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Week 6 - Monday - 3 Jan. 2000

SHABBAT: CHAPTER 10: MISHNA 2

If one carries out food and places it on the threshold, whether he returned and carried them, or whether another carried them he is exempt, because he did not do this activity at one time. A basket full of produce which he put on the outer threshold, even though most of the produce is outside he is exempt, unless he carried out the entire basket.

Kehati

At the beginning of the Tractate it was taught that one who carries from one domain to another is liable only if he uprooted an object in a private domain and set it down in the public domain, or vice versa (he picked up the object from the public domain and set it down in a private domain). If, however, one picks up an object in a private or public domain and places it in a karmelit (see the Introduction to the Tractate and the Glossary for the definitions of the various domains), or if one picks up an object in a karmelit and sets it down in a private or public domain, he is exempt from the death penalty or from bringing a sin-offering, for this is not an activity prohibited by Torah law, but rather prohibited by Rabbinic law. This mishnah teaches that if there is a karmelit between a private domain and the public domain, and one carries an object from a private domain to the public domain, or from the public domain to a private domain through the karmelit, he is liable only if he did not put it down in the karmelit en route. But if he picked it up in the public domain, put it down in the karmelit, and then carried it from there to a private domain (or vice versa), he is exempt. The mishnah also teaches that even if one carries out a basket full of produce, but did not fully carry it out from one domain to the other, he is not liable for so doing.

If one carries out food - from his house, on Shabbat, and he places it on the threshold before the house. The Gemara explains that this refers to a threshold that constitutes a karmelit e.g., its area is four by four tefahs, and its height is between three and nine tefahs, whether he himself returned and carried them into the public domain, or whether another carried them - from the threshold to the public domain, he is exempt - from bringing a sin-offering, because he did not do this activity - the removal from a private domain and the setting down in the public domain, at one time - in one continuous action but he first carried the foods out from his house into the karmelit and put them down

there. He is exempted from bringing a sin-offering for such an activity, because carrying from a private domain to a karmelit is prohibited only by Rabbinic law, and afterwards when he carried out the foods from the karmelit into the public domain this, too, is prohibited only by Rabbinic law, and he is therefore exempt.

A basket full of produce - which one carried from his house on Shabbat, and which he put on the outer threshold - the step infront of the door to the house, abutting the public domain. Here we speak of a step less than three tefahs high, in which case it has the full legal status of the public domain (Tosefot Yom Tov), even though most of the produce in the basket is outside - i.e., in the public domain, whilst the lesser part of it is inside, he is exempt - from bringing a sin-offering, unless he carried out the entire basket - I.e., he is liable only if he carried out the entire basket to the public domain in one continuous action. This last section of the mishnah teaches not only the obvious case that he is liable if he carries out a whole object in one action, but even the case of a basket full of pieces of fruit, that even if he set it down on the outer threshold so that most of the fruit was already in the public domain, he is liable only if he had carried the entire basket into the public domain in one continuous action, for the basket unites all its contents into one whole object (“a connection by means of a vessel constitutes a connection” Gemara)’, and even if he carried it out after he had set it down on the threshold, he is exempt, because there was an intervening setting down.

If one carries out food - from his house, on Shabbat, and he places it on the threshold - before the house. The Gemara explains that this refers to a threshold that constitutes a karmelit e.g., its area is four by four tefahs, and its height is between three and nine tefahs, whether he himself returned and carried them - into the public domain, or whether another carried them - from the threshold to the public domain, he is exempt - from bringing a sin-offering, because he did not do this activity - the removal from a private domain and the setting down in the public domain, at one time - in one continuous action but he first carried the foods out from his house into the karmelit and put them down there. He is exempted from bringing a sin-offering for such an activity, because carrying from a private domain to a karmelit is prohibited only by Rabbinic law, and afterwards when he carried out the foods from the karmelit into the public domain this, too, is prohibited only by Rabbinic law, and he is therefore exempt.

A basket full of produce - which one carried from his house on Shabbat, and which he put on the outer threshold - the step infront of the door to the house, abutting the public domain. Here we speak of a step less than three tefahs high, in which case it has the full legal status of the public domain (Tosefot Yom TOY), even though most of the produce in the basket is outside - i.e., in the public domain, whilst the lesser part of it is inside, he is exempt - from bringing a sin-offering, unless he carried out the entire basket - I.e., he is liable only if he carried out the entire basket to the public domain in one continuous action. This last section of the mishnah teaches not only the obvious case that he is liable if he carries out a whole object in one action, but even the case of a basket full of pieces of fruit, that even if he set it down on the outer threshold so that most of the fruit was already in the public domain, he is liable only if he had carried the entire basket into the public domain in one continuous action, for the basket unites all its contents into one whole object (“a connection by means of a vessel constitutes a connection” Gemara)’, and even if he carried it out after he had set it down on the threshold, he is exempt, because there was an intervening setting down.

SHABBAT: CHAPTER 10: MISHNA 3

If one carries, whether in his right or in his left, in his bosom, or on his shoulder he is liable, for this is the carrying of the sons of Kohath; as after his hand, with his foot, with his mouth and with his elbow, with his ear and with his hair, and with his belt and its opening is downwards, between his belt and his garment, or in the hem of his undergarment, in his shoe, in his sandal he is exempt, because he did not carry in the manner of people who carry.

Kehati

This mishnah teaches that one is liable for carrying from one domain to another only if the carrying is performed in a normal manner. If, how-ever, one carries in an other than normal manner, e.g., with the back of his hand or with his foot, he is exempt from a sin-offering or from the death penalty.

If one carries - an object from one domain to another, whether in his right hand or in his left hand, or if he carried in his bosom, or on his shoulder - he is liable - For even carrying on one’s shoulder is an accepted manner of carrying, for this is the carrying of the sons of Kohath - as it is written, “because the service of the holy things belonged to them; they bore them upon their shoulders” (Num. 7:9), and the activities prohibited on Shabbat are learned from the Tabernacle; but if one carries as after his hand - According to another version, “after his hand,” i.e., on the back of his hand, or with his foot, or with his mouth and - or, with his elbow, with his ear and - or, with his hair, and or, with his belt - money bag, girded on his loins. This was a wide belt containing a pocket for money, and its opening is downwards - i.e., if one carries in his money-belt with its opening downwards (this does not constitute a normal way of carrying), or if one carries between his belt and his garment, or in the bottom hem of his undergarment - which is not a place for keeping things, and things are not normally placed there, or in his shoe, or in his sandal - he - one who carries in one of these ways, is exempt - from bringing a sin-offering, because he did not carry in the manner of people who carry - as people generally carry.

As to one who carries in his mouth, the author of Tiferet Yisrael makes the distinction that this refers only to non-food, or to a casein which he ate in an unusual way. If, however, he intended thus to carry food, he is liable (Ker. 3:4; Shab. 102a).

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