4. Men may smear the saplings, and bind them, and cut them down, and make sheds for them, and water them, till new year's day. R. Eleazar, the son of Zadok, said, “one may even water the top of the branch in the Sabbatical year, but not the root.”
5. Men may anoint unripe fruits, and puncture[44] them, till new year's day. Unripe fruit of the eve of the Sabbatical year which is just entering on the Sabbatical year, and unripe fruit of the Sabbatical year which is proceeding to the close of the Sabbatical year, they may neither anoint nor puncture. Rabbi Jehudah said, “the place where it is customary to anoint them, they may not anoint them, because that is work. The place where it is not customary to anoint them, they may anoint them.” R. Simon “permitted it in trees because it is allowable in the usual culture of the trees.”
6. Men may not plant trees, make layers, or engraft them, on the eve of the Sabbatical year, less than thirty days before new year's day. And if one plant them, or make layers, or engraft them, they must be rooted out. Rabbi Judah said, “every graft which does not cohere in three days has no more cohesion.” Rabbi José and R. Simon said “in two weeks.”
7. Rice, and millet, and poppy, and simsim,[45] which have taken root before new year's day, must be tithed for the past year, and are allowed for use in the Sabbatical year; otherwise [pg 058] they are forbidden in the Sabbatical year, and must pay tithes for the following year.
8. R. Simon of Shezur said, “Egyptian beans which are sown at first for seed are reckoned like them.” R. Simon said, “the large lentils are reckoned like them.” R. Eliezer said, “the large lentils which put forth pods before new year's day are also reckoned like them.”
9. “Onions, not for seed, and Egyptian beans, from which water is withheld thirty days before new year's day, must pay tithes for the past year, and they are allowed for use in the Sabbatical year. Otherwise they are forbidden in the Sabbatical year, and must be tithed for the coming year, and so also (the produce) of a rain-field[46] from which the water of irrigation is withheld on two occasions.” The words of R. Maier. But the Sages say “three.”
10. “The gourds which stand over for seed?” “If they dry up before new year's day and are unfit for human food, it is lawful to let them remain on the Sabbatical year. Otherwise it is forbidden to let them stand over on the Sabbatical year. Their buds are forbidden in the Sabbatical year. But they may be sprinkled with white dust.”[47] The words of R. Simon. Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Jacob, “forbade them.” Men may irrigate rice in the Sabbatical year. Rabbi Simon said, “but they must not cut its leaves.”
Chapter III
1. “How long may men bring out dung to the heap?” “Till the time comes for stopping work.” The words of R. Maier. R. Judah said, “till its fertility[48] dry out.” R. José said, “till it hardens into a lump.”