Ma'aser Sheni, Chapter 2, Mishnah 3. The previous Mishnah raised the point that, generally speaking, Terumah is more stringent than ma'aser sheni. Rabbi Shimon, however, responded to this claim that it is not entirely accurate, since there are ways in which Terumah is actually more lenient than ma'aser sheni. Those leniencies are described in this Mishnah and in the next one.
Fenugreek of ma'aser sheni:
Fenugreek is a plant that is fit to be eaten, but not at every stage: once it hardens it is no longer fit for eating, and it is eaten only while it is young, fresh and tender.
Therefore the Mishnah says: "Tiltan shel ma'aser sheni - te'achel tzimchonim" - fenugreek of ma'aser sheni must be eaten specifically while it is still young and fresh, and one may not leave it until it hardens and dries out and is no longer fit for eating. Ma'aser sheni is designated to be eaten, and therefore one is obligated to attend to it while it is still fresh and fit for consumption.
Fenugreek of Terumah, by contrast, may be left to harden and dry out, and only afterward be put to use. The use was for washing the head - rubbing the fenugreek on the head as a sort of cleansing agent. With ma'aser sheni the Sages were stringent and ruled that it may be used for eating alone, and therefore one may not leave it to harden and then use it for some other hygienic purpose.
The dispute between Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel regarding the level of purity:
Since fenugreek of Terumah may be left to harden, the question arose as to what level of purity and cleanliness is required when handling it:
Beis Shammai say: "Kol ma'aseha b'taharah, chutz mechafifah" - everything done with it requires maintaining a state of purity. Even though fenugreek is not a full-fledged food, and even though we are speaking of it after it has hardened, nevertheless, since there are people who eat it, any handling of fenugreek of Terumah must be done with pure hands, and one may not touch it before washing his hands, exactly like ordinary Terumah. The one exception is the stage of the washing itself, when it is rubbed on the head, for at that point it is no longer fit for eating at all, and therefore pure hands and a prior washing of the hands are not required.
Beis Hillel say: "Kol ma'aseha b'tumah, chutz mishriyatah" - everything done with it may be done in a state of tumah, and the hands need not be washed before handling fenugreek of Terumah. The one exception is the stage of soaking it in water: the water makes it susceptible to tumah, and therefore whoever touches it with unwashed hands renders it impure immediately and directly. For this reason they said that one must first wash his hands when handling wet fenugreek; but whenever one is not handling wet fenugreek directly, the hands need not be pure, and it may be used in a state of tumah.
In summary: In this Mishnah we learned a leniency in Terumah relative to ma'aser sheni: fenugreek of ma'aser sheni is eaten specifically while it is still tender, fresh and fit for eating, since ma'aser sheni is designated for eating alone; whereas fenugreek of Terumah may be left to harden and then used for washing the head. We also examined the dispute between Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel regarding the level of purity required when handling fenugreek of Terumah - Beis Shammai require purity in everything done with it except for the washing of the head, while Beis Hillel permit tumah in everything done with it except for the soaking in water, which makes it susceptible to tumah.
In the next Mishnah we will continue with further leniencies in Terumah relative to ma'aser sheni.