Sheviis 8:1 — The great rule: food, feed, and firewood

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SheviisMesechtaמסכתשביעית
8Perekפרקח׳
1Mishnahמשנהא׳
נושא · Topicכְּלָל גָּדוֹל בַּשְּׁבִיעִיתThe great rule: food, feed, and firewood
This Mishnah is:a rulewhat does that mean?
Mishnah שביעית ח׳:א׳ · Sheviis 8:1
כְּלָל גָּדוֹל אָמְרוּ בַּשְּׁבִיעִית,
כָּל הַמְיֻחָד לְמַאֲכַל אָדָם,
אֵין עוֹשִׂין מִמֶּנּוּ מְלוּגְמָא לָאָדָם,
וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר לַבְּהֵמָה.
וְכָל שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְיֻחָד לְמַאֲכַל אָדָם,
עוֹשִׂין מִמֶּנּוּ מְלוּגְמָא לְאָדָם,
אֲבָל לֹא לִבְהֵמָה.
וְכָל שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְיֻחָד לֹא לְמַאֲכַל אָדָם וְלֹא לְמַאֲכַל בְּהֵמָה,
חָשַׁב עָלָיו לְמַאֲכַל אָדָם וּלְמַאֲכַל בְּהֵמָה,
נוֹתְנִין עָלָיו חֻמְרֵי אָדָם וְחֻמְרֵי בְהֵמָה.
חָשַׁב עָלָיו לְעֵצִים,
הֲרֵי הוּא כְעֵצִים,
כְּגוֹן הַסִּיאָה וְהָאֵזוֹב וְהַקּוֹרָנִית:
A great rule they stated concerning Sheviis:
anything designated for human food,
one may not make from it a poultice for a person,
and needless to say, not for an animal.
And anything not designated for human food,
one may make from it a poultice for a person,
but not for an animal.
And anything designated neither for human food nor for animal food -
[if] he intended it for [both] human food and animal food,
one imposes on it the stringencies of [both] human [food] and animal [food].
[If] he intended it for firewood,
it is like firewood,
such as savory, hyssop, and thyme:
A reading aid, not an exact translation.

This English is a clause-by-clause rendering to help you follow the Hebrew. It is not word-for-word literal, and it is not a transcript of the recorded shiur — the audio carries explanation and context the translation deliberately leaves out.

case/objectrestrictive rulingpermissive rulingconditiongeneral rule
Structure
The Mishnah's Structure▾
כָּל הַמְיֻחָד לְמַאֲכַל אָדָם מַאֲכַל אָדָם אֵין עוֹשִׂין מִמֶּנּוּ מְלוּגְמָא לָאָדָם not even a wound-dressing מַאֲכַל בְּהֵמָה עוֹשִׂין מִמֶּנּוּ מְלוּגְמָא לְאָדָם אֲבָל לֹא לִבְהֵמָה a dressing for a person only הֲרֵי הוּא כְעֵצִים הַסִּיאָה וְהָאֵזוֹב וְהַקּוֹרָנִית outside sheviis entirely חָשַׁב עָלָיו לְעֵצִים חָשַׁב עָלָיו לְמַאֲכַל אָדָם וּלְמַאֲכַל בְּהֵמָה נוֹתְנִין עָלָיו חֻמְרֵי אָדָם וְחֻמְרֵי בְהֵמָה
Summary Chart
The great rule: food, feed, and firewood▾
CaseRulingReason
May a poultice (melugma — chewed produce pressed on a wound as a dressing) be made from produce designated for human food?No — not for a person, and certainly not for an animal—
And what of produce not designated for human food?Yes — for a person, but not for an animal—
Produce designated for neither — and if he intends it for both human and animal food?Both sets of stringencies — no melugma, and no cooking—
And if he intended it for firewood?No kedushas Sheviis — e.g., savory, hyssop, and thyme—
Transcript
A machine transcript of the recorded shiur.

This is the shiur as spoken, transcribed automatically and left unedited — the wording is Ephraim's, and occasional transcription errors remain. It follows the audio word by word.

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