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Week 7 - Monday - 10 Jan. 2000

SHABBAT: CHAPTER 12: MISHNA 4

If one writes two letters in one state of unawareness - he is liable. If he wrote with ink, with a chemical, with sikra, with gum, and with calcanthum, and with anything that makes a mark, on two walls of angles, and on two boards of a writing tablet, and they are read this with this - he is liable. If a person writes on his flesh, he is liable. If one scratches on his flesh - Rabbi Eliezer declares him liable to a sin-offering, but Rabbi Yehoshua exempts.

Kahati

If on Shabbat one writes two letters in one state of unawareness - e.g., he is unaware that the day is Shabbat, and operating under this error he wrote two letters, and it did not become known to him between the writing of one letter and the next that it is Shabbat, he is liable - to bring a sin-offering. The Tannaim disagree regarding the case in which it did become known to him after the first letter but then before writing the second letter he forgot that it was Shabbat (mishnah 6, below).

If he wrote with ink, with a chemical - a type of orange earth, with sikra - a type of red dye, with gum resin, and with calcanthum - a paint made from water containing copper sulphates (Albek), and with anything that makes a lasting mark, if he wrote two letters on two walls of angles - two adjacent walls, where they join to form an angle, one letter on each wall, and on two boards - two adjoining pages, of a writing table -one letter on the edge of each page, and they - the two letters, are read this with this - i.e., the two letters on the two edges of the walls or on the edges of the tablets are so close to each other that they are read together; in all these cases, he is liable - on account of "writing." If a person writes - two letters, in ink, on his flesh, he is liable - for he has written on a skin (Rambarn).

If one scratches - the shape of two letters, on his flesh - Rabbi Eliezer declares him liable to a sin-offering on account of "writing," but Rabbi Yehoshua exempts - because this is not the normal manner of "writing." The halakhah follows Rabbi Yehoshua.

SHABBAT: CHAPTER 12: MISHNA 5

If he wrote with liquids, with fruit juices, the dust of the roads, with the dust of scribes, and with anything that does not endure he is exempt; behind his hand, with his foot, with his mouth and with his elbow; if he wrote one letter close to the written; if he wrote on the written; if he intended to write a het and he wrote two zayin"s', one in the earth and one in the beam; if he wrote on two walls of the house, on two pages of a writing tablet and they are not read this with this he is exempt. If he wrote one letter as an abbreviation Rabbi Yehoshua ben Beteira declares him liable, but the Sages exempt.

Kehati

If he wrote - on Shabbat, with liquids - such as from grapes or from berries, or with fruit juices, or if he drew with his finger the form of the letters in - the dust of the roads, with the dust of scribes - sand from the scribe's sandpot, and with anything that - whose mark, does not endure - he is exempt - from bringing a sin-offering. If he wrote behind his hand - he wrote with a turned-over hand; if he held the pen with the toes of his foot, or with his mouth and - or, with his elbow; if there was one letter written there and he wrote one letter close to the written letter, making a total of two letters which form a word; if he wrote on the written - he passed the pen over two written letters which were somewhat indistinct, thereby renewing them; if he intended to write a het, and he wrote two zayin's he made as two zayin's, intending to connect them with a circumflex to form the letter het, but he did not do so, with the result that the two zayin's remain; if he wrote one letter in the earth - on the floor, and one in the beam - on the ceiling; if he wrote on two walls of the house - not where the two walls meet at an angle, but one letter on each wall; the halakhah is the same if he wrote on the same wall, but with a distance between the two letters; on two pages of a writing tablet - one letter on one page, and the second letter on the other page, and they the letters, are not read this with this - together; in all these cases, he is exempt - from bringing a sin-offering, for the following reasons: behind his hand, with his foot, etc. this is not the normal way of writing; if he wrote one letter close to the written, etc. this is not an instance of the writing of two letters; one in the earth and one in the beam, etc. the two letters are not read together.

If he wrote one letter as an abbreviation - he wrote a letter with a diacritical mark, e.g., R' for Rabbi, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Beteira declares him liable - Since an entire word is clearly understood from this letter, it amounts to writing the entire word, but the Sages exempt - for he has not actually written two letters. The halakhah follows the Sages.

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