Terumos, Chapter Two, Mishnah 5. This mishnah continues the topic of the previous one, which asked: when separating Terumah from figs, should one give from the fresh, tastier figs, or from the dried ones that keep for a longer time? The answer was that it depends on the circumstances: if kohanim are to be found in the area, one gives from the tasty ones; but if it is uncertain when a kohen will come to eat them, one separates from those that last over time.
The Bartenura explains our mishnah in exactly the same way. Its first subject is separating Terumah from onions, where two types stand before us: a small, whole onion that was never cut and will therefore keep for a longer time, even though its taste is inferior; and a large onion that was cut in half, which tastes better but has a far shorter shelf life. According to the Bartenura this is precisely the same dispute as in the previous mishnah, and the only difference is that the earlier case dealt with whole produce of two different kinds, while here we are dealing with a single type of onion - whole and half.
Before presenting the Bartenura's explanation, which is the one we will follow in practice, we will first present the Rambam's explanation, which contains an important lesson for life. Although the Bartenura does not hold that this principle is what our mishnah is discussing, since he has a different reading of the plain meaning, he would certainly agree with the principle itself, for it finds expression in other places, such as the laws of berachos.
The Rambam's Explanation - Wholeness Versus Size:
The mishnah says: "Torimin batzal katan shalem, velo chatzi batzal gadol" - one separates Terumah from small, whole onions, and not from half of a large onion. According to the Rambam in his Commentary on the Mishnah, the principle here is simple and fundamental: when there is a clash between wholeness - something unblemished and complete - and size - something unusual and outstanding - the Torah's preference, and the finer of the two, is wholeness. The Torah prefers wholeness over size.
Therefore, in the clash between a small, whole onion and a large, halved one, the preferred choice for Terumah is the whole one, even though its taste is not as good, because it is whole and complete. This is a great and important lesson for life when it comes to people, and it finds expression in other areas of halachah as well: with berachos, for example, one recites the berachah on the whole item rather than on the larger one. This is the extent of the Rambam's words in his Commentary on the Mishnah.
The Bartenura's Explanation:
The Bartenura explains that before us is the same case and the same principles as in the previous mishnah: the small onion does not taste as good, but it keeps for a long time; the large onion is tastier, but once it has been cut it no longer keeps. Therefore the mishnah says, assuming no kohen is available, that it is better to give from the small onion, whose taste is inferior but which will last, than to give from the large onion, which tastes better now but will spoil before it reaches the hands of the kohen.
Rabbi Yehudah's View: Rabbi Yehudah is consistent with his position in the previous mishnah and says: "Lo, ela chatzi batzal gadol" - it is better to give from what is finest right now, the large onion that tastes better, even though it is cut in half. And if it will not hold up until the kohen arrives - so be it, and that is not our focus.
That same principle applies in the continuation of his words: "Vechen hayah Rabbi Yehudah omer: torimin betzalim mibnei hamedinah al hakofrim, af lo min hakofrim al bnei hamedinah". Before us are two types of onions:
"Bnei hamedinah" - the higher quality onions, which would be brought to the cities to be sold there at a higher price.
"Hakofrim" - the local village onions, whose taste is inferior but which keep for a longer time.
Rabbi Yehudah therefore rules that one should separate Terumah from the city onions, those destined for the city, for the village onions, and one may not do the reverse: one may not separate Terumah from the village onions for the city onions.
Village Onions and City Onions - Understanding the Background:
The way this Mishnah seems best explained involves a measure of conjecture, and we will shortly see why it appears to be the plain meaning. A farmer who has the local, farm-grade onion available to him all his life may, if its taste is different, grow fond of that taste and come to expect it, and out of sheer habit even prefer it. That being so, a claim could well arise: the farm onion is the preferred one here in this place, because this is what people are used to, unlike the onions exported to the city, which are quite different from it.
The Mishnah therefore comes, or at least Rabbi Yehudah does, to teach that the city dwellers receive the better onions, and that these are indeed better objectively. The proof is this: the city dwellers could just as easily purchase the farm-grade onions, and they do not do so. Clearly, then, they can tell the difference and they choose the superior ones, and it follows that village onions are inferior to city onions.
Support for this comes from the wording of the Mishnah itself: Rabbi Yehudah says that one may separate Terumah from the onions of the townspeople for the village onions, but not from the village onions for those of the townspeople - and he then finds it necessary to supply a reason for the ruling. The very fact that a reason is needed suggests that the difference is not apparent from tasting alone. Perforce, then, the reason is needed because the villagers might claim: we like the onions just as they are, and we even prefer them, since these are what we are accustomed to.
To this Rabbi Yehudah responds: the choice food among the well-to-do in the towns is precisely this type of onion, the city onion. They had the option of choosing, and they choose specifically this one - which shows that it is objectively superior. Local subjective tastes, therefore, are not what determines the matter; rather, it is the objectively superior produce from which Terumah must be separated, and with onions, that is the city onion.
In summary: In this Mishnah we learned that according to the Sages one separates a whole small onion rather than half of a large one. According to the Rambam's explanation, the principle is that wholeness takes precedence over size, while according to the Bartenura's explanation this is a continuation of the dispute in the previous Mishnah - an onion that keeps well as against a tasty onion that does not keep. Rabbi Yehudah, consistent with his approach, prefers what is superior in the present, and for that same reason he ruled that one separates from city onions for village onions and not the reverse, since the choice made by the city dwellers, who are able to buy either kind, proves that city onions are objectively superior, and subjective habit does not decide the matter.