Chullin 11:1 - 11:2

ראשית הגז – Whomever shears his sheep and even if he shears them one-hundred times, he gives from the shearing a gift to the Kohen.

נוהג בארץ ובחוצה לארץ – but today, the practice, of the world according to Rabbi Elai, who said, that the first of the fleece is not practiced other than in the Land [of Israel]. For it derives [through an analogy], from the laws of Terumah–heave offering (see Talmud Hullin 136a: See Deuteronomy 18:4: “You shall also give him….the first shearing of your sheep–וראשית גז צאנך תתן-לו and the fact that Terumah must take place in the land of Israel – Deuteronomy 26:2: “which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you”–אשר תביא מארצך אשר ה' אלהיך נתן לך ). Just as Terumah–heave-offering is not practiced other than in the Land [of Israel], so the first of the fleece is not practiced other than in the Land [of Israel]. But my teachers–masters taught that the gifts also are not practiced other than in the Land [of Israel], for the first of the fleece and the gifts are equivalent. But the rest of the Sages of that generation did not agree with them.

במקודשים – even the offerings for Temple repair, because it is written (Deuteronomy 18:4): “the shearing of your sheep,” but not that of which is dedicated to the Temple.

נוהגים בבקר ובצאן – as it is written (Deuteronomy 18:3): “[Everyone who offers a sacrifice,] whether an ox or a sheep, [must give he shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach to the priest].”

ובמועט – even if he only slaughtered one [animal].

אלא ברחלות – It is written here (Deuteronomy 18:4): “the shearing of your sheep” and it is written there (Job 31:20): “As he warmed himself with the shearing of my sheep.” Just as there it is sheep, even here it is sheep.

ושתי צאן – so we see that two are called sheep.

שנאמר חמש צאן עשןיות – that they order their husbands say to him: “Arise and perform a new Commandment that was not commanded upon him that is less than this. And this corresponding per force, the first shearing, as it is written [in the Torah] regarding (Deuteronomy 18:4): “[the first shearing of] your sheep,” which implies many, whereas regarding the ox it is written (Numbers 18:17): “But the firstlings of cattle–בכור שור, [sheep or goats ]” (singular construction in the Hebrew) which implies even one. And similar gifts (Deuteronomy 18:3): “whether an ox or a sheep–אם שור אם שה .”

מנה מנה ופרס – each one is a Maneh and one-half. But less than this is not considered shearing, for this is the least of shearing.

בכל שהוא – not exactly, for since with less than sixty Selaim, he is not liable for the first of the fleece, but rather, since Rabbi Dosa [ben Harkinas] gives a large measure, the Tanna–teacher [of the Mishnah] calls for a small measurement according to the Rabbis of “however much they produce.” But the Selah – its weight is twenty-four Ma’ah. And the weight of each Ma’ah is sixteen stones–kernels of barley.

כמה הוא נותן לו – he comes to divide the first of the fleece that is in his hand, he should not give less than the weight of five Selaim of wool to each Kohen.

מלובן – but the Israelite will not be liable to bleach it, but rather, he will give him a measure from the dirty wool, which is that it is not bleached until the Kohen will, that is, which is not bleached until that the Kohen will bleach it, he will estimate the weight of five Selaim of bleached wool.

כדי שיוכל לעשות ממנו בגד קטן – that is worthy for service [in the Temple]. And what is it? A belt–אבנט . Because the Biblical verse supported [by being adjacent to] after [the law of] the first shearing (Deuteronomy 18:5): “For the LORD your God has chosen him and his descendants, out of all your tribes, to be in attendance for service [in the name of the LORD for all time[.” We learn from it, that this is what it says: Give him from the first shearing of your sheep in order that he can make clothing to be in attendance for service. And the smallest of the clothing that is appropriate for [Divine] service is the belt, and it iis made from five Selaim of bleached wool. But the first shearing has no fixed measure from the Torah. But from the words of the Scribes, it should not be less than one sixtieth. But there is no obligation for the first shearing until he shears five sheep, and that the shearing of each one of these five, there is not less than twelve Selah, for if there was one of them less than twelve Selah, even though the five of them (i.e., sheep), shears more than sixty Selaim, this would be execmpt.

עד שצבאו – its owners [would dye it] prior to giving it.

פטור – from giving him more. For it was acquired through change, and it is like he damages the gifts of priesthood or that he consumes them, that he is exempt.

ולא צבאו – this is not a change, and yet, in its natural form.

הלוקח גז צאנו של נכרי – when it is attached to the sheep, he is exempt, for it is written (Deuteronomy 18:4): “the first shearing of your sheep.” But this sheep is not his, and the All-Merciful was stringent with sheep, and not on its shearing.

אם שייר המוכרת המוכר חייב – for the purchaser said to him, the gift of the Kohanim is with you.

ואם לאו הלוקח חייב – for the seller said to him, “I have not sold you the gift for the Priest.”

שחופות – neither black nor white.

זה נותן לעצמו – the purchaser gives to himself on what he purchased, and the seller gives to him on what remains with him. For the shearing of the white–bleached ones is better than that of indistinct color–grey. And similarly, regarding males and females, the shearing of the males is hard and that of the females is soft.