Siman - Beitzah Daf 13
- How a Levi must prepare his maaser in order to give terumas maaser to a Kohen
It was taught in a Baraisa: בן לוי שנתנו לו שבלין במעשרותיו – A ben Levi to whom they gave ears of grain for his maaser, עושה אותן גורן – must make them fit for a granary, meaning he must completely process the wheat before separating terumas maaser. Similarly, if he was given grapes, he must make them into wine, and olives must be made into oil, and then he separates terumas maaser from them and gives the terumas maaser to a Kohen. שכשם שתרומה גדולה אינה ניטלת אלא מן הגורן ומן היקב – For just as the terumah gedolah is not taken other than from the granary and the from the winepress, כך תרומת מעשר אינה ניטלת אלא מן הגורן ומן היקב – so too, terumas maaser is not taken other than from the granary and the winepress.
- מעשר ראשון שהקדימו בשבלין פטור מתרומה גדולה
Rebbe Shimon ben Lakish said: מעשר ראשון שהקדימו בשבלין פטור מתרומה גדולה –Maaser rishon, if one did the separation before separating terumah, while the grain was still in the ears, he is exempt from terumah gedolah, as the passuk says in reference to maaser rishon, "והרמתם ממנו תרומת ה' מעשר מן המעשר" – And you shall separate from it Hashem’s terumah, a maaser from the maaser. Which teaches us "מעשר מן המעשר" אמרתי לך ולא תרומה גדולה ותרומת מעשר מן המעשר – I told you, (referring to a Levi) to separate a maaser from a maaser, (meaning terumas maaser), and not both terumah gedolah and terumas maaser from the maaser. Rashi explains that the passuk does not merely state that you shall separate maaser from the maaser. It adds the words, "Hashem’s terumah" to its description of the Levi’s chiyuv to the Kohen. The extra label is understood to be exclusionary, teaching that when a Levi separates terumah from his maaser, he is required to only give the terumah that is identified in the phrase – "maaser from the maaser".
- The difference between g’mar melachah for Shabbos and maaser
The Gemara brought a Mishnah from Maasros that ruled that one may not peel off barley kernels, collect them in his hand and eat them, without first separating maaser. Yet, the Gemara concluded, based on the practice of Rav and Rebbe Chiya, that one may peel off and collect even cups full of kernels on Shabbos. Rebbe Abba bar Mamal asked if there is any process that is not considered a g’mar melachah - a completion of work for Shabbos, but which in regard to maaser is considered a g’mar melachah? Rav Sheishess brei d’Rav Idi brought a situation where in fact this was the case, and then explained the difference between the halachos of Shabbos and maaser, in that regard to Shabbos מלאכת מחשבת אסרה תורה – the Torah prohibited only calculated labor, meaning a professional activity. Although peeling off barley kernels by hand is considered the g’mar melachah for maaser, it is permitted on Shabbos for it is not a מלאכת מחשבת – a calculated, professional labor.
