משנה: רָאשֵׁי הַשּׁוּרוֹת עוֹמֶר שֶׁכֶּנֶּגְדּוֹ מוֹכִיחַ. הָעוֹמֶר שֶׁהֶחֱזִיק בּוֹ לְהוֹלִיכוֹ אֶל הָעִיר וְשָׁכַח מוֹדִים שֶׁאֵינוֹ שִׁכְחָה. אֵלּוּ הֵן רָאשֵׁי הַשּׁוּרוֹת שְׁנַיִם שֶׁהִתְחִילוּ בְאֶמְצַע הַשּׁוּרָה זֶה פָנָה לְצָפוֹן וְזֶה פָנָה לְדָרוֹם וְשָׁכְחוּ לִפְנֵיהֶן וּלְאַחֲרֵיהֶן. שֶׁלִּפְנֵיהֶן שִׁכְחָה וְשֶׁל אַחֲרֵיהֶן אֵינוֹ שִׁכְחָה. הַיָּחִיד שֶׁהִתְחִיל מֵרֹאשׁ הַשּׁוּרָה וְשָׁכַח לְפָנָיו וּלְאַחֲרָיו. שֶׁלְּפָנָיו אֵינוֹ שִׁכְחָה וְשֶׁלְּאַחֲרָיו שִׁכְחָה. שֶׁהוּא בְּבַל תָּשׁוּב. זֶה הַכְּלָל כָּל שֶׁהוּא בְּבַל תָּשׁוּב שִׁכְחָה וְכָּל שֶׁאֵינוֹ בְּבַל תָּשׁוּב אֵינוֹ שִׁכְחָה.
MISHNAH: Heads of rows, the sheaf next to it proves, and a sheaf that was taken up to be brought to town and then was forgotten, they all agree that they never are forgotten sheaves. The following describe heads of rows: Two who started in the middle of the row, one turned North and the other turned South, and they forgot before them or after them. The one before them is a forgotten sheaf, the one after them is not a forgotten sheaf. A single person who started at the head of a row and forgot before and after himself. The one before him is not a forgotten sheaf, but the one after him is a forgotten sheaf because it falls under (Deut. 24:19) “do not return to take it.” This is the principle: Anything that falls under “do not return to take it,” is a forgotten sheaf, but anything that does not fall under “do not return to take it,” is not a forgotten sheaf.