A woman may partake of terumah until her bill of divorce reaches her hand or the hand of her agent whom she appointed to receive it.1
Whenever there is a doubt whether or not a woman was divorced, she may not partake of terumah.2 When a woman appoints an agent to receive her bill of divorce, she is forbidden to partake of terumah immediately.3 If she said: "Receive the bill of divorce for me in this-and-this place," she is not forbidden [to partake of terumah] until the agent reaches that place.4
If she sent an agent to bring her the bill of divorce, she may partake of terumah until the bill of divorce reaches her hand.5 When a person tells his wife: "This is your bill of divorce; [it is effective] one hour before my death"6 she is forbidden to partake of terumah immediately.7
אהָאִשָׁה אוֹכֶלֶת בִּתְרוּמָה עַד שֶׁיַּגִּיעַ גֵּט לְיָדָהּ אוֹ לְיַד שְׁלוּחָהּ שֶׁעָשְׂתָה לְקַבָּלָה. וְכָל שֶׁהִיא סְפֵק גְּרוּשָׁה הֲרֵי זוֹ לֹא תֹּאכַל. הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁעָשְׂתָה שָׁלִיחַ לְקַבֵּל לָהּ גִּטָּהּ אֲסוּרָה לֶאֱכל בִּתְרוּמָה מִיָּד. וְאִם אָמְרָה קַבֵּל לִי גִּטִּי בְּמָקוֹם פְּלוֹנִי אֵינָהּ אֲסוּרָה עַד שֶׁיַּגִּיעַ שָׁלִיחַ לְאוֹתוֹ מָקוֹם. שָׁלְחָה שָׁלִיחַ לְהָבִיא לָהּ גִּטָּהּ אוֹכֶלֶת בִּתְרוּמָה עַד שֶׁיַּגִּיעַ גֵּט לְיָדָהּ. הָאוֹמֵר לְאִשְׁתּוֹ הֲרֵי זֶה גִּטֵּךְ שָׁעָה אַחַת קֹדֶם לְמִיתָתִי אֲסוּרָה לֶאֱכל בִּתְרוּמָה מִיָּד:
[The inhabitants of] a city under siege, [the voyagers on] a ship in danger of sinking at sea, and a suspect to be judged [for a crime worthy of capital punishment] are presumed to be alive.8 Needless to say, this applies to one who goes on a caravan journey.9
[In the following instances,] however: a city was captured by besieging forces, a ship was lost at sea, or a person was going out to be executed by a gentile court,10 a person dragged by a wild beast, one upon whom a landslide fell, or one carried away by a river, we regard the individuals with the stringencies appropriate to both the living and the dead.11 Therefore if among the women were the daughter of a priest married to an Israelite12 or the daughter of an Israelite married to a priest,13 they may not partake [of terumah].
If, however, a person was sentenced to death in a [Jewish] court and was taken to the place where he will be stoned,14 we presume that he is dead and his wife may not partake [of terumah].15
