Pesachim 53A

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Text Excerpt

משיגריעו, והזיתים משיניצו, ושאר כל האילנות משיוציאו. ואמר רב אסי: הוא בוסר, הוא גירוע, הוא פול הלבן. פול הלבן סלקא דעתך?! אלא אימא: שיעורו כפול הלבן.

from when the grapes form kernels and grow slightly; and olive trees, from when they blossom; and all other trees may not be chopped down from when they produce fruit. And Rav Asi said: It is an unripe grape, it is a grape kernel, it is a white bean, i.e., their legal status is the same. Before this is explained, the Talmud expresses astonishment: Does it enter your mind that the grape is at any stage a white bean? Rather, say: The size of an unripe grape is equivalent to the size of a white bean.

ומאן שמעת ליה דאמר בוסר אין, סמדר לא ⁠— רבנן, וקתני: שאר כל האילנות משיוציאו! אלא רבי אילעאי בדניסחני קץ.

In any case, whom did you hear that said: An unripe grape, yes, is considered fruit, while a grape bud, no, it is not considered fruit? Wasn’t it the Rabbis, who disagree with R' Yosei? And it is taught that, according to the Rabbis, it is prohibited to chop down all other trees from when they produce fruit. This indicates that unripe dates have the same status as ordinary dates. Rather, the Talmud retracts its previous answer and explains that R' Elai chopped down a palm tree with stunted dates, which never ripen on the tree. It was permitted to chop down the tree because the dates can be ripened only after they are removed from the tree.

תנו רבנן: אוכלין בענבים עד שיכלו דליות של אוכל. אם יש מאוחרות מהן ⁠— אוכלין עליהן.

A baraita states: One may eat grapes during the Sabbatical Year until the grapes on the vine branches in the place called Okhel have ceased. And if there are grapes elsewhere later than those, one may continue eating grapes on their basis, as the rabbis’ statement is merely based on the assumption that the grapes in Okhel are the last to remain in the field, but the halakha is not specific to them.

Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.