Important Message Regarding This Lesson
The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily
study of 3 chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. There are
instances when the Mitzvah is repeated a few days consecutively while the exploration of the same Mitzvah continues in the in-depth track.
Positive Commandment 127 (Digest)
The First Tithe
"But the tithes of the Children of Israel which they offer to G‑d as a gift..."—Numbers 18:24.
We are commanded to separate a tenth of our crops and give it to a Levite.
This biblical precept only applies in the Land of Israel.
The
127th mitzvah is that we are commanded
to separate ma'aser from produce
which grows from the ground.
The
source of this commandment is G‑d's statement, "[The inheritance I am giving the Levites
shall consist of] the ma'aser of the
Jewish people which they shall separate."
The
verse itself explains that ma'aser is
given to the Levites.
The
details of this mitzvah are explained
in tractate Ma'aseros.
This
is called ma'aser rishon, and is a
Biblical requirement only in Eretz
Yisroel.
Positive Commandment 128 (Digest)
The Second Tithe
"You shall surely tithe all the produce of your seed that the field produces every year"—Deuteronomy 14:22.
We are commanded to separate a "Second Tithe" [from our harvest, in addition to the First Tithe given to the Levites].
Some of the rules that pertain to this tithe:
- The produce is brought to Jerusalem where it is consumed by its owners.
- If it is difficult to transport the produce to Jerusalem, due to its distance, the produce can be "redeemed" with money. This money is then brought to Jerusalem and used to purchase food [which is, in turn, consumed in Jerusalem].
- If the owner himself redeems the tithe, he must add an extra 25% to the produce's monetary value.
- This mitzvah only applies during the Temple era.
- This biblical precept only applies in the Land of Israel.
The
128th mitzvah is that we are
commanded to separate ma'aser sheni.
The
source of this commandment is G‑d's statement, "Take a tithe [Aser t'aser] from year to year of all the seed crops that come
forth in the field."
The
Sifra says: "The words 'Shanah shanah' ['from year to year']
teach us that one may not take ma'aser
from one year's crops for [what should have been taken from] another year's crops.
But this only tells us about the subject of this verse, ma'aser sheni. How do we know that this applies to the other
types of ma'aser? From the words, Aser t'aser."
The
Torah says explicitly that ma'aser
sheni is brought to Jerusalem
and eaten there by its owners, and we have already mentioned the words of our Sages on this subject.
The
verse itself also gives details of this mitzvah:
that when it is impossible to actually bring it because of the distance, it
must be redeemed, with the money brought to the Bais Hamikdosh and spent on
food. The source of this law is G‑d's statement, "If the place is too far for you and you
cannot carry it there." The Torah has given other details of this mitzvah: that if a person redeems it, he
must add one-fifth. The source of this is G‑d's statement, "If a person wishes to redeem his tithes, he
must add an additional fifth."
The
details of this mitzvah are explained
in tractate Ma'aser Sheni.
This
too is a Biblical mitzvah only for
produce which grew in Eretz Yisroel, and may be eaten only when the Bais
Hamikdosh is standing. In the words of the Sifri:
"The verse compares eating a b'chor [first-born animal] and ma'aser
sheni: just as the b'chor may be
eaten only when the Bais Hamikdosh is standing, so too ma'aser sheni may be eaten only when the Bais Hamikdosh is
standing."
Negative Commandment 152 (Digest)
Expending Second Tithe Funds on Non-Food Items
"Nor have I given of it for the dead"—Deuteronomy 26:14.
It is forbidden to purchase with Second Tithe funds any item other than food or drink.
The Midrash explains the verse "I have not given of it for the dead" as referring to using the funds to purchase a casket and shrouds. Though such a purchase is a mitzvah, it cannot be done with Second Tithe funds.
It appears to me that purchasing anything other than food items with these monies is like giving the monies to a dead person—who has no gain from such a gift...
The
152nd prohibition is that we are forbidden from spending money which was used
to redeem ma'aser sheni for anything
except food and drink.
The
source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement, "I have not given it for the dead." In the
words of the Sifra: "[This verse
means] that I have not used it to buy a coffin and burial shrouds." One who
used the money to buy something else [other than food or drink] must spend an
equivalent amount on food [in Jerusalem],
as explained in the appropriate place.
The
verse mentions "the dead" for greater emphasis: as if to say, "One may still not
use ma'aser sheni, even for a mitzvah."
It also seems to me that [the verse mentions "the dead" to teach us that] since
G‑d has commanded us to spend ma'aser
sheni only on food — as the verse says, "You may then spend the money [on
anything you desire, whether it be cattle, smaller animals, wine,..."] — using
it for something other than food is like giving it to the dead, who have no use
for it.
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