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Week 11 - Friday - 11 Feb. 2000

SHABBAT: CHAPTER 24: MISHNA 4

One may cut gourds before cattle, and a carcass before dogs. Rabbi Yehudah says, If it was not a carcass before Shabbat, it is prohibited, because it was not designated.

Kehati

This mishnah deals with animal food which had not been prepared for the animal before Shabbat.

One may cut - on Shabbat, gourds - that had been picked before Shabbat, before cattle - even though undesignated gourds are presumed to be human food, and not for animals, and - cattle one may cut - a carcass - that had died on Shabbat, before dogs - Even though at twilight on Shabbat eve it had stood ready for human use and had not been designated for animal use, it may still be put before the dogs on Shabbat, for according to the opinion of the First Tanna, the carcass is not prohibited on account of muktzeh.

Rabbi Vehudah says, If it was not a carcass before Shabbat, it is prohibited - to put it before the dogs on Shabbat, because it was not designated - It had not been prepared before Shabbat as animal food, and therefore it is muktzeh. The halakhah does not follow Rabbi Yehudah

SHABBAT: CHAPTER 24: MISHNA 4

One may annul vows on Shabbat, and one may be asked about things that are needed for Shabbat. One may stop up a light-hole, and measure a strip and the mikveh. And an incident occurred during the time of the father of Rabbi Zadok and during the time of Abba Shaul ben Botnit, that they stopped up a light-hole with a pitcher and they tied a fire-pot with reed-grass, to know if there was in the tub an opening of a handbreadth or not. And from their words we learn that one may stop up, and one may measure, and one may tie on Shabbat.

Kehati

A father may annul his daughter's vows, if she took them "being in her father's house, in her youth" (Num. 30:4), i.e., as long as she has not become an adult and has not been married. He may annul, however, only on the day he hears the vow, as it is written, "But if her father disallows her in the day that he hears, none of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she has bound her soul, shall stand" (ibid.. v. 6). Similarly, a husband may annul his wife's vows insofar as they entail physical affliction or which adversely affect relations between husband and wife. He also may annul only on the day that he hears the vow, as it is written, "But if her husband makes them null and void in the day that he hears them, then whatever proceeded out of her lips, whether it were her vows, or the bond of her soul, shall not stand ... Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may let it stand, or her husband may make it void" (ibid., vv. 13-14). Since the annulment by the father or by the husband of vows may be performed only on the day that he hears, this mishnah teaches:

One may annul vows - even - on Shabbat, and one may be asked about things that are needed for Shabbat - If one takes a vow, and later regrets having made it, he may be asked by a sage regarding his vow. I.e., he requests the sage to release him from his vow; the sage investigates the circumstances of the vow, and asks the person various questions, in order to clarify whether the vow was taken erroneously, and if the person had known such-and-such, would he have taken the vow. On the basis of this examination, the sage may release the vow for him. This mishnah teaches that even on Shabbat one may be questioned by the sage in order to release his vow, if the release of this vow is needed for Shabbat (e.g., the person vowed not to eat on that Shabbat). The Gemara states that even if there was sufficient time to be asked regarding this vow before Shabbat, still he may be asked about it on Shabbat, because it concerns the needs of Shabbat. During the period of the Mishnah, windows were only plain holes through which light penetrated into the house; when necessary, i.e., to keep out the rain or the sun, these holes would be stopped up with a wooden board, a cushion, or similar item. The mishnah teaches:

One may stop up - on Shabbat, a light-hole - with any object normally used for this purpose, and this does not constitute adding to a building, as was taught above (17:7, above); and measure - on Shabbat, a strip - If a strip of cloth came into contact with a dead rodent, and afterwards came in contact with pure objects, they measure it to determine whether it measures at least three fingerbreadths by three fingerbreadths, for a strip of cloth less than this measure neither can acquire uncleanness, nor transmit uncleanness to other objects, and similarly, one may measure, on Shabbat, the mikveh - to know whether it is of the regulation size, i.e., one cubit by one cubit by three cubits in height. The Sages permitted the taking of these measurements on Shabbat, because they concern a mitzvah.

