Overview
With the laws of ืืจืืข, ืืืืื ืืงืืื largely completed, the Mishnah turns to another of the gifts due to a Kohen:
ืจืืฉืืช ืืื โ the first shearing of sheep.
The daf discusses where the mitzvah applies, which animals are included, how much wool is required, and whether partnership ownership affects the obligation.
The Mishnah: Basic Rules of Reishit HaGez
The Mishnah teaches:
โ Applies in Eretz Yisrael and Chutz LaAretz.
โ Applies both when the Beit HaMikdash stands and after the Churban.
โ Applies only to chullin, not to consecrated animals.
Unlike ืืจืืข ืืืืื ืืงืืื:
โ It applies only to sheep (rechelot).
โ It applies only when there is a sufficiently large amount of wool.
How Many Sheep Are Required?
Beit Shammai
Two sheep are enough.
They derive this from:
โืืฉืชื ืฆืืโ
Beit Hillel
Five sheep are required.
The halachah follows Beit Hillel.
How Much Wool Must Be Given?
The Mishnah states:
The Kohen must receive enough cleaned wool to make a small garment.
The standard given is:
Five selaโim in Yehudah (equivalent to ten selaโim in the Galil because of differing weights).
The Torah says:
โืชืชื ืืโ
The gift must be substantial enough to be considered a meaningful gift.
What Happens if the Wool Is Dyed?
If the owner dyes the wool before giving it:
He becomes exempt.
Once the wool has been changed significantly, the original obligation no longer exists in the same form.
If he leaves it unchanged and passes it to his son, however:
The obligation remains.
Why Are Kodshim Exempt?
The Gemara asks:
Why does the Torah need the word:
โืฆืื ืโ
Your sheep.
Wouldnโt kodshim already be excluded?
The Gemara explores several possibilities:
Kodshei Mizbeโach
Already forbidden to shear.
Bedek HaBayit
More complicated, because on a Torah level they could theoretically be shorn.
The Gemara concludes that:
โืฆืื ืโ ืืื ืฆืื ืืงืืฉ
The mitzvah applies only to fully private sheep.
Two Explanations
Rabbi Yannai
A person consecrated the sheep but retained the rights to the wool.
One might think the shearing still requires Reishit HaGez.
The Torah excludes it.
Rava
A person consecrated the wool itself.
One might think he could shear, redeem, and give the gift.
The Torah excludes such cases.
Partnership Sheep
The major sugya of the daf concerns:
Sheep owned by partners.
Rabbi Ilai
From:
ืฆืื ื
he derives:
Yours alone, not partnership property.
Therefore partnership sheep are exempt.
The Rabbis
They disagree.
Partnership among Jews remains obligated.
Only partnership with a non-Jew is excluded.
Partnership with a Non-Jew
The Gemara compares Reishit HaGez with:
- Terumah
- Challah
- Peโah
- Bechor
- Mezuzah
and investigates whether partnership with a non-Jew creates exemption.
The Rabbis generally distinguish:
A Jew remains fundamentally obligated.
A non-Jew is not.
Therefore partial Jewish ownership can still create obligation in many areas.
Ravaโs Important Rule
Rava notes:
Although Rabbi Ilai exempts partnership in Reishit HaGez,
he agrees that:
โ Terumah of Jewish partners is obligated.
โ Challah of Jewish partners is obligated.
The special exemption is limited to Reishit HaGez because of the unique word:
ืฆืื ื
Big Idea of the Daf
The central theme of Chullin 135 is:
Reishit HaGez is a gift connected not merely to ownership of animals, but to personal ownership of the wool-producing flock.
The word โืฆืื ืโ becomes the key term defining who is obligated and which sheep qualify.
Final Summary
Chullin 135 begins the laws of Reishit HaGez, the gift of the first shearing given to a Kohen. The Mishnah establishes that the mitzvah applies everywhere but only to sheep and only when a substantial quantity of wool is shorn. The Gemara explains why consecrated animals are exempt and develops a major dispute between Rabbi Ilai and the Rabbis about sheep owned in partnership. The dafโs central focus is the Torahโs phrase โืฆืื ืโ, which defines the ownership required to create the obligation of Reishit HaGez.