Our Mishnah deals with the measurement of the mardea. We learned earlier about the implement used in plowing called a mardea: a very long pole with a goad at its tip - a spike used to prod the animal so that it does not veer to the right or to the left, but walks straight along the stretch of ground one wishes to plow. How much of the length of the pole, from the goad upward toward the end of the pole, is considered part of the implement and therefore a connection? Four tefachim.
A gradual progression in the measurements:
In Mishnah 4 we began with the plumb line cord - three fingerbreadths.
In Mishnah 5 we moved to a tefach, which is four fingerbreadths.
In Mishnah 6 we moved to two tefachim, and even to three tefachim.
And now we continue to four tefachim.
The measurements of the handles of the various tools:
"Yad ha-boded - arba'ah tefachim" - the boded is a type of hoe, an implement used to dig the earth around a tree so that water will seep into the ground more effectively. This implement requires a longer handle, and therefore up to four tefachim are considered a connection.
"Yad ha-kordom shel nikush - chamishah" - a kordom shel nikush is a special hoe used for weeding, for uprooting the weeds from among the plants. This implement requires an even longer handle, five tefachim.
"Yad ben patish - chamishah" - a ben patish is a small hammer, and in its case too, up to five tefachim are considered a connection.
"Ve-shel ha-patish - shishah" - when we are dealing with an actual hammer, up to six tefachim are considered part of the implement and a connection.
"Yad ha-kordom shel bikua u-shel idur - shishah" - a kordom shel bikua is the handle of an axe or hatchet used for splitting wood, and idur refers to the implement used to soften the soil, to plow and to dig in the field. In both cases six tefachim are a connection.
"Ve-yad makevet shel satatin - shishah" - the satatin are those who do not merely quarry the stone from the quarry, but polish it, shape it and sculpt it. With their mallet, up to six tefachim are considered a connection.
Anything beyond six tefachim is not considered a connection.
With this we have nearly completed the twenty-ninth Mishnah. One Mishnah remains for us to learn, and we will learn it, God willing.