Tithing Animal Tithe Across Different Years

עישור מן החדש על הישן

While grain cannot be tithed from one year's crop for another, can an owner combine newborn animals across different calendar years if he already passed them through the chute?

The Mishnah presents a dual rule for מעשר בהמה (animal tithe): one may tithe sheep together with goats, yet one may never tithe animals born in the current year together with animals born in the previous year. The Gemara notes an apparent contradiction through a קל וחומר (a fortiori inference): if sheep and goats, which constitute distinct diverse kinds (כלאים) that cannot interbreed, may nevertheless be combined for animal tithe, should not newborns of different years, which can freely interbreed, combine all the more so?

The Gemara rejects this logic by citing a biblical juxtaposition (היקש). The verse states עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר (You shall surely tithe), which teaches that Scripture juxtaposes animal tithe to grain tithe. Just as grain may not be tithed from the new harvest for the old harvest based on the limitation שָׁנָה שָׁנָה (year by year), so too animals born in one year cannot be tithed for those born in another.

The Gemara then questions the balance of this rule: why does the היקש restrict separate years while the broad category of 'flock' (צאן) allows sheep and goats to be tithed together? Rava resolves this by stressing that the biblical phrase שָׁנָה שָׁנָה explicitly focuses the juxtaposition exclusively on the requirement of annual reckoning.

The question

Does the prohibition against combining animal tithes across different years invalidate the tithe בדיעבד (post facto), or does it remain an exclusively לכתחלה (initial) stricture?

Through the sources

The Gemara (Gemara)

תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר״ בִּשְׁתֵּי מַעַשְׂרוֹת הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר, אֶחָד מַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה וְאֶחָד מַעֲשַׂר דָּגָן, וּמַקִּישׁ מַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה לְמַעֲשֵׂר דָּגָן

The Gemara links animal tithe directly to agricultural tithes via the double verb עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר. This establishes that the boundary of separate years governs animal tithe biblically just as it governs grain.

The Gemara (Gemara)

אָמַר רָבָא: אָמַר קְרָא ״שָׁנָה שָׁנָה״ — לְשָׁנָה הִקַּשְׁתִּיו, וְלֹא לְדָבָר אַחֵר.

Rava explains why the Torah permits diverse flock animals together but forbids mixing years. The term שָׁנָה שָׁנָה reveals that Scripture meant to restrict the juxtaposition to yearly cohorts alone.

Rashi (Rishonim)

לשנה הקשתיו - מעשר בהמה למעשר דגן שלא יתרום משל שנה שעברה שנולד קודם אלול על שנולדו לאחר אלול:

Rashi defines the operational cut-off between successive years for newborn animals. An owner is barred from tithing animals born before the New Year cutoff for those born after it.

Tosafot (Rishonim)

Tosafot demonstrate that this textual juxtaposition is so potent that it overrides a logical קל וחומר. The year division is the primary legal purpose for which Scripture formulated this juxtaposition.

Kessef Mishneh (Rishonim)

ומה שכתב שנאמר שנה שנה. פ"ק דר"ה (דף י"ב:) ובר"פ בתרא דבכורות (דף נ"ג:) ומאחר דמקרא יליף לה אינה תרומה:

Commenting on agricultural separation, the Kessef Mishneh notes that because the limitation of שָׁנָה שָׁנָה is derived from an explicit verse, an invalid annual separation does not take effect post facto.

Arukh LaNer (Acharonim)

מה שכ' הרמב"ם ה' בכורות פ"ז דאם עישר מן החדש על הישן בדיעבד כשר כיון דלא כתיב בתורה שנה שנה רק גבי מעשר דגן

The Arukh LaNer addresses the Rambam's view that mixing years in animal tithe is valid בדיעבד (post facto). He explains that the Rambam viewed the derivation in Bekhorot as an אסמכתא rather than absolute biblical law.

Arukh HaShulchan HeAtid (Acharonim)

The Arukh HaShulchan asserts that the derivation in Bekhorot 53b constitutes a complete and binding biblical derivation, which fundamentally invalidates cross-year designations.

Ways to understand it

Absolute Invalidation Post Facto

The derivation from עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר and שָׁנָה שָׁנָה creates a full biblical היקש that equates animal tithe to grain tithe. Because the Torah explicitly binds each tithe to its own year, any cross-year designation lacks all legal validity בדיעבד.

Rabbinic Stricture Valid Post Facto

Scripture explicitly wrote the phrase שָׁנָה שָׁנָה only with regard to agricultural produce. Consequently, the application of yearly borders to animals is an אסמכתא that validates the act בדיעבד.

Where it lands

The sugya sets a firm biblical barrier based on שָׁנָה שָׁנָה against tithing animals born across different years. While grain tithes separated from one year for another are totally invalid even בדיעבד, commentators note that the Rambam distinguishes animal tithe, ruling it valid post facto because the limitation is secondary.

Although animal tithes may not cross annual boundaries לכתחלה, whether that cross-year tithe takes effect בדיעבד hinges on the biblical force of the textual juxtaposition.

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