Pisqa’ 294489H:284-286:JN2:260-262. 1. “You shall not have in your pouch stone-weights, one heavy stone and one light stone (Dt.25:13). Is it possible to say that he should not keep together a litra-weight,490The litra is equivalent to a pound.a half litra-weight and a quarter litra-weight? The Teaching states: “Heavy and light” (Dt.25:13)— [but no more than two different weights]. Moreover, a large [hollow stone-weight] casts suspicion on the small [dense stone-weight]— that he might purchase with the heavier weight or make change with the lighter weight.
R. Akiva says: How do I know that a sel`a should not weigh less than a sheqel, nor a dinar less than a quinarius?491A half dinar, rendered in Aramaic as tarp`iq (so Jastrow). See M.Kel.12:7, T.BM.3:17 and T.BM. 5:10 for discussions of the exact amount of wear tolerable in commercial weights. The Teaching states: “You shall not have” (Dt.25:13)— [two unequal weights].
2. “You shall not have in your house, two measuring cups, one large and one small” (Dt.25:14). Is it possible to say that he should not keep together a cup measuring a tarqav,492Two qavs.one at a tarqav and a half, and one at a tarqav and a quarter? The Teaching states: “One large and one small” (Dt.25:14)— [more than two different measures is permissible]. Moreover, the large [measure] casts suspicion upon the small [measure]— that he might purchase with the large measure and disburse with the lighter measure.
3. R. Eliezer says: How do I know that one doesn’t use a four qav-measure to measure in the home? The Teaching states: “You shall not have in your house” (Dt.25:14)— [domestic measures should be by approximation].
How do I know that where people weigh out with precision, one may not weigh out by eye; nor may one weigh out with precision where people weigh out by eye? The Teaching states: “An honest and fair stone-weight shall you have” (Dt.25:15)— [all in accord with prevailing standards]. Is it possible to say that: Even if one announced —in a market where precise measuring is the norm— Be aware that I measure by eye in order to offer reduced prices! [this departure from prevailing standards is permissible]; Or, where measuring by eye is the norm, [the merchant announced]: I measure precisely, in order to give the customer more for his money! [this is permitted, for the departure from standards benefits the customer]? The Teaching states: “An honest and fair measure shall you use” (Dt.25:15)— [in the market, prevailing standards must apply].
How do I know that one doesn’t heap up the measure where people level it off, nor may one level it off where people heap it up? The Teaching states: “An honest . . . stone-weight” (Dt.25:15)— [according to prevailing market standards]. Is it possible to say that if one announced —in a market where people heap the measure— Be aware that I level the measure, in order to offer reduced prices! Or, where leveling-off is the norm,[he announced]: I heap it up, in order to give the customer more for his money— we pay no attention to him? The Teaching states: “Honest and fair” (Dt.25:15)— [in accord with prevailing standards].
4. “Measures shall you have” (Dt.25:15)— appoint a market administrator for this purpose.493=Sifra, qadoshim, per. 8:8. On this basis they taught: A wholesaler must wipe off his measures once every thirty days, and a householder once every twelve months. {Rabban Shimon b. Gamliel says: matters are just the opposite! The storekeeper must wipe off his measures twice a week, and clean his weights once a week. And he must wipe off his scale pans after each and every use.}494= M. BB.5:10. The bracketed text is omitted from Sifre, appears in Sifra’s parallel, and is restored here on the basis of the Mishnah.
Elazar b. Hanania b. Hezekiah b. Garon says: “A measure495Heb: ‘eifah; a dry measure approximating a bushel. for a bull, and a measure for the ram, and a measure for the lamb” (Ezek.46:11)— now, are the measures of flour for bulls, rams, and lambs indeed the same for each animal? Hasn’t it already been stated: “Three tenth measures for the bull, and two tenth-measures for the ram, and one tenth-measure496Heb: ‘issaron. A dry measure of one-tenth of an ‘eifah. Pl: ‘esronim. for the lamb” (Nu.29:3)? Actually, this teaches that the large measure and the small measure are both called “measure.”
