Bava Metzia 88 - Lag b'Omer - May 26, 18 Iyar

This week’s learning is sponsored by Marcy Farrell in loving memory of her mother, Joan Behrmann, Yonina bat Shalom, on her shloshim. "We honor her memory with our collective learning." Various halachot concerning how a worker can eat in the field they're laboring in stem from the verse regarding harvesting in a vineyard. According to one derivation from this verse, a worker is considered akin to the owner and is not required to tithe the produce if consumed before "g'mar melakha," the stage at which the produce becomes obligated in tithes. Rabbi Yannai and Rabbi Yochanan hold differing opinions on when precisely g'mar melakha occurs: one asserts it happens upon bringing the produce into the courtyard, while the other contends it is upon bringing it into the house. Each base their position on verses in the Torah elucidating the "vidui ma'asrot." Three tannaitic sources are introduced to challenge both Rabbi Yannai and Rabbi Yochanan's positions, as each assumes an obligation to tithe before bringing the food inside. However, each challenge is addressed and resolved. The verse allowing a worker to eat while working specifically pertains to labor on produce still attached to the ground, while the verse prohibiting the muzzling of animals pertains to labor on detached produce. From where do they derive the principle that one cannot prevent a worker from eating while working on detached produce or an animal while laboring on attached produce?