1)

(a)Rav Yehudah rules that ...

1. ... when one stone is marked with lime - underneath it is Tamei.

2. ... when two stones are marked with lime - if there is also lime in between them, then in between them is Tamei, too; but if not, then only underneath them is Tamei.

(b)Even though we learned earlier that the mark must be a slight distance away from the Tum'ah and not directly on top of it - that applies only to a Safek Tum'ah that is on ground level, and that one does see from a distance. But large stones, which are visible from a distance, may be marked even if the Safek Tum'ah is directly underneath them.

2)

(a)We query this from a Beraisa, which conforms to Rav Yehudah's first ruling, adding - that in a case where there are two stones that are marked, but the space in between them is not, that space is Tahor provided that it has been plowed.

(b)To conform to Rav Yehudah's ruling, Rav Papa explains the Beraisa which declaring the space in between the two stones Tamei, because it has not been plowed - there where the lime was poured over the stones and trails a short way between the stones, which is clearly meant to mark the space in between the stones.

(c)The space in between Tahor however, if it has been plowed - because then we assume that it was the plow that scraped some of the lime from the stones that left the trail next to either stone.

(d)Rav Asi say that, if ...

1. ... one, two or three borders of a field are marked - the borders that are marked are Tamei, and the rest of the field is Tahor.

2. ... all four borders are marked - then the borders are Tahor, and the remainder of the field is Tamei, seeing as we have learned earlier - that one is not permitted to place the marking far away from the location of the Tum'ah (see also Tosfos DH 'Ein Mafsikin').

3)

(a)We have learned in a Beraisa that on Rosh Chodesh Adar, Beis-Din would announce the Shekalim and Kil'ayim. On the fifteenth, the day when they Leined the Megilah in the walled cities, they would clear the roads, repair the streets, measure and clean out the Mikva'os and see to all the other public needs. Besides marking the graves - the Tana also mentions going out to remove Kil'ayim.

(b)) We ask why the Tana of our Mishnah requires the Beis-Din to go out for Kil'ayim again on Chol ha'Mo'ed, seeing as they have already been on the fifteenth of Adar. We do not however, ask why the Tana requires them to clear the streets again, seeing as they already did so on the fifteenth - because it is obvious that one needs to do so again due to the rain that fell after the fifteenth of Adar.

(c)Rebbi Elazar and Rebbi Yosi b'Rebbi Chanina argue over the answer to the above question. One answers that Beis-Din needed to go out twice for Kil'ayim, once for the early crops and once for the late crops. The other one says - once for the grain and once for the vegetables.

(d)Rebbi Asi Amar Rebbi Yochanan require Beis-Din to remove Kil'ayim even before the two specified dates - if they have already flowered (reached the stage of 'Hanatzah').

4)

(a)Chazal picked specifically Chol ha'Mo'ed (a time when everybody else is refraining from work) to go out for Kil'ayim - because that is when cheap labor is available.

(b)We prove from here that the men who are employed by Beis-Din for this work are paid from the Terumas ha'Lishkah, and not by the sinners themselves; otherwise, we would employ whoever is available at any time at any price, and let the sinners pay the price.

(c)A quarter of a Kav of the second seed needs to grow per Sa'ah (i.e. one twenty-fourth) before the Sheluchei Beis Din remove it.

(d)Our Mishnah, which says that the Sheluchim remove the offending plants from the fields, was learned before Chazal instituted the Takanah of declaring the field Hefker, whereas the Beraisa, which says that they declare the entire field Hefker, was learned afterwards.

5)

(a)Initially, the Sheluchei Beis Din used to pull out the Kil'ayim and throw it to the animals. They changed their tactics however, when they saw the owners delight, firstly due to their dirty work having been done for them, and secondly, due to the fact that their animals had been fed free of charge (though it seems that the Sheluchei Beis Din were not aware of the first reaction).

(b)That was when they began throwing the Kil'ayim into the street.

(c)Then, when they saw the owners' continued delight at having been spared the job of having to remove their own Kil'ayim, they declared the entire field Hefker.

6)

(a)We have already cited Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov, who learns in our Mishnah that one may dig a water-channel (in a Beis ha'Shelachin) from one tree to another. One should take care however - not to water the entire field in the process.