And an incident occurred during the time of the father of Rabbi Zadok and during the time of Abba Shaul ben Botnit, that they stopped up a light-hole with a pitcher - a small earthenware bucket, and they tied a fire-pot - a type of earthenware vessel, with reed-grass - bulrush, to know if there was in the tub an opening of a handbreadth or not - The Gemara explains that this is what happened: "There was a hilketi (a small passage Rashi) between two houses, with a barrel-shaped roof with a crack in it on top of them. There was uncleanness there, (a corpse was lying in the passage under the roofRashi), and they stopped up the light-hole with a pitcher (before the person had died, on Shabbat, they stopped up the light-hole with a pitcher, for if the size of the crack in the roof was less than one handbreadth by one handbreadth, the corpse would be lying in a tent. There being no way for the uncleanness to go out upwards, the light-hole would admit the uncleanness. They therefore stopped it up with an earthenware vessel, with its back facing the passage, for since an earthenware vessel does not acquire uncleanness through its back, this constitutes a partition Rashi), and (afterwards) they tied the Fire-pot (the dimensions of which were at least one handbreadth by one handbreadth with reed-grass (which is Fit for animal consumption and may be moved on Shabbat, i.e., they tied the fire-pot with the end of the reed, until it reached the end of the crack in the roof), to find out whether

there was in the crack in the roof an opening of a handbreadth (i.e., an opening of one handbreadth by one handbreadth, as the size of the fire-pot) or not." The Tosafists query Rashfs interpretation (see Shab. 157a). They prefer the interpretation of Rabbeinu Hananel, which is as follows: The hilketi is a heaped up mound which was between two houses, and constituted a wall dividing them. There was an opening in this mound, which was stopped up with a cracked tub. On this Shabbat there was a corpse lying in one house, and kohanim wanted to enter the other house. They did not know for certain whether or not there was in the mouth of the tub an opening of one handbreadth. If there was, the uncleanness could come through it to the other house. They first stopped up the light-hole in the roof with the pitcher for the sake of the kohanim who wanted to go up on the roof, so that they would not become unclean from the uncleanness in the house. Afterwards they came to measure the mouth of the tub in the opening. However, since the opening was in the middle of the wall, they could not reach the tub, neither from the ground nor from the roof. They therefore tied a fire-pot, which measures one handbreadth by one handbreadth with reed-grass, and they let it down against the mouth of the tub, to see if the mouth of the tub had an opening of one handbreadth corresponding to the dimensions of the fire-pot. If the opening was a handbreadth wide, uncleanness could come through it to the second house, but if the opening was less than one handbreadth, the uncleanness could not come to the second house (Rambarn interprets this subject in a different way in his Commentary to the Mishnah). Bartenura explains according to Rashi, but with a slight change: There was a sort of small passage between two houses. The passage was not covered, but a cracked tub was resting on top of it. There were open windows in the houses facing the passage, and they feared lest a person die in one of the houses, and the uncleanness would come through the window into the passage, and from the passage to the other house, through its open window. Therefore, they stopped up the open window of the second house with an earthenware pitcher, whose back faced the passage (for the reason mentioned above). They feared lest the crack in the tub did not have an opening of one handbreadth, and as a result the tub formed a tent over the passage, and the uncleanness would come through the passage from one house to the other. Afterwards they had to open the window and take the pitcher which had been used as a stopper, and they came to measure on Shabbat whether the crack in the tub had an opening of one handbreadth. If so, the uncleanness could go upwards through the crack, and would not enter the house. They took an earthenware Fire-pot, measuring one handbreadth by one handbreadth, tied it with reed-grass, and extended it to the crack in the tub on top, to see whether or not it was as large as the fire-pot (i.e., with an opening of a handbreadth).

And from their words - that these Sages permitted the stopping up of the light-hole and the tying of the reed-grass in order to measure the tub, we learn that one may stop up - the window, and one may measure - a measurement connected with a mitzvah, and one may tie - a knot to enable the performance of a mitzvah (Rambarn), on Shabbat - Bartenura writes that only the measuring has to be connected with a mitzvah, while about tying he writes, "provided that it shall not be a durable knot" (see Tosefot Yom TOY).

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