בעִיר שֶׁהִקִּיפוּהָ כַּרְקוֹם וּסְפִינָה הַמִּטָּרֶפֶת בַּיָּם וְהַיּוֹצֵא לִדּוֹן הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ בְּחֶזְקַת קַיָּמִין. וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר מְפָרֵשׁ וְיוֹצֵא בְּשַׁיָּרָא. אֲבָל עִיר שֶׁכְּבָשׁוּהָ כַּרְקוֹם וּסְפִינָה שֶׁאָבְדָה בַּיָּם וְהַיּוֹצֵא לֵהָרֵג מִבָּתֵּי דִּינֵי עַכּוּ''ם וּמִי שֶׁגְּרָרַתּוּ חַיָּה אוֹ נָפְלָה עָלָיו מַפּלֶת אוֹ שְׁטָפוֹ נָהָר נוֹתְנִין לוֹ חֻמְרֵי מֵתִים וְחֻמְרֵי חַיִּים. לְפִיכָךְ אִם הָיוּ נְשׁוֹתֵיהֶן בַּת כֹּהֵן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹ בַּת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְכֹהֵן הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ לֹא יֹאכְלוּ. אֲבָל מִי שֶׁנִּגְמַר דִּינוֹ בְּבֵית דִּין וְהִנִּיחוּהוּ בְּבֵית הַסְּקִילָה לֵהָרֵג הֲרֵי זֶה בְּחֶזְקַת מֵת וְלֹא תֹּאכַל אִשְׁתּוֹ:
If a woman left her husband while he was in his death throes in another country, she may not partake of terumah, whether she is the daughter of a priest married to an Israelite or the daughter of an Israelite married to a priest. [The rationale is that] most people in their death throes die.16
If one witness testifies that [a woman's husband] has died and one testifies that he has not died, she may not partake [of terumah].17
גהִנִּיחָה בַּעְלָהּ גּוֹסֵס בִּמְדִינָה אַחֶרֶת בֵּין שֶׁהָיְתָה כֹּהֶנֶת אֵשֶׁת יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹ יִשְׂרְאֵלִית אֵשֶׁת כֹּהֵן לֹא תֹּאכַל שֶׁרֹב גּוֹסְסִין לְמִיתָה. אֶחָד אוֹמֵר מֵת וְאֶחָד אוֹמֵר לֹא מֵת הֲרֵי זוֹ לֹא תֹּאכַל:
[When a man is married to two wives and] one of the wives tells the other that their husband died, since [the other wife] cannot marry by virtue of this testimony,18 she may continue to partake of terumah19 on the presumption that her husband is alive until a person upon whose testimony is sufficient to enable her to marry testifies concerning her. [The same ruling applies] if such testimony is given by any of the five women whose testimony is not accepted if they say that her husband died.20
דאָמְרָה לָהּ צָרָתָהּ אוֹ אַחַת מֵהֶחָמֵשׁ נָשִׁים שֶׁאֵינָן נֶאֱמָנוֹת לְהָעִידָהּ שֶׁמֵּת בַּעְלָהּ הוֹאִיל וְאֵינָהּ נִשֵּׂאת עַל פִּיהֶן הֲרֵי זוֹ אוֹכֶלֶת בִּתְרוּמָה בְּחֶזְקַת שֶׁבַּעְלָהּ קַיָּם. עַד שֶׁיָּעִיד לָהּ מִי שֶׁהוּא נֶאֱמָן לְהַשִּׂיאָהּ עַל פִּיו:
When [a priest] frees his servant, from the time he transfers21 his bill of emancipation22 to him, he disqualifies him from partaking of terumah. Whenever a servant is given his freedom, but his bill of emancipation is withheld as will be explained in Hilchot Avadim,23 he is, nonetheless, forbidden to partake of terumah.
ההַמְשַׁחְרֵר אֶת עַבְדּוֹ מִשֶּׁיְּזַכֶּה לוֹ בְּגֵט שִׁחְרוּר פְּסָלוֹ מִלֶּאֱכל בִּתְרוּמָה. וְכָל עֶבֶד שֶׁיָּצָא לְחֵרוּת וַעֲדַיִן הוּא מְעֻכָּב גֵּט שִׁחְרוּר כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר בְּהִלְכוֹת עֲבָדִים אַף עַל פִּי כֵן הֲרֵי הוּא אָסוּר לֶאֱכל בִּתְרוּמָה:
Mishneh Torah (Moznaim)
Featuring a modern English translation and a commentary that presents a digest of the centuries of Torah scholarship which have been devoted to the study of the Mishneh Torah by Maimonides.
