("Seeds"). First Order of the Mishnah. The opening tractate,
Berakhot, deals with the laws of prayer and the blessings said over food and drink. The remaining ten tractates (Pe'Ah, Dema'I, Kela'Im, Shevi'It, Terumot, Ma'Aserot, Ma'Aser Sheni, ḥallah, Orlah and
Bikkurim) deal with agricultural laws such as separating tithes, sowing mixed seeds, letting the land lie fallow, and bringing the first fruits to the
Temple. Most of these laws apply only in Erets Israel.
Maimonides explains that
Zera'im is the first Order because it is concerned with food, and a man cannot live and serve God without eating. The tractate concerning blessings begins the Order because before eating the produce of the land, one must first bless the Creator, whose existence makes all plant and animal life possible. All of the tractates in Order
Zera'im are expanded upon in the Jerusalem Talmud, but only
Berakhot is covered in the Babylonian Talmud as well.
