Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 2, scan section 31

him ; if he made it (especially) for the Israelite, the latter must not descend. Once R. Gamaliel and several elders arrived on a ship (on Sabbath) and a non-Israelite made a stairway upon which * Rashi gives this a different explanation, but the above seems correct to us. 264 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. to descend (from the ship), whereupon R. Gamaliel and the elders also descended. GEMARA : And it is necessary for the Mishna to mention the above cases separately, because if we were taught only con- cerning a lamp, we would say, that a lamp only may be used because a lamp will give light for a hundred men as well as for one ; but as for water, we might say, that the water should not be used, in precaution lest the non-Israelite replenish the trough especially for the Israelite. For what purpose, however, is the stairway mentioned ? That was only for the purpose of relating what happened to R. Gamaliel and the elders. ■ The rabbis taught : With grass which a Gentile mowed for his own cattle, an Israelite may feed his cattle, but if the grass was mowed especially for the Israelite, he may not. The same rule applies to water for watering the cattle. This applies only where the Gentile and the Israelite are not acquainted; but if they are, it is not allowed, under any circumstances. This is not so! For R. Huna said in the name of R. Hanina, that a man may allow his cattle to graze on the Sabbath, but must not feed them on grass which he designated previously for some other purpose (it matters not whether the grass is still uncut or cut). (Now, we see that things which have been designated for another purpose must not be fed to cattle on the Sabbath ; how then is it allowed to feed one's cattle on the Gentile's grass which was cut on the Sabbath, and surely designated for some express purpose ?) This presents no difficulty; for the permis- sion to feed one's cattle on the Gentile's grass only holds good if the cattle feed themselves, and the man may stand by and prevent them from invading another pasture (but does not allow the man to feed them by hand). It is said above: " This applies only where the Gentile and the Israelite are not acquainted," etc. Is this so ? Did not R. Gamaliel descend on the stairway, although he and the Gentile were acquainted ? Said Abayi : " The Gentile made the stair- way when R. Gamaliel did not see him." But Rabhasaid: " It may be that the stairway was made in the presence of R. Gama- liel, but this case would be the same as that of a lamp. A lamp for one is a lamp for a hundred." An objection was made to the teaching of Rabha: We have learned in a Tosephta: R. Gamaliel said to the elders: " As the Gentile made the stairway while we were not looking, we may descend on it." Answered Rabha: " Read simply, that R. TRACT SABBATH. 265 Gamaliel said, ' because the Gentile had already made it, we may use it.' " Samuel happened to arrive at the house of Abin in Touron on a Sabbath. A Gentile came and lit a candle. Samuel turned his face away from the light ; but after seeing that the Gentile brought a paper and commenced to read by the light of that candle, he said: " I see now that the Gentile lit the candle for his own use," and he then made use of it himself. CHAPTER XVII. REGULATIONS CONCERNING THE HANDLING OF UTENSILS AND FUR- NITURE ON THE SABBATH. MISHNA: All utensils (and furniture) which may be handled on the Sabbath, their doors (lids) may be handled with them, even when their lids had been removed ; for such lids can- not be considered as house-doors, which are not intended to be removed. One may take a hammer on the Sabbath for the pur- pose of cracking nuts, an axe to chop fig-cake, a hand-saw to saw cheese, a shovel to gather up dried figs, a fan and a fork to place a thing (food) before a child, a spindle and a shuttle to pick fruit, a sewing-needle to remove a spHnter (from the flesh), and a packing needle to open a door. GEMARA: "All utensils which may be haridled on the Sabbath, their doors {lids) may be handled with theju, even when their lids had been removed.'" Removed when, on Sabbath? and if removed on a week-day they certainly may be handled ? Why, on the contrary. On Sabbath the lids being attached to the utensils, they were intended for use with the utensils ; but if removed on week-days, they did not form part of the uten- sils on the Sabbath, hence not intended for simultaneous use, and should not be handled ! Said Abayi : The Mishna means to say, that the lids may be handled with the utensils on the Sab- bath even if the lids had been removed on a week-day. The rabbis taught: " The doors (lids) of a drawer, chest, or cage, may be taken down on the Sabbath, but not replaced. The door of a chicken-coop (which is built in the ground) must not be removed nor replaced on the Sabbath." It may be right to prohibit the removing or replacing of the door of a chicken- coop (built in the ground), because removing it would constitute the act of tearing down, and replacing it would constitute build- ing, but as for the doors of a drawer, chest, or cage, what is the opinion of the rabbis ? Do they hold that the acts of building and tearing down apply also to utensils ? If so, why do they permit the removing of the doors (lids); and if not, why do they 266 TRACT SABBATH. 267 prohibit replacing them? Said Rabha: "The act of building does not apply to utensils, but replacing is prohibited more as a precautionary measure, lest one drive the door in with a stick (and this would constitute the act of hammering)." " One may take a hammer,'' etc. Said R. Jehudah: This refers to a hammer intended only for nut-cracking, and such a hammer may be used to crack nuts, but a smith's hammer must not be used for that purpose; [for R. Jehudah holds, that a thing which is intended only for an act prohibited on the Sab- bath, must not be used even for a permissible act]. Rabba, however, says, that a smith's hammer may be used to crack nuts [for he holds that a thing which is intended only for a prohibited act, may be used for a permissible act]. It was taught : R. Hyya bar Aba in the name of R. Johanan said: "We have learned, that a hammer which is intended for hammering gold may also be used for cracking nuts." R. Shoman bar Aba said: " We have learned, that the hammer referred to is intended to be used for spices." The one who teaches that a spice-hammer may be used cer- tainly permits a gold-hammer; but the one permitting a gold- hammer to be used, does not allow a spice-hammer, because a spice-hammer must be kept perfectly clean, and is usually laid away for non-use during the Sabbath. ''A spindle and a shuttle to pick fruit,'' etc. The rabbis taught : A date which was not quite ripe, and was put in straw