Zeraim
Zeraim (
זרעים,
Seeds) is the first Order (or section) of the
Mishnah (and
Tosefta and
Talmud). Of the six orders of the Mishnah, Zeraim is the shortest. It deals mainly with the agricultural laws of the land of Israel.
Zeraim contains eleven volumes:
#
Berakhot (ברכות,
Blessings) deals with the rules of
blessings and prayers, especially the
Shema. 9 chapters.#
Pe'ah (פא",
Corner) deals with the regulations concerning the
commandment to leave the corner of one's field for the poor (
Leviticus 19:9"10, 23:22;
Deuteronomy 24:19"22), and with the rights of the poor in general. 8 chapters.#
Demai ("מאי,
Doubtful Produce) deals chiefly with various cases in which it is not certain whether the priestly donations have been taken from produce. 7 chapters.#
Kil'ayim (כלאים,
Of Two Sorts;
Heterogeneous) deals chiefly with rules regarding forbidden mixtures in agriculture, clothing and breeding (
Leviticus 19:19;
Deuteronomy 22:9"11). 9 chapters.#
Shevi'it (שביעית,
Seventh Year) deals with the agricultural and fiscal regulations concerning the
Sabbatical Year (
Exodus 23:11,
Leviticus 25:1"8,
Deuteronomy 15:1"11). 10 chapters.#
Terumot (תרומות,
Donations) deals with the laws regarding the
terumah donation given to the
Kohanim (Jewish priests) (
Numbers 18:8"20,
Deuteronomy 18:4). 11 chapters.#
Ma'aserot (מעשרות,
Tithes) or
Ma'aser Rishon (מעשר ראשון,
First Tithe) deals with the rules regarding the
tithe to be given to the
Levites (
Numbers 18:21"24). 5 chapters#
Ma'aser Sheni (מעשר שני,
Second Tithe) deals with the rules concerning the tithe which was to be eaten in
Jerusalem (
Deuteronomy 14:22"26). 5 chapters#
Hallah (חל",
Glob of Dough) deals with the laws regarding the
hallah offering of dough to be given to the Kohanim (
Numbers 15:18"21). 4 chapters#
Orlah (ערל",
Blockage of Trees) deals chiefly with the prohibition of the immediate use of a tree after it has been planted (
Leviticus 19:23"25). 3 chapters.#
Bikkurim (ביכורים,
First-Fruits) deals with the
first-fruit gifts to the Kohanim and
Temple (
Exodus 23:19;
Deuteronomy 26:1). 3 / 4 chapters.
In many editions of the Mishnah, even early ones like those of Naples 1492, and of Riva 1559, as well as in most of the editions of the Babylonian
Talmud, a fourth chapter, which does not rightly belong in the Mishnah, has been added to Bikkurim (comp. the gloss in the
Vilna edition of the Talmud, p. 87b). The sequence of the volumes of Zeraim in both editions (as they are numbered above) corresponds with that given by
Maimonides.
Although the first volume, about blessings, seems not to belong in a section on agriculture, the reasoning for its inclusion is as follows: In Judaism, a blessing must be said before enjoying food or other produce. Similarly, before studying the laws pertaining to sustenance, it is appropriate to learn the laws of blessings.
In the
Babylonian Talmud, the only
Gemara in Zeraim is for the first volume, Berakhot. This is because the agricultural laws dealt with in the other volumes mainly apply only within Israel, and were therefore not as relevant to the academies in Babylonia. The
Jerusalem Talmud, however, has Gemara on each of the tractates, since many of the laws they contain were still relevant in the time of the Rabbis of the Jerusalem Talmud.
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Talmud*
Mishnah*
Gemara
