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Text Excerpt
התם הא קמשמע לן, דדרכיה דאתרוג כירק – מה ירק דרכו ליגדל על כל מים ובשעת לקיטתו עישורו, אף אתרוג דרכו ליגדל על כל מים ובשעת לקיטתו עישורו.
The Talmud explains: There, the Mishnah teaches us this, that the way an etrog grows is like a vegetable: Just as it is the way of a vegetable to grow by being watered by all water, i.e., in addition to rainwater it requires irrigation, and its tithing is according to when it is harvested, i.e., its tithing is based on when it is collected from the field, so too, it is the way of an etrog to grow by being watered by all water, as it requires more water than rain provides, and its tithing is according to the time when it is harvested. If, For example: a vegetable is collected during a year when poor man’s tithe is given, that tithe is separated from it, even if it formed a bud during the previous year, when second tithe was separated. The same applies to an etrog. Therefore, the Mishnah specifically uses the term: Way, to allude to this reason.
והא דתנן: ״כוי – יש בו דרכים שוה לחיה, ויש בו דרכים שוה לבהמה, ויש בו דרכים שוה לחיה ולבהמה, ויש בו דרכים שאינו שוה לא לחיה ולא לבהמה״. ניתני ״דברים״! ותו, הא דתנן: ״זו אחת מן הדרכים ששוו גיטי נשים לשחרורי עבדים״, ניתני ״דברים״!
The Talmud further asks: But concerning that which we learned in a Mishnah (Bikkurim 2:8): With regard to a koy, an animal whose classification was uncertain, as the rabbis were unsure whether it is a domesticated or a wild animal, there are ways, i.e., halakhot, in which its halakhot correspond to those of a wild animal and there are ways in which its halakhot correspond to those of a domesticated animal. And there are ways in which its halakhot correspond to those of both a wild animal and a domesticated animal, and there are ways in which its halakhot correspond to those of neither a wild animal nor a domesticated animal. Let that Mishnah teach the term: Matters. And furthermore, with regard to that which we learned in a Mishnah (Gittin 9a): This is one of the ways in which the halakhot of bills of divorce correspond to those of bills of manumission, let that Mishnah teach the word: Matters.