ג <strong><big>הלכה:</big></strong> בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים כו׳. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹנָה הָכֵין צוֹרְכָה מִיתְנֵי בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים מְלַקֵּט אָדָם עֵצִים וָעֲשָׂבִים מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁלּוֹ אֶת הַגַּס הַגַַּס כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁהוּא מְלַקֵּט בְּשֶׁל חֲבֵירוֹ בֵּין דַּקִּים לְגַסִּים. נֶחְשְׁדוּ לִהְיוֹת מְלַקְּטִין וְהֵן אוֹמֵר בַּגַּסִּים לִיקַּטְּנוּ. הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהֵא זֶה מְלַקֵּט מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁל זֶה וְזֶה מְלַקֵּט מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁל זֶה שֶׁלֹּא בְטוֹבָה. נֶחְשְׁדוּ לִהְיוֹת מְלַקְּטִין בְּטוֹבָה וְהֵן אוֹמֵר שֶׁלֹּא בְטוֹבָה לִיקַּטְנוּ. הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהוּ מֵבִיאִין מִן הַקָּרוֹב וּמִן הַמָּצוּי.
3 <strong>HALAKHAH:</strong> “In earlier times they said,” etc. Rebbi Jonah said, the Mishnah has to be stated as follows: In earlier times they said, a person may collect wood, stones, and grasses on his own property, but only large pieces, in the way he may collect on somebody else’s property both large and small pieces. When they suspected that people were collecting but were saying, we took only large pieces, they decreed that everybody only collect from somebody else’s property without reciprocity. When they suspected that people were collecting in reciprocity but saying, we collected without reciprocity, they decreed that one may collect only from close by and from what is in ample supply.