already given, one cannot legally extract it from him. Why is this? As the pasuk states (Bamidbar 18:26), "When you take the tithe from the children of Yisrael which I have given you from them as your inheritance, you shall set aside from it a gift for Hash-m, a tithe from the tithe" - you may extract it from Bnei Yisrael but not from a Kohen or a Levi.

åàúééà ëéé ãàîø øáé ìòæø ëé ú÷çå îàú áðé éùøàì àú äîòùø. îàú áðé éùàì àú îåöéà åàéï àú îåöéà îï äâåé.

(n)

Support (R. Elazar): "When you take the tithe from the children of Israel" - you may extract it from Bnei Yisrael but not from a gentile. (If one bought produce from a gentile after the pile was smoothed, he does not need to separate Terumas Maaser from it for the Kohen.)