Sotah Chapter 8, Mishnah 2. This mishnah continues to deal with the order of the announcements made to the army before it went out to war. In the previous mishnah we learned about statements said by the mashuach milchamah and amplified by another kohen; this mishnah deals with statements said by the mashuach milchamah but amplified by the shotrim - the officers of the army.
"V'dibru hashotrim el ha'am lemor" - and the officers shall speak to the people, saying:
The first exemption they announced: "Mi ha'ish asher banah bayis chadash v'lo chanacho - yelech v'yashov l'veiso" - a man who built a new house and has not yet dedicated it, meaning he has not yet begun the process of living in it, shall go and return to his home.
Which kind of house is meant? The mishnah extends the exemption to every type of building:
"Beis hateven" - a storehouse for straw.
"Beis habakar" - a barn in which his animal will be kept.
"Beis ha'etzim" - a place for storing his wood.
"Beis otzar" - a general storehouse.
And it makes no difference how the house came into his possession:
"Echad haboneh" - whether he built the house himself.
"V'echad haloke'ach" - or whether he purchased it.
"V'echad hayoresh" - and even if he only inherited it.
"V'echad shenitan lo b'matanah" - or he received it as a gift.
All of these fall under the category of a new house that he has not yet had the opportunity to live in.
"Mi ha'ish asher nata kerem v'lo chillelo" - who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not redeemed it:
A man who planted a new vineyard and has not yet had the chance to redeem its fruit. During the first three years the fruit is forbidden as orlah, and in the fourth year the fruit must be brought up to Jerusalem, or else redeemed onto money, with the money brought up to Jerusalem to purchase food there, following the law of Maaser Sheni and its halachos. This man planted his vineyard but has not yet reached that stage, since the fourth year has not yet begun.
Here too the mishnah extends the scope of the exemption:
"Echad hanote'a kerem" - whether he planted an actual vineyard.
"V'echad hanote'a chamishah ilanos" - or even if he planted only five fruit trees.
"Va'afilu mechameshes minin" - and even if they are five different species. The number five is required because a vineyard has a minimum measure of five vines, and therefore here too five plantings are required.
"Echad hanote'a v'echad hamavrich" - havrachah means taking a vine shoot and burying it in the ground so that it emerges and grows in another spot, and this is considered like planting a new vine.
"V'echad hamarkiv" - grafting one vine into another vine is also considered a new plant.
And it makes no difference whether he bought the vineyard, inherited it or received it as a gift.
"Mi ha'ish asher eiras ishah v'lo lekachah" - who is the man that has betrothed a woman and has not married her:
A man who performed kiddushin but has not yet performed nisuin, meaning he has not begun to live with her as husband and wife. He too is included in this exemption, and it makes no difference who the betrothed woman is:
"Echad hame'ares es habesulah" - a woman who is a virgin and has never been married.
"V'echad hame'ares es ha'almanah" - even if he betrothed a widow.
"Afilu shomer yavam" - and even the wife of his brother who died without children, who is destined to become his yevamah. If a man hears that his childless brother has died in the war, he leaves and returns home, since he has now become a yavam to his yevamah.
What is required of those who return from the war:
All those listed in this mishnah hear the words of the kohen, amplified by the officers, and turn back from the preparations for war. But they do not simply go home and exempt themselves entirely: they supply water and food, repair the roads and perform all the support work of the army. It is only the actual fighting in which they do not take part.
In summary: in this mishnah we learned the three exemptions announced by the officers - one who built a new house and has not dedicated it, one who planted a vineyard and has not redeemed it, and one who betrothed a woman and has not married her. In each case the mishnah broadened the scope of the exemption: to every type of building and every manner of acquisition, to five trees and to one who buries a shoot or grafts, and to one who betrothed a virgin, a widow or a shomeres yavam. And we learned that those who return from the battle lines are not exempted completely, but continue with the support work of the army.