Zeraim

Seder Zeraim(Hebrew:סדר זרעים,romanized:Sēder Zərāʿim,lit. "Order of Seeds" ) is the first of the six orders, or major divisions, of theMishnah,Tosefta,and theTalmud,and, apart from the firsttractatewhich concerns the rules for prayers and blessings, primarily deals with the laws of agricultural produce and tithes of the Torah which apply in theLand of Israel,in both their religious and social aspects.

Topics

Zeraim deals principally with the religious and social aspects of the agricultural laws of theTorah.It explains and elaborates upon theTorah commandmentsregarding to the rights of the poor and of theKohensandLevitesto the produce of the harvest, as well as the rules and regulations concerning the cultivation and sowing of fields, gardens and orchards. These laws are dealt with in eleven tractates, each of which concerns a separate aspect of the general subject for which this Order is named. The first tractate,Berakhot,concerns the daily prayers and blessings that observant Jews are obligated to recite.

One explanation for the inclusion of the tractate Berakhot, whose topic is seemingly quite different from the remainder of the tractates of the Order is given in the Talmud itself (Shabbat31a), byShimon ben Lakish,who homiletically states that the first of the six terms in a verse in Isaiah (Isa 33:6) – the wordemunah"faith" corresponds to Seder Zeraim. This designation is seen as addressing how regulations regarding prayers and blessings – and especially those concerning the recital of theShema Yisrael– the emblematic Jewish declaration of faith in theOne God– came to be grouped with agricultural laws, which are seen both as an expression of faith through reliance on God and, according toRashi,the foremost Talmudic commentator (1040 – 1105 CE), as an expression of faithfulness in social relationships, by providing their respective dues to the poor and the Kohens and Levites as described in the other tractates of this Order.

Content

Seder Zeraim comprises eleventractates,with a total of 74 chapters, as follows:

• Berakhot"Blessings", consists of nine chapters and deals with the rules for daily prayer, particularly theShemaand theAmidah,and otherblessings and prayerssaid before and after eating, and on other occasions.
• Pe'ah( "Corner" ), has eight chapters and deals with thecommandmentsconcerning the gifts to the poor from the produce of the land, namely from the corners of the field which must be left to the poor, gleanings, and forgotten produce assigned to them, as specified in the TorahLev 19:9–10,Lev 23:22and (Deut 24:19–22), and with the topic ofcharityand rights of the poor in general.
• Demai( "Doubtfully Tithed Produce" ), has seven chapters and deals with cases in which it is uncertain thattitheshave been set aside from produce for theKohanim(priests) andLevites.
• Kil'ayim( "Mixed Species" ), has nine chapters and deals with rules regarding forbidden mixtures in agriculture, clothing and animal breeding, as specified inLeviticus 19:19andDeuteronomy 22:9–11.
• Shevi'it( "Seventh Year" ) has ten chapters which deal with the agricultural and fiscal regulations concerning theSabbatical Year,and the remission of debts, as specified inExodus 23:11,Leviticus 25:1–8andDeuteronomy 15:1–11
• Terumot( "Donations" ) comprises eleven chapters dealing with the laws regarding theterumahdonation given to theKohanim,as specified inNumbers 18:8–20,Deuteronomy 18:4.
• Ma'aserotorMa'aser Rishon( "Tithes" or "First Tithes" ) has five chapters concerning the rules regarding the tithe to be given to theLevitesas specified inNumbers 18:21–24.
• Ma'aser Sheni( "Second Tithe" ), comprising five chapters, deals with the rules concerning the tithe or its equivalent which was to be eaten inJerusalemin the first, second, fourth and sixth years of the seven-year agricultural cycle culminating in theSabbatical Yearand as mandated by theTorah,as stated inDeuteronomy 14:22–26.
• Hallah( "Dough" ) comprises four chapters that deal with the laws regarding theoffering of doughto be given to the Kohanim as specified inNumbers 15:18–21.
• Orlah( "First Fruits of Trees" ) with three chapters deals chiefly with the prohibitions on the use of a tree for the first three years after it has been planted, as specified inLeviticus 19:23–25and the requirements regarding the fruit of the fourth year.
• Bikkurim( "First Fruits" ) has three chapters with the laws concerning thefirst-fruitgifts to the Kohanim and theTempleand a description of the donation ceremony, as specified inExodus 23:19andDeuteronomy 26:1.

Structure

Zeraim is the firstseder(order or division) of the Mishnah, in accordance with the traditional order specified by RabbiShimon ben Lakishin the Talmud (Shabbat 31a), althoughRabbi Tanhumasuggests in theMidrash(Bamidbar Rabbah13:15–16) that another tradition has Zeraim as the second order of the Mishnah.

Seder Zeraim differs from the general pattern of the other orders that the tractates are arranged in descending order of the number of chapters and, in fact, according to an early tradition, Shevi’it and Kil'ayim come between Terumot and Ma'aserot. There is also evidence that Demai was placed between Kilayim and Ma'aserot.

In many editions of the Mishnah, even early ones like those of Naples (1492), and ofRiva(1559), as well as in most of the editions of the BabylonianTalmud,a fourth chapter, which is likely aBaraita,has been added to Bikkurim. The sequence of the volumes of Zeraim in both editions (as above) corresponds with that given byMaimonides.

Talmud

Zeraim was compiled and edited between 200–220 CE byRabbi Yehudah haNasiand his colleagues, as part of theMishnah,the first major composition ofJewish lawand ethics based on theOral Torah.Subsequent generations produced a series of commentaries and deliberations relating to the Mishnah, known as theGemara.These together with the Mishnah compose theTalmud:one produced in theLand of Israelc.300–350 CE (theJerusalem Talmud); and a second, more extensive Talmud compiled inBabyloniaand publishedc.450–500 CE (theBabylonian Talmud).

For Zeraim, in the Babylonian Talmud, there isGemara– rabbinical commentary and analysis – only for tractate Berakhot. In theJerusalem Talmudthere is a Gemara for all the tractates of Zeraim, as the laws with which they deal mostly concern theLand of Israel,where this Talmud was compiled and these laws were applicable.