(דברים כה יג) לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּכִיסְךָ אֶבֶן וָאָבֶן, יָכוֹל לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה לִיטְרָא וַחֲצִי לִיטְרָא וּרְבִיעַ לִיטְרָא? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: גְּדוֹלָה וּקְטַנָּה, גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁהִיא מַכְחֶשֶׁת אֶת הַקְּטַנָּה, שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא נוֹטֵל בַּגְּדוֹלָה וּמַחֲזִיר בַּקְּטַנָּה.
Pisqa’ 294489H:284-286:JN2:260-262.
1. “You shall not have in your pouch stone-weights,
one heavy stone and one light stone (Dt.25:13).
Is it possible to say that
he should not keep together
a litra-weight,490The litra is equivalent to a pound.a half litra-weight and a quarter litra-weight?
The Teaching states:
“Heavy and light” (Dt.25:13)—
[but no more than two different weights].
Moreover, a large [hollow stone-weight]
casts suspicion on the small [dense stone-weight]—
that he might purchase with the heavier weight
or make change with the lighter weight.
רַבִּי עֲקִיבָה אוֹמֵר: מִנַּיִן שֶׁאֵין עוֹשִׂים סֶלַע פָּחוּת מִשֶּׁקֶל וְלֹא דִּינָר פָּחוּת מִטַּרְפָּעִיקָא? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ.
R. Akiva says:
How do I know that
a sel`a should not weigh less than a sheqel,
nor a dinar less than a quinarius?491A half dinar, rendered in Aramaic as tarp`iq (so Jastrow). See M.Kel.12:7, T.BM.3:17 and T.BM. 5:10 for discussions of the exact amount of wear tolerable in commercial weights.
The Teaching states:
“You shall not have” (Dt.25:13)—
[two unequal weights].
רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: אִם קִיַּמְתָּ, הֲרֵי הוּא בְּלֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ.
R. Yose b. R. Judah says:
even if you keep it
[without using it as a weight],
it stands under the rule of
you shall not have.
(דברים כה יד) לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּבֵיתְךָ אֵיפָה וְאֵיפָה, יָכוֹל לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה תַּרְקָב וַחֲצִי תַּרְקָב וּרְבִיעַ תַּרְקָב? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: גְּדוֹלָה וּקְטַנָּה, גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁהִיא מַכְחֶשֶׁת אֶת הַקְּטַנָּה, שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא נוֹטֵל בַּגְּדוֹלָה וּמַחֲזִיר בַּקְּטַנָּה.
2. “You shall not have in your house, two measuring cups,
one large and one small” (Dt.25:14).
Is it possible to say that
he should not keep together
a cup measuring a tarqav,492Two qavs.one at a tarqav and a half, and one at a tarqav and a quarter?
The Teaching states:
“One large and one small” (Dt.25:14)—
[more than two different measures is permissible].
Moreover, the large [measure]
casts suspicion upon the small [measure]—
that he might purchase with the large measure
and disburse with the lighter measure.
רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: מִנַּיִן שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם מִדָּה בַּת אַרְבַּעַת קַבִּים לִהְיוֹת מוֹדֵד בָּהּ בְּתוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ.
3. R. Eliezer says:
How do I know that
one doesn’t use a four qav-measure to measure in the home?
The Teaching states:
“You shall not have in your house” (Dt.25:14)—
[domestic measures should be by approximation].
מִנַּיִן שֶׁאֵין מְעַיְּנִים בִּמְקוֹם שֶׁמַּכְרִיעִים וְאֵין מַכְרִיעִים בִּמְקוֹם שֶׁמְּעַיְּנִים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה. יָכוֹל אֲפִלּוּ אָמַר הֲרֵינִי מְעַיֵּן בִּמְקוֹם שֶׁמַּכְרִיעִים לִפְחוֹת לוֹ מִן הַדָּמִים אוֹ לְהַכְרִיעַ בִּמְקוֹם שֶׁמְּעַיְּנִים לְהוֹסִיף לוֹ עַל הַדָּמִים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: וָצֶדֶק יִהְיֶה לָּךְ.
How do I know that
where people weigh out with precision,
one may not weigh out by eye;
nor may one weigh out with precision
where people weigh out by eye?
The Teaching states:
“An honest and fair stone-weight shall you have” (Dt.25:15)—
[all in accord with prevailing standards].
Is it possible to say that:
Even if one announced
—in a market where precise measuring is the norm—
Be aware that I measure by eye
in order to offer reduced prices!
