In the previous mishnah we learned that one may anoint the body with oil of Maaser Sheni in Yerushalayim. We now turn to mishnah 2 in the second chapter of Maseches Maaser Sheni, where Rabbi Shimon disagrees with this ruling and the Sages disagree with him.
The words of Rabbi Shimon:
"Ein sachin shemen shel maaser sheni b'Yerushalayim" - in Rabbi Shimon's view, a person may not anoint himself with oil of Maaser Sheni, even in Yerushalayim; the oil is designated for eating alone, and it may not be used for anointing. "V'chachamim matirin" - the Sages permit anointing, as we saw in the previous mishnah.
The Sages' challenge - a kal vachomer from Terumah:
"Amru lo: im heikel b'terumah hachamurah, lo nakel b'maaser sheni hakal?" - the Sages challenged Rabbi Shimon from the law of Terumah. All agree that one may anoint the body with oil of Terumah, and Terumah is more stringent in its laws than Maaser Sheni:
Terumah must be eaten in a state of purity - just like Maaser Sheni.
And beyond that: Terumah may be eaten by kohanim alone, and in this lies its added stringency.
If so, argued the Sages, if the law was relaxed regarding anointing specifically with the more stringent Terumah, it certainly follows that anointing should be permitted with Maaser Sheni, which is less stringent.
Rabbi Shimon's reply:
"Amar lahem: mah lo, im heikel b'terumah hachamurah makom shehiekel b'karshinin uv'tiltan, nakel b'maaser sheni hakal makom shelo heikel b'karshinin uv'tiltan?" - Rabbi Shimon rejects the kal vachomer. True, Terumah is more stringent in that it may be eaten by kohanim alone, but the stringency of Terumah is not absolute in every respect: regarding karshinin (vetch) and tiltan (fenugreek) - the plants that will be discussed in the coming mishnayos - we find that the law was relaxed specifically for Terumah, while for Maaser Sheni it was not relaxed.
It emerges that there are laws in which Maaser Sheni is treated more stringently than Terumah. For this reason one cannot simply derive the law of anointing with Maaser Sheni from the law of anointing with Terumah: just as with karshinin and tiltan the law is more stringent for Maaser Sheni than for Terumah, so too it is possible that regarding anointing with oil, Maaser Sheni is treated more stringently and it is forbidden.
In summary: in this mishnah Rabbi Shimon and the Sages disagree about anointing with oil of Maaser Sheni in Yerushalayim: Rabbi Shimon forbids it, and the Sages permit it. The Sages based their ruling on a kal vachomer from Terumah - which is more stringent in that it may be eaten by kohanim alone, and yet anointing is permitted with it. Rabbi Shimon refuted the kal vachomer from the law of karshinin and tiltan, where the law was relaxed for Terumah but not for Maaser Sheni, showing that the stringency of Terumah is not across the board, and it is possible that Maaser Sheni is to be treated more stringently.
In the next mishnah we will deal with the law of karshinin and tiltan, mentioned here as the basis for rejecting the kal vachomer.