Rambam In-Depth: Invalid Maaser Beheima Can Become Holy

Rabbi Heschel Greenberg has launched a new series of classes on the Rambam's Mishneh Torah in response to the Rebbe's call to learn at least one halacha in depth.

The Rebbe initiated a major effort to unite all Jews with the study of the encyclopedic work, Mishneh Torah, by learning three chapters a day and completing the entire work in less than a year. Alternatively, one can learn one chapter and complete the entire Mishneh Torah in close to three years. The Rebbe also gave a third option to study Maimonides' companion work, Sefer Hamitzvos that parallel the Mishneh Torah.

The recent beginning of the 46th cycle of Mishneh Torah inspired Rabbi Greenberg to record brief classes on selected passages of the work.

Rabbi Greenberg is a shliach of the Rebbe in Buffalo, New York and the Director of the Jewish Discovery Center. Over more than 50 years, he has taught thousands of classes on all aspects of Jewish knowledge and authored dozens of works on diverse subjects, including several volumes of commentary on the Mishneh Torah. Many of his classes can be accessed on his website.

The Rambam rules that animals born in one year cannot be tithed to cover the obligation of another year - just as old produce cannot be tithed to cover new, or new produce to cover old. This ruling is derived from a hekesh: the Torah compares the tithing of animals to the tithing of produce, each of which must be done year by year, independently.