Yerushalmi Sheviit 6:2 ירושלמי שביעית ו׳:ב׳

MISHNAH: One works in Syria what is plucked but not what is standing⁹⁶A worker can hire himself out to a Jew who is not observing the Sabbatical if the produce is already harvested. The rule of R. Aqiba means: Everything that in the Land of Israel the farmer may do for himself, a hired hand may do in Syria for any employer.. One threshes, winnows, treads, and makes sheaves, but one harvests neither grain, nor grapes or olives. Rebbi Aqiba stated a rule: Everything that is permitted in the Land of Israel one does in Syria.

HALAKHAH: “One works in Syria what is plucked”, etc. Rebbi Abbahu said, so that they should not go and stay there permanently⁹⁷Since Syria was not conquered by all of Israel, from the Torah all work is permitted in Syria. The prohibition of harvesting is purely rabbinical, with the intention that Syria should not have too much of an economic advantage over the Land of Israel.. Then why may he work what is plucked? Since he sees only small gain he will not leave⁹⁸The monetary advantage one gets from agriculture when harvest is forbidden is too small to induce people to leave the Land..

Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun asked before Rebbi Mana: May one mill with a Gentile in the Land? He said to him, the Mishnah tells us that it is forbidden, as it is stated: “One works in Syria what is plucked but not what is standing;” therefore in the Land it should be forbidden even when it was plucked.

At a place where one may eat but not work, may one rent out one’s animals there⁹⁹There is no obligation to give one’s animals rest during the Sabbatical year, in contrast to the Sabbath day. There is no doubt that renting out one’s animals is permitted under biblical law; the only question is whether it is prohibited by rabbinic ordinance to avoid helping sinners who disregard the Sabbatical prohibitions.? Rebbi Levi from Sennabaris¹⁰⁰He is mentioned only here. His place, mentioned by Josephus (Jewish War III ix 7) is at the Southern end of Lake Genezareth. asked Rebbis Isaac and Immi and they forbade it. Rebbi Hoshaia gave money to the Gentiles¹⁰¹He hired Gentiles to work with their animals. He disagrees with Rebbis Isaac and Immi: From the point of view of Sabbatical law it would be proper to rent out one’s animals to Gentiles who are not subject to the Sabbatical but still one may not do this since (Mishnah Avodah Zarah 2:1) “one may not put an animal into a Gentile’s stable because they are suspected of sodomy.”, not because it would have been forbidden but so as not to leave his animal alone with a Gentile.

What are we dealing with¹⁰²Here starts the discussion of the Mishnah. Under which circumstances are the activities described in the Mishnah permitted in Syria and forbidden in the Land?? If about produce of the sixth year held over to the Sabbatical, even in the Land it is permitted¹⁰³In this case, even commercial harvesting is permitted in the Land.. If produce of the Sabbatical is held over to the year after the Sabbatical, one is permitted to plough but forbidden to harvest. But one deals with produce of the Sabbatical¹⁰⁴Spontaneous growth which even in the Land is forbidden only by rabbinic decree. in the Sabbatical.

Rebbi Ḥuna went to Tyre and forbade them a kind of irrigation. Rebbi Yose heard this and said, this is correct, is this not about [plants] connected to the ground? But did we not state (Mishnah Mo‘ed Qaṭan 1:1): “One irrigates a field in intensive agriculture both during the intermediate days of a holiday¹⁰⁵When normal agricultural work is forbidden. and during the Sabbatical year?” Rebbi Yudan said, only for the vegetables there¹⁰⁶R. Ḥuna would have permitted irrigation of plots planted with delicate plants which would die if deprived of water for any length of time. But the “kind of irrigation” he forbade was one to improve the soil.. Rebbi Mana said, then it should also be permitted to plough for them¹⁰⁷To plough not for new seeds but to loosen the earth for irrigation. This is the opinion of R. Meïr in Mo‘ed Qaṭan 1:1; one is at a loss to understand the position of the rabbis who forbid it.!