Sifrei on Deuteronomy Sifrei Devarim 109

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Devarim 14:28) "(If one delayed giving his tithes of the first and second years) From the end of three years, you shall remove all the tithe of your produce": I might think, even on the festival; it is, therefore, written (Ibid. 26:12) "When you finish tithing" (and the tithing of the third year's produce is not completed until Channukah of the fourth year).

2

English · Shraga Silverstein

I might think, on Channukah; it is, therefore, written (here) "the end," and, elsewhere (Ibid. 31:10) "the end." Just as "the end" there is a festival, so, "the end" here.

3

English · Shraga Silverstein

— But, perhaps, just as "the end" there is the festival of Succoth, so, "the end" here; it is, therefore, written "when you finish tithing" — the festival when the tithing has ended, i.e., Pesach. From here they ruled: On the eve of the last day of the Pesach festival of the fourth year and of the seventh year (of the shemitah), there was removal (of the tithe from the house). On the fourth year, by reason of the poor-tithe of the third year; on the seventh year, by reason of the poor-tithe of the sixth year.

4

English · Shraga Silverstein

I might think that removal (of the tithe) obtains on the seventh year, too; it is, therefore, written (26:12) "the year of the tithe" — the year when the tithe obtains, to exclude the seventh year, when the tithe does not obtain.

5

English · Shraga Silverstein

I might think that two tithes obtain in that year, (the first-tithe and the second-tithe); it is, therefore, written (Ibid. 26:12) "the year of the tithe": one tithe (of the two obtains), and not two.

6

English · Shraga Silverstein

This tells me only of the poor-tithe, of which the verse is speaking. Whence do I derive (for removal in the third year) the other tithes? From (Ibid.) "all the tithe of your produce."

7

English · Shraga Silverstein

"you shall remove": (even) from a place of cleanliness to a place of uncleanliness.

8

English · Shraga Silverstein

I might think that this holds for the other years, too; it is, therefore, written "in that year": It applies only in that year, and not in the other years. "in that year": You remove the produce of that year, and not greens that grew from Rosh Hashanah until Pesach, (for Rosh Hashanah begins a new year, so that it is the produce of the fourth year and not of the third.)

9

English · Shraga Silverstein

"and you shall place it in your gates": And if there is no poor man there, place it in the store-house.

10

English · Shraga Silverstein

[I might think that two tithes obtain in that year, (the first-tithe and the second-tithe); it is, therefore, written (Ibid. 26:12) "the year of the tithe": one tithe (of the two obtains), and not two.] But I would not know which tithe is replaced by the poor-tithe — first-tithe or second-tithe? It is, therefore, written (Ibid. 14:29) "And the Levite shall come, for he has no portion and inheritance with you" — The Levite comes and takes his portion (first-tithe) in any event, (and there is no second-tithe). These are the words of R. Yehudah.

11

English · Shraga Silverstein

R. Eliezer b. Yaakov says: This (verse) is not needed (to tell us this). It is written (Bamidbar 18:21) "And to the sons of Levi I have given all the tithe in Israel as an inheritance" — Just as an inheritance does not "move" (i.e., is not rescinded), so, the first-tithe.

12

English · Shraga Silverstein

I might think that leket, shikchah, and peah, too, (see Vayikra 19) are subject to the tithe; it is, therefore, written "And the Levite shall come, for he has no portion and inheritance with you." (For) things in which he has no portion or inheritance with you you give him (a tithe), to exclude those things (the above) in which he does have a portion and an inheritance with you, (viz. Vayikra 19:10) "To the poor and to the stranger shall you leave them."

Sifrei Devarim 109

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