Daily Daf – Menachot 70 (70a–70b)
Todays daf shifts from unresolved edge‑cases to classification and definition, asking which grains and growths are halachically significant for challah, chadash, tithes, and offerings, and how subsequent growth affects obligation.
- The Five Species of Grain
The daf identifies the five grains that alone are halachically recognized as grain:
- Wheat
- Barley
- Spelt
- Oats
- Rye
Only these species:
- Are obligated in challah
- Can become chametz
- Are permitted or restricted by the Omer
- Can be used for menachot and the Two Loaves
Other plant products may resemble grain but do not share this legal status.
- Which Grains Are Permitted by the Omer
The Gemara examines which grain becomes permitted when the Omer is brought:
- Grain that has already taken root before the Omer is permitted
- Grain that has not taken root is not This distinction defines what counts as “new” versus “old” produce for the purposes of chadash.
- Replanting Grain After Tithing
A major sugya addresses grain that was:
- Measured and tithed
- Replanted
- Then produced additional growth
The question is whether we follow:
- The original growth, which was already tithed, or
- The new growth, which may require a fresh tithe
Abaye argues that new growth always requires tithing, just like any newly grown grain.
- Seeds That Do or Do Not Disintegrate
Rabba refines the discussion by distinguishing between:
- Seeds that disintegrate in the ground (where new growth is clearly a new obligation)
- Seeds that remain intact, raising the question of whether later growth is halachically continuous with the original seed
The Gemara attempts to resolve this from cases involving replanted onions, but ultimately rejects the comparison, leaving the distinction unresolved.
