(טז) רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב, וְהִסְתַּלֵּק מִן הַסָּפֵק, וְאַל תַּרְבֶּה לְעַשֵּׂר אֹמָדוֹת:
(16) Rabban Gamliel says, "Make for yourself a mentor, remove yourself from doubt and do not frequently tithe by estimation."
(א) עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב. לְעִנְיַן הוֹרָאָה מְדַבֵּר עַכְשָׁיו, אִם בָּא דִּין לְפָנֶיךָ וְנִסְתַּפַּקְתָּ בּוֹ, עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב, וְהִסְתַּלֵּק מִן הַסָּפֵק. וְלֹא תִּפְסֹק עָלָיו אַתָּה לְבַדְּךָ. כִּי הָא דְרָבָא כִּי הֲוֵי אָתֵי טְרֵפְתָא לְגַבֵּיהּ הֲוֵי מְכַנֵּיף לְכֻלְּהוּ טַבָּחֵי דְּמָתָא מַחְסַיָּא, אָמַר, כִּי הֵיכִי דְלִמְטְיַן שִׁיבָא מִכְּשׁוּרָא:
(ב) וְאַל תַּרְבֶּה לְעַשֵּׂר אֹמָדוֹת. שֶׁהַמַּפְרִישׁ מַעַשְׂרוֹת מֵאֹמֶד אֵינוֹ נִצּוֹל מִן הַקַּלְקָלָה. אִם פּוֹחֵת מִמַּה שֶּׁרָאוּי לִתֵּן מַעַשְׂרוֹתָיו מְתֻקָּנִים וּפֵרוֹתָיו מְקֻלְקָלִים. וְאִם הֶעֱדִיף עַל שֶׁהָיָה רָאוּי לִתֵּן, פֵּרוֹתָיו מְתֻקָּנִים וּמַעַשְׂרוֹתָיו מְקֻלְקָלִים:
(1) ”Make for yourself a mentor:”: It is now speaking concerning the matter of jurisdiction. If a case comes in front of you and you are in doubt about it, make for yourself a mentor, and remove yourself from doubt. And do not decide upon it by yourself; as it was with Rava: when a possibly unfit animal was brought to him, he would gather all of the slaughterers of Mata Machsia – he would say, “So that we will [all only] receive a chip of the beam."
(2) "and do not frequently tithe by estimation": as the one who separates his tithes by estimation is not spared from disarray: if he reduces from what needs to be given, his tithes are made adequate but his fruit are disarrayed; if he adds upon what is fitting to give, his fruits are rendered adequate and his tithes are disarrayed.