Study Bava Batra folio 84B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
יין וחומץ – מין אחד הוא. רבי אומר: שני מינין. אפילו תימא רבנן – עד כאן לא פליגי רבנן עליה דרבי אלא לענין מעשר ותרומה, וכדרבי אלעא –
Wine and vinegar are one type of food, which means that if, For example: one separated teruma from one of these with the intention that it should exempt the other, his action is effective. R' Yehuda HaNasi says: They are two types of food. Apparently, the Mishnah is not in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis in the baraita. The Talmud rejects this claim: You may even say that the Mishnah is in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis, as the Rabbis disagree with R' Yehuda HaNasi only with regard to the issue of whether one can separate tithe and teruma from wine to redeem vinegar and vice versa. And the Rabbis hold in accordance with the opinion of R' Ela.
דאמר רבי אלעא: מנין לתורם מן הרעה על היפה, שתרומתו תרומה? שנאמר: ״ולא תשאו עליו חטא בהרימכם את חלבו ממנו״.
As R' Ela says: From where is it derived with regard to one who separates teruma from poor-quality produce for superior-quality produce, i.e., in order to fulfill the obligation of separating teruma from the high-quality produce, that his teruma is valid teruma? As it is stated: “And you should bear no sin by reason of it, seeing as you have set apart from it its best” (Numbers 18:32).
אם אינו קדוש, נשיאות חטא למה? מכאן לתורם מן הרעה על היפה, שתרומתו תרומה.
The verse is understood as indicating that one who sets aside inferior produce has sinned. It also demonstrates that if one did, in fact, set aside teruma from poor-quality produce in order to render permitted superior-quality produce, his action is effective and the inferior produce is sanctified as teruma. The reason is that if the inferior produce is not consecrated, why would one bear a sin? It should be considered as though he did nothing. From here it is derived with regard to one who separates teruma from poor-quality produce for superior-quality produce that his teruma is valid teruma. The Rabbis agree and hold that in the case of one who separates vinegar in order to redeem wine, his teruma is valid despite the difference in quality, as wine and vinegar are considered a single type of food.