(b)Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov does not permit watering seeds at all on Chol ha'Mo'ed - if they have not been watered before Yom Tov (because they will survive until after Yom Tov without needing to be watered).

(c)The Chachamim disagree with Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov in both of the areas where he is strict. According to them - one may even water the entire field in the process of digging water-channels from one tree to another, and one may water even seeds that have not been watered before Chol ha'Mo'ed.

(d)The Chachamim is Rebbi Meir who, we saw on Daf 2a., is lenient in this matter.

7)

(a)Rav Yehudah maintains that, in the case of a wet field that dried up - Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov will agree that even watering the entire field is permitted (even though it is a Sadeh Beis ha'Ba'al).

(b)The Beraisa which we quote in support of Rav Yehudah, seems to bear out the Tur's explanation (that Rav Yehudah refers to the Seifa of our Mishnah (to the case of a field that was not watered before Yom Tov [unlike Rashi, see Hagahos ha'Gra]). The Tana forbids a field that has always been dry, to be watered at all.

(c)The Tana Kama of this Beraisa is Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov and the Chachamim, the Chachamim of our Mishnah (Tosfos DH 'va'Chachamim'). Consequently, they argue with the Tana Kama in the same two points as they argue with Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov in our Mishnah.

8)

(a)Ravina extrapolates from the Chachamim - that one is permitted to sprinkle water on to a vegetable garden (to improve the vegetables even though there will be no loss if one does not do so) - see Tosfos DH 'Shari'.

(b)Rav Huna reconciles the Beraisa that permits sprinkling water on a Sadeh Lavan in the Shemitah, but not on Chol ha'Mo'ed, with the Beraisa, which permits it even on Chol ha'Mo'ed - by establishing the former like Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov, and the latter, like the Rabanan.

(c)Another Beraisa - permits sprinkling water on a Sadeh Lavan on Erev Shemitah for the vegetables to grow in the Shemitah.

(d)The Tana - also permits sprinkling water on a Sadeh Lavan in the Shemitah for the crops to grow after the Shemitah.

9)

(a)The Tana Kama of our Mishnah permits trapping Ishos and mice both from a field of trees and from a Sadeh ha'Lavan on both Chol ha'Mo'ed and in the Shemitah-year. Ishos - are moles.

(b)The Chachamim ...

1. ... concur with the Tana Kama with regard to a field of trees (Sadeh ha'Ilan), where the losses are immense.

2. ... disagree with him regarding trapping from a a corn-field (Sadeh Lavan), which they only permit in an unusual way (i.e. with a Shinuy).

(c)'u'Makrin es ha'Pirtzah b'Mo'ed' means - that if part of a wall caves in, one is permitted to repair it superficially (as will be explained in the Gemara).

(d)If the same thing happens in the Shemitah - the Tana of our Mishnah permits repairing the breach as one would normally do.

10)

(a)Rav Yehudah defines 'Ishos' as - a creature that has no eyes (i.e. a mole).

(b)"K'mo Shablul Temes Yehalech, Nafal Eishes bal Chazu Shemesh" cited by Rava bar Yishmael (or Rav Yeimar bar Shalmaya) means - that, just as when the snail walks, slime drips from it, until it melts completely and it dies, so too, does the mole, which cannot see the sun, suddenly drop dead.

(c)We learn from there that an Ishos is blind (and that the word must consequently means a mole).

(d)The Tana of the Beraisa also permits destroying ant-hills on Chol ha'Mo'ed. This one does by bringing earth (with the ants that it contains) from another ant-hill, and pouring it into the hole of the ant-hill in question. The two groups of ants, which do not recognize each other (because the smell of the earth is alien to them), will set about strangling each other.

(e)Abaye stipulates however, that, for this method to be effective, the ant-hills must be on two different sides of the river. In addition - there must be no proper bridge, nor even a bridge of one plank, or even the narrowest of crossings that require a rope to hold on to as one crosses.

11)

(a)In addition to all the above conditions - the two ant-hills must be at least one Parsah (four Mil) apart, for the resident ants not to recognize the newcomers.