Torah Cases of a Fifth

TORAH CASES OF A “FIFTH”

The Mishnah (Bava Metziah 55b) lists five cases in which someone is required to pay the principal amount plus an additional “fifth”:

1. A non-Kohen that inadvertently eats terumah (VaYirah 22,14), must replace the amount that was eaten and pay an additional “fifth.” The word terumah is a general term which refers to terumah gedolah and other produce given to Kohanim (i.e. terumas maser, challah and Bikkurim).
2. One who redeems one’s own neta revai (four-year fruit) or one’s own maser sheni (VaYikra 19’23-24 and gezeirah shavah) also adds a “fifth.”
3. One who redeems one’s own consecrated items (VaYikra 27,15) also adds a “fifth.”
4. Someone who dervies a perutah’s worth of benefit from hekdash (consecrated property) adds a “fifth” (VaYikra 5,14-16).
5. One that misappropriates (such as robbery, denial of s a deposit, a loan or another other obligation) of another’s property worth at least a perutah and then denies the claim and subsequently swears falsely about misappropriation of the item (VaYikra 5,20-26) adds a “fifth” upon confessing and making redemption for the item.

Age group – 12 years and up
Objective of this lesson:
Appreciate math in the Parsha
Introduction to concepts within Judaism of 25% and adding a “fifth”