[this departure from prevailing standards is permissible];
Or, where measuring by eye is the norm,
[the merchant announced]:
I measure precisely,
in order to give the customer more for his money!
[this is permitted, for the departure from standards benefits the customer]?
The Teaching states:
“An honest and fair measure shall you use” (Dt.25:15)—
[in the market, prevailing standards must apply].
מִנַּיִן שֶׁלֹּא יִגְדּוֹשׁ בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁמּוֹחֲקִים וְלֹא יִמְחוֹק בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁגּוֹדְשִׁים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה. יָכוֹל אִם אָמַר הֲרֵינִי מוֹחֵק בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁגּוֹדְשִׁים עַל מְנָת לִפְחוֹת לוֹ מִן הַדָּמִים, אוֹ הֲרֵינִי גּוֹדֵשׁ בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁמּוֹחֲקִים עַל מְנָת לְהוֹסִיף לוֹ עַל הַדָּמִים, שֶׁאֵין שׁוֹמְעִים לוֹ? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: וָצֶדֶק יִהְיֶה לָּךְ.
How do I know that
one doesn’t heap up the measure where people level it off,
nor may one level it off where people heap it up?
The Teaching states:
“An honest . . . stone-weight” (Dt.25:15)—
[according to prevailing market standards].
Is it possible to say that
if one announced
—in a market where people heap the measure—
Be aware that I level the measure,
in order to offer reduced prices!
Or, where leveling-off is the norm,[he announced]:
I heap it up, in order to give the customer more for his money—
we pay no attention to him?
The Teaching states:
“Honest and fair” (Dt.25:15)—
[in accord with prevailing standards].
יִהְיֶה לָּךְ, מַנֵּה אַגְרוֹנוֹמוֹס עַל כָּךְ, מִכָּן אָמְרוּ: הַסִּיטוֹן מְקַנֵּחַ מִדּוֹתָיו אַחַת לִשְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם, וּבַעַל הַבַּיִת אַחַת לִשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ וְכוּ׳ מַתְנִי׳
4. “Measures shall you have” (Dt.25:15)—
appoint a market administrator for this purpose.493=Sifra, qadoshim, per. 8:8.
On this basis they taught:
A wholesaler must wipe off his
measures once every thirty days,
and a householder once every twelve months.
{Rabban Shimon b. Gamliel says:
matters are just the opposite!
The storekeeper must wipe off his
measures twice a week,
and clean his weights once a week.
And he must wipe off his scale pans
after each and every use.}494= M. BB.5:10. The bracketed text is omitted from Sifre, appears in Sifra’s parallel, and is restored here on the basis of the Mishnah.
אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן חֲנַנְיָה בֶּן חִזְקִיָּה בֶּן גָּרוֹן אוֹמֵר: הֲרֵי הוּא אוֹמֵר (יחזקאל מו יא): ״אֵיפָה לַפָּר וְאֵיפָה לָאַיִל וְאֵיפָה לַכֶּבֶשׂ״, וְכִי מִדַּת פָּרִים וְאֵילִים וּכְבָשִׂים אַחַת הִיא? וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר (במדבר כט ג): ״שְׁלֹשָׁה עֶשְׂרֹנִים לַפָּר וּשְׁנֵי עֶשְׂרֹנִים לָאַיִל וְעִשָּׂרוֹן אֶחָד לַכֶּבֶשׂ״! אֶלָּא מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאֵיפָה גְּדוֹלָה וְאֵיפָה קְטַנָּה קְרוּיָה אֵיפָה.
Elazar b. Hanania b. Hezekiah b. Garon says:
“A measure495Heb: ‘eifah; a dry measure approximating a bushel. for a bull, and a measure for the ram, and a measure for the lamb” (Ezek.46:11)—
now, are the measures of flour
for bulls, rams, and lambs
indeed the same for each animal?
Hasn’t it already been stated:
“Three tenth measures for the bull, and two tenth-measures for the ram,
and one tenth-measure496Heb: ‘issaron. A dry measure of one-tenth of an ‘eifah. Pl: ‘esronim. for the lamb” (Nu.29:3)?
Actually, this teaches that
the large measure and the small measure
are both called “measure.”