Book
Demai דמאי
a tractate of the order of Zeraim
"Demai" means doubtful. Most people took tithes, but a minority did not, and a buyer could not know for certain. The sages ruled that from such doubtful produce one takes part of the tithes oneself.
The tractate is a rare case of a law built entirely on the statistics of behaviour: because of a minority all were obliged, but obliged lightly. From here too come the terms "chaver"—one who is trusted in this—and "am ha-aretz", who is not.
Order: Zeraim. There is Gemara only in the Jerusalem Talmud.
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Sources
Chazal: Mishnah, Talmud, midrash, Zohar
- Mishnah Demai 1:1 — what counts as doubtful
- Mishnah Demai 2:3 — who is a «chaver»
Basis: Talmud and midrash.