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Week 9 - Thursday - 27 Jan. 2000

SHABBAT: CHAPTER 18: MISHNA 2

Bundles of straw and bundles of wood and bundles of greens, if he prepared them for cattle food, one may move them; and if not, one may not move them. One may invert a basket before young birds, so that they will go up and go down. If a chicken has escaped, one may push it until it enters. One may lead or pull calves and young asses in the public domain. A woman may lead or pull her son. Rabbi Yehudah said: When? When he takes one and sets down one; but if he was dragging it is prohibited.

Kehati

The first part of this mishnah teaches that if something which generally is not fit for animal consumption was prepared before Shabbat as animal food it may be moved on Shabbat. The second section of the mishnah discusses how one deals with living creatures that may not be moved on the Shabbat.

Bundles of straw and bundles of wood and bundles of greens - soft tree branches, if he prepared them - on Friday - for cattle food one may move them - on Shabbat; and if - he did not - prepare them on Friday for animal food, one may not move them - For these bundles, if undesignated, are meant for fuel and the law of muktzeh applies to them. One may invert a basket before young birds - on Shabbat. Even though it is prohibited to move the young birds, at any rate, it is permitted to invert the basket before them, so that they will go up - onto the basket, and go down - from the basket. According to the Tanna of this mishnah, an article may be moved on Shabbat even for the sake of something which may not be moved and this is not considered to be cancelling a vessel's designation (see 3:6, above), for the young birds do not remain on it, and when

they go down from it he can once again use the basket as he wishes. If, however, they stood on the basket at twilight, since it has become muktzeh for twilight, it becomes muktzeh for the entire Shabbat. According to the opinion that a utensil may be moved on Shabbat only for the sake of something that itself may be moved, this mishnah refers to a case in which the person needs the place of the basket, and when he removes the basket he places it before the young birds. If a chicken has escaped - it is prohibited to move it on Shabbat, they may push it - with their hands, until it enters - its place. However, it is prohibited to lead or pull it, i.e., one may not take hold of its wings in order to bring it back into its place, because chickens raise themselves from the ground, and as a result the person will be "moving" it. Even within a courtyard it is prohibited to lead or pull it, for the same reason Gemara). One may lead or pull calves and young asses in the public domain - on Shabbat, i.e., one may take hold of their ears or of their necks and assist them to walk, for we do not fear they will

raise themselves up and the person will then be "moving" them. The version in the Gemara does not include the words "in the public domain." A woman may lead or pull her son - I.e., she may hold him by his arms and lead him, even in the public domain.

Rabbi Yehudah said: When - may a woman lead or pull her son on Shabbat? When he - the child, takes one - foot and lifts it off the ground - and sets down one - foot; but if he was dragging - his feet on the ground and does not lift them up, it is prohibited - to lead or pull him, for it follows that the woman is carrying her son, and we do not say "a live person bears himselF' in the case of a child who cannot walk with his own legs (Ran). The halakhah follows Rabbi Yehudah, who does not disagree with the First Tanna but merely interprets his statement.

SHABBAT: CHAPTER 18: MISHNA 3

One may not deliver a beast on a Festival, but one may assist. And one may deliver a woman on Shabbat, and call for her a midwife from place to place, and profane the Shabbat for her, and tie the umbilical cord. Rabbi Yose says: One may even cut. And all the needs of circumcision may be performed on Shabbat.

Kehati

This mishnah teaches how one giving birth is to be treated on Shabbat.

One may not deliver a beast - One may not pull the young animal from the mother's womb, on a Festival - and certainly not on Shabbat, since this entails excessive labor, but one may assist - One may hold the young animal as it comes out of the womb so that it will not fall on the ground, or one may press the mother's body, so that the young animal will come forth (Gemara). According to

one explanation, it is permitted to assist only on a Festival, but not on Shabbat (Rashi. Tiferet Yisrael).

And one may deliver a woman on Shabbat - and it goes without saying that one may deliver her on a Festival, and call for her a midwife from place to place - even from a place that is outside the Shabbat limits, and profane the Shabbat for her - This is the same law as an ill person in danger, and tie the umbilical cord - of the newborn, for it is connected to the mother's innards, and

if the umbilical cord is not tied, the newborn's intestines will come out; but they may not cut the umbilical cord on the Shabbat.

Rabbi Yose says: They may even cut - the umbilical cord, on Shabbat. This is the halakhah. And all the needs of circumcision may be performed on Shabbat - as will be detailed in the following chapter, for circumcision at the proper time takes precedence over Shabbat, as it is written, "And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised" even on the Shabbat day.

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