According to Scriptural Law, in which lands do the obligations of terumot and tithes apply?
According to H1, Scriptural Law limits terumot and tithes to Eretz Yisrael alone. The extension to Babylonia was made by the prophets, and Egypt, Ammon, and Moab were added by early Sages — all Rabbinic extensions.
Question 2
What makes a conquest qualify as a 'conquest of the community' that gives land the full status of Eretz Yisrael?
H2 establishes that only a conquest by the King of Israel or a prophet with the consent of the entire Jewish people constitutes a 'conquest of the community.' This is why Joshua divided tribal portions even before conquest, so each tribe's later conquest would count as communal.
Question 3
When a gentile purchases land in Eretz Yisrael, what is the effect on the land's agricultural obligations?
H10 rules that a gentile's purchase of land in Eretz Yisrael does not absolve it from agricultural obligations, because 'the entire land is Mine' (Leviticus 25:23) — God's ownership cannot be severed by any earthly transaction. This differs from Syria (H10, H17).
Question 4
In Syria, which arrangement obligates a Jew in Rabbinic terumot and tithes?
H15 and H17 make clear that in Syria, only purchasing the land itself triggers Rabbinic obligation. Renting, sharecropping, and purchasing produce alone are all exempt, because the obligation in Syria is entirely Rabbinic and was applied only to actual land ownership.
Question 5
Why does the Rambam rule that terumah in the present era is only Rabbinic, not Scriptural?
H26 derives from the phrase 'When you enter' that Scriptural terumah requires the entire Jewish people to be in Eretz Yisrael. Since only a portion returned with Ezra (and the same is true today), the obligation is Rabbinic — and will return to Scriptural status only when the Jewish people repossess the land in the era of Mashiach.