Meilah

The Mishnah

מעילה ה׳Meilah 5

Perek 5 of 6 in Meilah5 mishnayot

Mishnah 1א׳

הַנֶּהֱנֶה שָׁוֶה פְרוּטָה מִן הַהֶקְדֵּשׁ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא פָגַם, מָעַל, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁיֶשׁ בּוֹ פְגָם, לֹא מָעַל עַד שֶׁיִּפְגֹּם. וְכָל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ פְגָם, כֵּיוָן שֶׁנֶּהֱנָה, מָעַל. כֵּיצַד. נָתְנָה קַטְלָא בְצַוָּארָהּ, טַבַּעַת בְּיָדָהּ, שָׁתְתָה בְכוֹס שֶׁל זָהָב, כֵּיוָן שֶׁנֶּהֱנֵית, מָעֲלָה. לָבַשׁ בְּחָלוּק, כִּסָּה בְטַלִּית, בִּקַּע בְּקֻרְדֹּם, לֹא מָעַל עַד שֶׁיִּפְגֹּם. תָּלַשׁ מִן הַחַטָּאת כְּשֶׁהִיא חַיָּה, לֹא מָעַל עַד שֶׁיִּפְגֹּם. כְּשֶׁהִיא מֵתָה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁנֶּהֱנָה, מָעָל:

One who derived even a perutah's [a coin of minimum value] worth of benefit from Temple property, even if he did not decrease its value has violated meilah, these are the words of Rabbi Akiva. The Sages say: anything that can be devalued, one has not violated meilah until its value has actaully decreased. Anything that is not able to be devalued, as soon as he derives benefit from it, has violated meilah. How so? If she [a woman] placed a necklace [belonging to the Temple treasury] around her neck or a ring [belonging to the Temple treasury] on her hand or if one drank from the golden cup [belonging to the Temple treasury] , as soon as he [or she] derived benefit from it, he [or she] has violated meilah. If one wore a shirt or covered himself with a cloak or chopped [wood] with an axe [all of which belonged to the Temple treasury], has not violated meilah until he decreases its value. If he derived benefit from a chatat [sin offering] while it is still alive, he has not violated meilah until he decreases its value. Once it is dead, he violates meilah as soon as he derives benefit from it.

Mishnah 2ב׳

נֶהֱנָה בְכַחֲצִי פְרוּטָה וּפָגַם בְּכַחֲצִי פְרוּטָה, אוֹ שֶׁנֶּהֱנָה בְשָׁוֶה פְרוּטָה בְּדָבָר אֶחָד וּפָגַם בְּשָׁוֶה פְרוּטָה בְּדָבָר אַחֵר, הֲרֵי זֶה לֹא מָעַל, עַד שֶׁנֶּהֱנֶה בְשָׁוֶה פְרוּטָה וְיִפְגֹּם בְּשָׁוֶה פְרוּטָה בְּדָבָר אֶחָד:

If one derived benefit [from an item of Temple treasury property] worth a half a perutah and caused its devaluation of a half a perutah or if he derived a perutah's worth of benefit from one item [of Temple treasury property] and decreased the value of another item by a perutah, he has not violated meilah until he derives a perutah's worth of benefit and causes a perutah's worth of loss to the same item.

Mishnah 3ג׳

אֵין מוֹעֵל אַחַר מוֹעֵל בַּמֻּקְדָּשִׁין, אֶלָּא בְהֵמָה וּכְלֵי שָׁרֵת. כֵּיצַד. רָכַב עַל גַּבֵּי בְהֵמָה וּבָא חֲבֵרוֹ וְרָכַב וּבָא חֲבֵרוֹ וְרָכַב, שָׁתָה בְכוֹס שֶׁל זָהָב וּבָא חֲבֵרוֹ וְשָׁתָה וּבָא חֲבֵרוֹ וְשָׁתָה, תָּלַשׁ מִן הַחַטָּאת וּבָא חֲבֵרוֹ וְתָלַשׁ וּבָא חֲבֵרוֹ וְתָלַשׁ, כֻּלָּן מָעֲלוּ. רַבִּי אוֹמֵר, כֹּל שֶׁאֵין לוֹ פִדְיוֹן, יֶשׁ בּוֹ מוֹעֵל אַחַר מוֹעֵל:

There is no meilah after meilah [one cannot violate meilah twice with the same item] with sanctified items, except for animals [sanctified for offerings] and temple vessels. How so? If one rode on top of an animal [sanctified for an offering] and his friend came and rode on it and then another friend came and rode on it, they all violated meilah. If he drank from the golden cup [belonging to the Temple] and his friend came and drank from the cup and then another friend came and drank from it, they all violated meilah. If he plucked [wool] from a chatat and his friend then came and also plucked and then another friend came and also plucked , they all violated meilah. Rabbi Meir says, anything that is not redeemable is subject to meilah after meilah [i.e., multiple meilah violations].

Mishnah 4ד׳

נָטַל אֶבֶן אוֹ קוֹרָה שֶׁל הֶקְדֵּשׁ, הֲרֵי זֶה לֹא מָעַל. נְתָנָהּ לַחֲבֵרוֹ, הוּא מָעַל וַחֲבֵרוֹ לֹא מָעַל. בְּנָאָהּ בְּתוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ, הֲרֵי זֶה לֹא מָעַל, עַד שֶׁיָּדוּר תַּחְתֶּיהָ בְּשָׁוֶה פְרוּטָה. נָטַל פְּרוּטָה שֶׁל הֶקְדֵּשׁ, הֲרֵי זֶה לֹא מָעַל. נְתָנָהּ לַחֲבֵרוֹ, הוּא מָעַל וַחֲבֵרוֹ לֹא מָעַל. נְתָנָהּ לַבַּלָּן, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא רָחַץ, מָעַל, שֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר לוֹ, הֲרֵי מֶרְחָץ פְּתוּחָה, הִכָּנֵס וּרְחֹץ:

If one took a stone or a beam from the Temple [treasury], he has not committed meilah. If he gave it to his friend, he has violated meilah, but his friend has not violated meilah. If he built it into his house, he had not violated meilah until he lives under it for a value of a perutah. If one took a perutah from the Temple [treasury] he has not violated meilah. If he gave it to his friend, he has violated meilah, but his friend has not violated meilah. If he gave it to a bath house attendant [as a fee] even though he did not bathe he has violated meilah, because the attendant will say to him, "The bathhouse is open to you, come in and bathe."

Mishnah 5ה׳

אֲכִילָתוֹ וַאֲכִילַת חֲבֵרוֹ, הֲנָיָתוֹ וַהֲנָיַת חֲבֵרוֹ, אֲכִילָתוֹ וַהֲנָיַת חֲבֵרוֹ, הֲנָיָתוֹ וַאֲכִילַת חֲבֵרוֹ, מִצְטָרְפִין זֶה עִם זֶה, וַאֲפִלּוּ לִזְמָן מְרֻבֶּה:

His eating [half a peruta's worth] and his friend's eating [half a peruta's worth], his benefit and his friend's benefit, his eating and his friend's benefit, his benefit and his friend's eating combine with each other even if there was a large gap of time between them.

Mishnah, Torat Emet 357 edition, via Sefaria — public domain

English: Sefaria Community Translation — CC0