Q&A: Tithe of Produce and Tithe of Animals
Tithe of Produce and Tithe of Animals
Question
With the tithe of produce, you simply set aside a tenth, whereas with the tithe of animals there is a process of passing them under the rod. And the source is in the verses (Leviticus 27:30-32). Why is there a difference, and could it have been the other way around (to directly set aside a tenth of the animals, or to roll the fruit through a pipe and mark every tenth one)? Maybe there is some human factor here, so that he will not choose the cheaper animals?
Answer
I don't know. One has to examine whether it is possible to understand where the Sages derived this distinction from. It does have an anchor in the verses ("whatever passes under the rod"), and then one would have to check whether it can be switched. By the same token, you could ask why not make the Sabbath every two weeks, or on Wednesdays.
Discussion on Answer
With God's help, eve of the holy Sabbath, "I will surely tithe to You," 5781
Perhaps the distinction between the tithe of animals and the tithe of produce may be explained based on the distinction made by the owner of this site between counting that totals and counting that orders (in Column 193: "Two Types of Counting: Quantity and Quality").
In the tithe of produce, where one gives God a quantitative portion, one tenth of the yield, there is no significance to the hierarchy among the fruits; the main thing is that a tenth of the quantity be given. By contrast, in a herd of animals, each member of the herd has its own life, its own unique personality to some degree. Therefore, there the counting is ordinal.
Just as there is significance to being the first offspring in the sequence, the firstborn, so too there is significance to being the tenth individual in the group. This fact may also reflect a unique spiritual quality of the tenth. It is not the strongest one, the one that jumps to the front, the leader who heads the group. It is the one that faithfully walks after its companions who are stronger than it, and does not presume to be the leader.
And just as there is value in the leadership quality of the firstborn, so too there is value in the willingness to be last in line, the one who "walks in the furrow," along the path paved by those greater than it. Therefore there is holiness in the firstborn, but there is also holiness in the tenth, which walks calmly in the footsteps of those greater than it.
With blessing, Aner Eshkol Fishel Warkaheimer
So too among the sons of Jacob there is an advantage to those who take up the scepter of leadership, such as Judah and Joseph, but there is also an advantage to the tenth, to Zebulun, who sits off to the side, in the rear, the one of whom it is said: "He shall dwell at the shore of the seas, and his flank shall be toward Sidon."
Precisely Zebulun's peripheral position enables him to broaden the international connections of the Jewish people, commercial ties that bring not only economic connection but also spiritual influence on the nations of the world, who show interest in the spiritual values of their trading partners, a curiosity whose peak is: "They shall call peoples to the mountain; there they shall offer righteous sacrifices."
Interesting. Many thanks.
How far can you stretch that argument? If there were different procedures for tithing apples according to the fruit's diameter in millimeters modulo eight, would you also say that wondering why it is like that is like asking why we do not observe the Sabbath on Wednesdays? When you need to choose one element from a set (for example, which day will be the Sabbath), then all the possibilities are equivalent and the choice does not require a reason. But when one option is simpler than the others, it seems more reasonable to just choose it and be done with it. The question is about the Torah, not about the Sages.