There is a doubt [whether the transfer of the ownership of a servant is effective in the following situation]. A person composed a legal document transferring his property - which included servants - to another person. He [did not give the document to that person directly, but instead] gave it to another person on his behalf.24 The recipient [of the present] remained silent and afterwards, protested. There is a doubt whether his protests reflected his initial disposition25 and thus [the servants] have never left the initial domain or whether his protest after his initial silence is [interpreted as] a renunciation of his initial position.26 Therefore, [the servants] may not partake of terumah. [This applies] whether the second master27 was an Israelite and the first master, a priest or the first master was an Israelite and the second, a priest.28
והַכּוֹתֵב נְכָסָיו לְאַחֵר וְזִכָּה לוֹ עַל יְדֵי אַחֵר וְהָיוּ בָּהֶן עֲבָדִים וְשָׁתַק זֶה שֶׁנָּתְנוּ לוֹ וְאַחַר כָּךְ צָוַח הֲרֵי זֶה סָפֵק אִם זֶה שֶׁצָּוַח הוֹכִיחַ סוֹפוֹ עַל תְּחִלָּתוֹ וַעֲדַיִן לֹא יָצְאוּ מֵרְשׁוּת רִאשׁוֹן אוֹ זֶה שֶׁצָּוַח אַחַר שֶׁשָּׁתַק חָזַר בּוֹ. לְפִיכָךְ אֵין אוֹכְלִין בִּתְרוּמָה בֵּין שֶׁהָיָה רַבּוֹ שֵׁנִי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהָרִאשׁוֹן כֹּהֵן בֵּין שֶׁהָיָה רַבּוֹ רִאשׁוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַשֵּׁנִי כֹּהֵן:
When an Israelite rents livestock from a priest, he may feed it terumah.29 When a priest rents livestock from an Israelite, although he is obligated to provide it with food, he may not feed it terumah, because it is not his financial acquisition.30
זיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁשָּׂכַר בְּהֵמָה מִכֹּהֵן מַאֲכִילָהּ תְּרוּמָה וְכֹהֵן שֶׁשָּׂכַר בֶּהֱמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהוּא חַיָּב בִּמְזוֹנוֹתֶיהָ לֹא יַאֲכִילֶנָּה תְּרוּמָה מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵינָהּ (ויקרא כב יא) "קִנְיַן כַּסְפּוֹ":
When an Israelite receives a cow from a priest for the sake of fattening it and has it evaluated so that its increase in value will be split,31 he may not feed it terumah even though the priest has a share in its increase in value. If, by contrast, a priest receives a cow from an Israelite for the sake of fattening it and has it evaluated, he may feed it terumah. [The rationale is that] although the Israelite has a share in its increase in value, its body belongs to the priest, because he has [accepted responsibility] for its value.
חיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁשָּׁם פָּרָה מִכֹּהֵן לְפַטְּמָהּ וְלִהְיוֹת הַשֶּׁבַח בֵּינֵיהֶן לֹא יַאֲכִילֶנָּה בִּתְרוּמָה אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לַכֹּהֵן חֵלֶק בְּשִׁבְחָהּ. אֲבָל כֹּהֵן שֶׁשָּׁם פָּרָה מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל לְפַטְּמָהּ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל חֵלֶק בַּשֶּׁבַח הוֹאִיל וְגוּפָהּ לַכֹּהֵן שֶׁהֲרֵי שָׁמָהּ עַל עַצְמוֹ הֲרֵי זֶה מַאֲכִילָהּ תְּרוּמָה:
When a cow belonging to an Israelite gives birth to its firstborn, the owner may feed it terumah, for the firstborn belongs to the priests.32 A person may store vetch33 that is terumah in his dovecote. He need not worry that his doves will come and eat it.34
טפָּרָתוֹ שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיָּלְדָה בְּכוֹר מַאֲכִילוֹ תְּרוּמָה. שֶׁהַבְּכוֹר לַכֹּהֲנִים. וְאוֹצֵר אָדָם כַּרְשִׁינֵי תְּרוּמָה לְתוֹךְ שׁוֹבָכוֹ וְאֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁשׁ שֶׁמָּא יָבוֹאוּ הַיּוֹנִים שֶׁלּוֹ וְיֹאכְלוּ אוֹתָן:
It appears to me35 that if a priest sold his cow to an Israelite and took payment, he can no longer feed it terumah even though the purchaser has not drawn it into his domain as of yet. [The rationale is that] according to Scriptural Law, the transfer of money completes a transaction, as will be explained in Hilchot Mekach UMemcar.36 [Conversely,] if an Israelite sold a cow to a priest, he should not feed it terumah until he draws it into his domain37 even though he already made payment.
ייֵרָאֶה לִי שֶׁאִם מָכַר הַכֹּהֵן פָּרָתוֹ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְלָקַח הַדָּמִים אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁעֲדַיִן לֹא מָשַׁךְ הַלּוֹקֵחַ הֲרֵי זֶה אָסוּר לְהַאֲכִילָהּ תְּרוּמָה שֶׁדִּין תּוֹרָה מָעוֹת קוֹנוֹת כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר בְּהִלְכוֹת מִקָּח וּמִמְכָּר. וְאִם מָכַר יִשְׂרָאֵל לַכֹּהֵן אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנָּתַן הַדָּמִים לֹא תֹּאכַל בִּתְרוּמָה עַד שֶׁיִּמְשֹׁךְ: