meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt_done/Modern Works/English Explanation of Mishnah/Seder Moed/English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah/English/merged.txt"}
text: English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
  ביאור אנגלי על משנה ביצה
  merged
  
  This file contains merged sections from the following text versions:
  -Mishnah Yomit by Dr. Joshua Kulp
  -
  
  English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
  
  Introduction
  
  Tractate Betzah (Egg) teaches the laws governing Yom Tov (the festival), which means the first and last days of Pesah, the first day of Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret and Shavuot.  It is usually called “Betzah” after the first word of the first mishnah, although it was alternatively called Tractate Yom Tov.  
  The Torah does not provide much information about the special laws of Yom Tov, those which would distinguish it from Shabbat.  They are mostly contained in Exodus 12:16, “And on the first day you shall celebrate a sacred occasion and on the last day, a sacred occasion; no work at all shall be done on them; only what every person is to eat, that alone may be prepared by you.”  In other words, Yom Tov is like Shabbat in that work is prohibited, with one major exception—one can prepare food.  Although this verse relates specifically to Pesah, it was interpreted as referring to all of the festival days. 
  Not all food preparations were permitted on Yom Tov.  The general explanation is that all preparatory work that could have been done before Yom Tov without any loss to the quality of the food must be done before Yom Tov.  For instance, one cannot harvest wheat on Yom Tov, but one can knead and bake dough.  One cannot trap an animal on Yom Tov but one can slaughter, skin, salt and cut up the meat.  Lighting a fire is permitted, as is carrying from domain to domain because these actions are typically involved in preparing food. 
  One of the reasons that one was allowed to prepare food on Yom Tov was that Yom Tov was supposed to be a big celebration.  The festival was supposed to be sanctified by eating and drinking and without being able to prepare fresh food (remember they had no refrigeration), the celebration would be lessened.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mishnah 1
  
  Introduction
  The first part of the first mishnah of Betzah is about its namesake, an egg born on Yom Tov. The second part is associated with the first part because both contain debates between Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel, and in both Bet Hillel rules strictly.
  An egg laid on Yom Tov: Bet Shammai say: it may be eaten [on the same day]; But Bet Hillel say: it may not be eaten [until the day is over].  According to Bet Shammai, just as it is permitted to slaughter a chicken on Yom Tov, it is also permitted to eat an egg that is laid on Yom Tov.  In other words, the chicken and everything in it is permitted on Yom Tov.  In contrast, Bet Hillel hold that while the chicken itself is permitted, the egg that is laid is prohibited.  The egg is what is called “nolad” it is born, or new, something that was not there when Yom Tov began and hence was not set aside for use at the beginning of Yom Tov. This prohibition is similar to muktzeh the idea that something that was not set aside before Yom Tov to be used on Yom Tov may not be used on Yom Tov.
  Bet Shammai say: [the quantity of] leaven is of the size of an olive and leavened bread is of the size of a date; But Bet Hillel say: both are of the size of an olive.  Exodus 13:7 says, “No leavened bread shall be seen with you and no leaven shall be found in all your territory.”  The verse mentions two things:  the leavening agent (starter dough) and the leavened bread, both of which are prohibited.  According to Bet Shammai the point of the verse is to teach that the two prohibitions are different.  Leaven is prohibited at the size of an olive, whereas leavened bread is prohibited at a larger amount, the size of a date.  Beth Hillel hold that in both cases an olive’s worth is prohibited.  Note that smaller amounts are not permitted either.  A smaller amount is still forbidden but one who consumes a smaller amount has not transgressed the Biblical prohibition of leaven or leavened bread on Passover.
  
  Mishnah 2
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah deals with slaughtering animals on Yom Tov.
  He who slaughters a wild animal or a bird on a festival   Bet Shammai says: he may dig with a pronged tool and cover up [the blood], but Bet Hillel says: he may not slaughter unless he has had earth made ready.  According to Leviticus 17:13, when one slaughters an undomesticated animal or any type of fowl the blood must be poured out of the animal and covered with earth.  One who slaughters an undomesticated animal or fowl on the festival has a problem.  Although it is permitted to slaughter, if he doesn’t have any prepared earth to cover the blood newly dug earth is “muktzeh” and cannot be used.  Nevertheless, Bet Shammai permits one to dig up new earth and cover the blood.  Bet Hillel says one cannot slaughter unless one has earth already prepared.
  But they agree that if he did slaughter he should dig with a pronged tool and cover up [the blood, and] that the ashes of a stove count as being prepared for the holiday.  However, they all agree that if he had already slaughtered the animal, even though Bet Hillel says he should not have done so without already prepared earth, he may still dig new earth to cover the blood.  This is because the principle of muktzeh is only rabbinically ordained and the obligation to cover the blood is Biblical.  When one has two competing commandments, one rabbinic and one Biblical, the latter takes precedence.  The two houses also agree that the ashes in the oven are considered prepared for the festival, in other words they are not muktzeh.  Since people used these ashes for various purposes, we can make the assumption that before the festival began he knew in his mind that he would use these ashes.
  
  Mishnah 3
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah continues with two more debates between Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel over what types of food preparations one can do on Yom Tov. Today’s mishnah again deals with muktzeh, the concept that something that was designated for use on Yom Tov or Shabbat may not subsequently be used then.  The specific topic is fetching pigeon-doves from a dovecote in order to eat them on Yom Tov.
  Bet Shammai says: one may not carry a ladder [on Yom Tov] from one dovecote to another, but he may incline it from one pigeon-hole to another. But Bet Hillel permits [this].  In ancient Israel dovecotes were typically underground caves with many holes carved into the walls, each hole housing a dove.  There would be ladders inside the dovecote so that the owner could reach the doves situated high up.  According to Bet Shammai one may not move a ladder from one dovecote to another on Yom Tov, however one may move the ladder from one hole to the other within the dovecote.  Bet Hillel is more lenient in this case and permits one to move the ladder even from one dovecote to the other.  One cogent explanation for this debate is that Bet Shammai prohibits moving the ladder from one dovecote to another lest it look like he is bringing the ladder to the shop to get it fixed.  Bet Hillel is not concerned since everyone should know why he would be moving the ladder.
  Bet Shammai says: one may not take [doves] unless he has shaken [them] the day before [Yom Tov]: But Bet Hillel says: he stands and declares: this one or that one I am taking.  Doves that were not set aside to be slaughtered and then eaten on Yom Tov are muktzeh and may not be used on Yom Tov.  However, if they are designated before Yom Tov to be slaughtered on Yom Tov, one may use them.  In this mishnah Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel debate how one designates before Yom Tov that he will slaughter certain birds on the next day.  According to Bet Shammai one must designate the birds by physically lifting each one up and moving it around. This demonstrates that he intends to use that specific pigeon the next day (if only the pigeon knew that tomorrow won’t be such a Yom Tov for him).  Bet Hillel says that the designation is verbal he stands in front of the pigeons and says that he will use these pigeons (good thing they don’t know Hebrew).
  
  Mishnah 4
  
  Introduction
  In yesterday’s mishnah we learned that in order to slaughter and eat doves on Yom Tov one must designate them for use before Yom Tov begins.  Otherwise they are muktzeh.  Our mishnah discusses what happens if he designated doves before Yom Tov but then is not sure that the doves that he finds in the nest or dovecote are the same ones.
  If he designated black [doves] but found [on Yom Tov] white ones, white [doves] but found black ones, two but found three, they are [all] forbidden.  If the doves which he finds are a different color from those that he designated it is obvious that they are not the same doves that he designated the previous day.  If he designated two doves and there are now three there, one of the doves is certainly muktzeh.  The problem is that he doesn’t know which one because all three look alike (I wonder if doves think all humans look alike).  Hence they are all prohibited.
  [If he designated] three but found two, they are permitted.  If he designated three but finds only two we can assume that one flew off and that the other two are the same ones he designated.  Hence they are permitted.
  [If he designated doves] inside the nest and found them in front of the nest, they are forbidden. But if none were there except these, they are permitted.  If the doves are found outside of the nest but he designated them in the nest, then they may not be the same doves.  If there is another nearby dovecote then he must be concerned about this possibility and he may not use those doves.  However, if there are no nearby dovecotes then he can assume that these doves just found their way out and he may use them.
  
  Mishnah 5
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah continues with four more debates between Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel on the laws of Yom Tov.
  Bet Shammai says: one may not remove shutters on Yom Tov. But Bet Hillel permits even to return them to their place.  In mishnaic times the shutters which were used to close windows and closets were removable.  Bet Shammai forbade removing them because they considered this similar to tearing down a building, a forbidden labor on Shabbat and Yom Tov.  All the more so they would hold that putting the shutters back in their place is forbidden because it is similar to “building”.  Bet Hillel holds that it is permitted even to put the shutters back in their place.  Bet Hillel’s general principle is that if an activity is permitted because it is done in the preparation of food, then it is permitted even when it is done for another purpose.  Removing a shutter to take food out of a closet is permitted therefore removing shutters is always permitted, even if it is not for the sake of removing food.   Bet Hillel even allows returning the shutter to its place, because if it were prohibited people would hesitate to remove them, knowing that they would not be able to put them back in their place afterwards.
  Bet Shammai says: one may not take a pestle even to cut up meat on it. But Bet Hillel permits [it].  A pestle is a wooden board used to grind things which cannot be ground on Yom Tov because they can be ground the day before.  Bet Shammai says that the pestle cannot even be used for things that can be done on Yom Tov such as cutting up meat.  The pestle is completely muktzeh because its general use is for something that is prohibited.  Bet Hillel disagrees and holds that even though it is usually used during the week for things that cannot be done on Yom Tov, it may be used on Yom Tov for something that is permitted.
  Bet Shammai says: one may not place a hide in front of one who treads upon it nor may he even lift it up unless there is an olive’s worth of flesh on it. But Bet hillel permit it.  Once one has slaughtered and skinned an animal Bet Shammai prohibits one from giving the hide over to someone who will tread on it to prepare it for processing.  Indeed, Bet Shammiai add that he may not even touch the removed hide. Since the hide is not food, it becomes muktzeh.   One may touch the hide only if it has some flesh on it, because then it is considered “food.”  Bet Hillel however allows one to give a hide over to someone who will tread on it since if this was not permitted people wouldn’t slaughter animals on Yom Tov because the valuable hides would be ruined by waiting until the next day to begin working on them.  This would result in a reduction of the rejoicing on Yom Tov because there would be no fresh meat.  It is noteworthy that Bet Hillel allows activities that would seemingly be prohibited if they contribute to the celebration of Yom Tov.
  Bet Shammai says: one may not carry out an infant or a lulav or a Torah scroll into the public domain. But Bet Hillel permit [it].  According to Bet Shammai carrying something through the public domain is permitted on Yom Tov only in a case where one carries in order to prepare or eat food.  Carrying a child, a lulav or a Torah scroll is not done for eating and hence it is prohibited.  Bet Hillel again permits this.  Since carrying is permitted in some cases (for food) it is permitted in other cases as well.  However, Bet Hillel limits this to cases which involve a mitzvah or some other benefit.  Taking a child for a stroll is pleasurable (as long as they’re not screaming their little heads off).  The lulav and the Torah scroll are for mitzvot.  To carry something with no purpose is however forbidden even according to Bet Hillel.
  
  Mishnah 6
  
  Introduction
  In this mishnah Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel debate whether one may carry to a priest hallah and priestly gifts on Yom Tov.  Hallah is dough which one must separate from the dough that one kneads to bake bread (Numbers 15:17-21).  Priestly gifts refers to the parts of a sacrificial animal which must be given to the priest (Deuteronomy 18:3).
  Bet Shammai says: one may not take hallah or priestly gifts to a priest on Yom Tov, whether they were separated on the day before or on that day. But Bet Hillel permits it.  In this first section we learn that Bet Shammai prohibits carrying the hallah and priestly gifts to the priest, whether they were separated on that day or earlier, whereas Bet Hillel permits this.  The reasons for this debate come in the following mishnah.
  Bet Shammai said them: An analogy [supports our view]: hallah and priestly gifts go to the priest and terumah is [likewise] goes to the priest; just as one may not take [to the priest] terumah so one may not take [to him] priestly gifts. Bet Hillel said to them: No! If you say in the case of terumah which he has not the right to separate, will you say [the same] with respect to priestly gifts which he is permitted to separate?  We now learn Bet Shammai’s reasoning.  They compare hallah and priestly gifts to terumah, the portion of one’s produce that one separates and gives to the priest.  Terumah may not be separated on Yom Tov because it can be separated from one’s produce on the day before.  Since one is not allowed to separate terumah on Yom Tov it is also forbidden to carry it to the priest.  Bet Shammai reasons that the same holds true for the other things which one gives to a priest they too cannot be carried to the priest on Yom Tov. Bet Hillel critiques this analogy.  One cannot carry terumah to a priest precisely because one cannot separate it on Yom Tov.  However, one may separate hallah and priestly gifts on Yom Tov and therefore one is allowed to carry them to the priest as well.  The reason that one may separate hallah and priestly gifts on Yom Tov is that one can slaughter an animal and knead dough on Yom Tov, and when one does so the gifts and hallah must be separated.
  
  Mishnah 7
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah deals with grinding spices on Yom Tov.  Everyone agrees that they can be ground.  The debate is over whether they can be done in the normal way or they must be done differently somehow.
  Bet Shammai says: spices may be crushed with a wooden pestle and salt in a small cruse or with a wooden ladle.  According to Bet Shammai when one crushes spices on Yom Tov they have to be crushed differently.  Normally spices are crushed with a stone pestle on Yom Tov they need to use a wooden pestle.  When crushing salt he shouldn’t use a pestle at all, rather he should use a small earthenware cruse and a wooden soup ladle.
  But Bet Hillel says: spices may be crushed in the usual way with a stone pestle and salt with a wooden pestle.  Bet Hillel holds that since it is permitted to crush spices and grind salt on Yom Tov, it is also permissible to crush them in a normal fashion spices with a stone pestle and salt with a wooden pestle.
  
  Mishnah 8
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah deals with how one separates out the dirt and inedible parts from a pile of beans on Yom Tov.  “Sorting” is one of the prohibited labors on Shabbat, but it is permitted on Yom Tov because it is done in preparation of food.
  One who sorts beans on Yom Tov:Bet Shammai says: he must sort the edible parts and eat [them immediate].  According to Bet Shammai he is not really allowed to sort out the beans and make two piles, one of edible beans and one of dirt and other such yucky stuff.  Rather all that he is allowed to do is sort out the beans and either eat them immediately, or put them in water to cook them if they are the type of bean that requires cooking.  Again we see that Bet Shammai allows one to prepare food on Yom Tov but requires it to be done in a very minimal way, and with some significant differences from how it is done during the week.
  But Bet Hillel says: he may sort as usual in his lap or in a basket or in a dish; but not with a board or in a sifter or in a sieve.  Bet Hillel allows one to sort beans but only if he does so in a more make-shift fashion, using his lap a basket or a dish.  He may not use the instruments that he regularly uses during the week, vessels such as a board, a sifter or a sieve.
  Rabban Gamaliel says: he may even rinse them [in water] and skim off [the refuse].  Rabban Gamaliel is the most lenient of the opinions in the mishnah.  He allows one to sort beans even by rinsing the beans in water and skimming off the refuse that floats to the surface.
  
  Mishnah 9
  
  Introduction
  In our mishnah the two houses debate what types of food gifts one person may send to his neighbor on Yom Tov.  The problem with gifts would occur if they cannot be used on Yom Tov itself.
  Bet Shammai says: one may not send [gifts to a neighbor] on Yom Tov except portions [of food, ready to be eaten].  Bet Shammai says that one shouldn’t send gifts on Yom Tov unless they are ready to be eaten immediately.  Thus one could send pieces of meat or fish that have already been prepared.
  But Bet Hillel says: one may send cattle, game and poultry whether alive or slaughtered. One may [also] send wine, oil, flour or pulse but not grain.  Bet Hillel extends this even more and allows one to send whole live animals to one’s friends, because he could slaughter the animals and eat them on Yom Tov.   Bet Hillel also permits one to send other food items to one’s friend on Yom Tov. The only exception is grain.  Since grain cannot be ground into flour on Yom Tov, because one can grind it the day before, one cannot send it as a gift on Yom Tov.
  And Rabbi Shimon permits [even] grain.  Rabbi Shimon continues the trend to leniency by allowing one to send even grain.  Although one cannot grind the grain on Yom Tov, he is allowed to cook the grain whole and eat it as cereal.  In other words, even grain is edible on Yom Tov.
  
  Mishnah 10
  
  Introduction
  The final mishnah of chapter one discusses sending clothing as a gift on Yom Tov.
  One may send clothes, whether they are sewn up or not sewn up, and even though there is kil'ayim (mixed wool and in them, provided they are necessary for the festival.  On Yom Tov one may send even unfinished clothing which hasn’t been fully sewn because it can be used as a covering, such as a blanket.  One can even send clothing that is forbidden to wear because it has a mixture of wool and linen (kilayim, also called shatnez).  Although it is forbidden to wear such clothing, it is permitted to hang it up as a decoration and in certain cases to lie on top of it.  In other words, as long as there is some potential use to the clothing, he may use it on Yom Tov.
  But [one may] not [send] nailed sandals nor unfinished shoes.  Sandals that have nails in them were not worn on Yom Tov.  These seem to have been some sort of work shoe and since one doesn’t work on Yom Tov, one can’t wear them. Since they cannot be worn, they cannot be sent to friends either.
  Rabbi Judah says: not even white shoes because they [still] require an artisan [to blacken them].  Rabbi Judah says even shoes that are only missing the “finishing touches”, such as white shoes that need to be blackened, cannot be sent on Yom Tov because they are not generally worn.
  This is the general rule: whatever may be used on Yom Tov may [also] be sent [on Yom Tov].  This is the general rule that summarizes the entire mishnah. If the object could be used as is on Yom Tov, then it can’t be sent.  But if it is missing some step in its preparation then it may not be sent because it is not generally used.
  
  
  
  
  
  Mishnah 1
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah deals with preparing food on Yom Tov to use on Shabbat which falls the day after.  While cooking on Yom Tov is permitted, it is only permitted to cook on Yom Tov for that day.
  This mishnah discusses what is called “eruv tavshilin.”  This is a type of “eruv” whereby one begins to cook a meal for Shabbat on the day before Yom Tov which falls before Shabbat.  Beginning to cook this meal allows him to cook on Yom Tov for Shabbat.  This halakhah is still observed to this day, and if you look in siddurim you will even find a blessing which one recites before setting aside the food.
  Yom Tov which fell on the eve of Shabbat, one should not begin to cook on Yom Tov for Shabbat.  Although one is allowed to cook on Yom Tov, one may not cook food on Yom Tov that will be eaten on the next day, even if the next day is Shabbat.  We should note that this would have presented a bigger practical problem in the ancient world than it does today.  They did not have preservatives or refrigeration (or those fantastic lock-top plastic containers) and hence it would not have been simple to prepare food for Shabbat on Thursday.  Therefore, the remainder of the mishnah seems to present some ways of avoiding this problem.
  But he may cook for Yom Tov, and if any is left over it is left over for Shabbat.  If he cooks on Yom Tov with the intention of eating some of the food on that very day, he may eat on Shabbat whatever food was left over. It would even seem possible to make a large meal on Yom Tov knowing that there would be leftovers and to eat those leftovers on Shabbat.
  And he may prepare a dish on the eve of Yom Tov and rely upon it [to prepare food] for Shabbat.  This is the section that deals with “eruv tavshilin.”  A person may begin to make a meal on the day before Yom Tov and then on Yom Tov “continue” to cook the meal.  In this way he will not be starting to cook a meal on Yom Tov for Shabbat but rather just continuing a meal that he already began to cook the day before.
  Bet Shammai says: two dishes. But Bet Hillel says: one dish. Yet they [both] agree that a fish and an egg upon it are [considered as] two dishes.  The two houses debate how many different food items he needs to begin to prepare on the day before Yom Tov in order for it to count as an “eruv tavshilin.”  According to Bet Shammai a meal consists of at least two dishes therefore he must begin to cook two dishes for it to count.  Bet Hillel thinks that a meal need consist of only one dish and hence one dish is sufficient for eruv tavshilin.  Bet Shammai however is lenient in what counts as two dishes even a fish with an egg on top of it counts as two dishes.
  [If] he ate it or it was lost, he may not begin to cook [relying] on it. But if he left over any [small] portion of it, he may rely on it [to cook] for Shabbat.  If the eruv tavshilin is eaten or lost before he begins to cook for Shabbat, then he may not rely on it to begin cooking a meal for Shabbat.  However, if even a little bit of the eruv still remains before he begins cooking he may rely on it to cook for Shabbat.
  
  Mishnah 2
  
  Introduction
  In mishnaic times it was customary for people who observed the laws of purity to immerse vessels and for people to immerse before Yom Tov so that everything would be pure.  In our mishnah Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel debate whether or not one can immerse on Shabbat in preparation for a Yom Tov which falls on Sunday.
  If [Yom Tov] fell on the day after Shabbat:Bet Shammai says: one must immerse everything [unclean] before Shabbat.  According to Bet Shammai both vessels and people must be immersed before Shabbat.  They hold that it is forbidden to immerse on Shabbat.
  But Bet Hillel says: vessels [must be immersed] before Shabbat but people [may immerse] on Shabbat.  Bet Hillel holds that it is permitted to immerse on Shabbat but that one should nevertheless immerse the vessels before Shabbat.  The reason not to immerse the vessels on Shabbat is that by immersing the vessels he makes them usable. This is like “completing a vessel” which is forbidden on Shabbat.  However, when a person immerses him/herself it might just look like she/he is washing, and hence it is permitted.
  
  Mishnah 3
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah continues to deal with immersing things on Yom Tov in order to purify them.
  They agree that one may effect surface contact for [unclean] water in a stone vessel in order to purify it, but one may not immerse [it];  Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel agree that one may purify water on Shabbat that falls the day before Yom Tov. Drinking water was purified by putting it into a stone vessel (a stone vessel cannot become impure). The vessel was then immersed in a pure mikveh until the top of the vessel just touched the water from the mikveh. The reason that a stone vessel was used was to make sure that this was not done in order to purify the vessel, which as we learned yesterday, both Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel prohibit. They both agree that one should not fully immerse the vessel because that would be similar to immersing an unclean vessel in order to purify it.  In other words, only the water may be purified but not the vessels.  This is also taken to mean that one should not do this with a wooden vessel because wooden vessels become impure through the contact with the unclean water and then they would require immersion.
  And one may immerse [to change] from one intention to another or from one company to another.  If a vessel is already pure it will still need to be immersed if it is going to be used for a “holier” purpose. For instance, if one immersed his vessels to purify them with the intent of using them for non-sacred things, such as regular oil, and then decided he wanted to use them to make terumah wine, he needs to immerse the vessels again.  Our mishnah teaches that this is permitted on Shabbat before Yom Tov because the vessels were in any case pure before they were immersed. A person who is pure and is eating non-sacred food with one eating company and then wants to eat terumah with another company must first immerse.  Again, this immersion is permitted on Yom Tov even according to Bet Shammai because the person was already pure.
  
  Mishnah 4
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah deals with bringing certain sacrifices on Yom Tov and laying one’s hands upon them (see Leviticus 3:2).
  Bet Shammai says: one may bring peace-offerings [on Yom Tov] but may not lay [hands] upon them, but one may not bring burnt-offerings [on Yom Tov].  One of the sacrifices which a person would bring on Yom Tov was a peace-offering.  Part of the sacrifice would be offered on the altar, part would be eaten by the priests and part would be eaten by those who brought the sacrifice. Since this sacrifice is eaten, Bet Shammai allows one to offer it on Yom Tov.  As we have learned before one is allowed to prepare food on Yom Tov, and this includes offering edible sacrifices. However, Bet Shammai holds that one cannot lay his hands on the sacrifice because leaning on an animal is considered using the animal and this is prohibited on Yom Tov.  Bet Shammai holds that the laying of the hands must be done the day before. Furthermore, Bet Shammai does not allow the sacrifice of burnt-offerings on Yom Tov, because burnt offerings are completely consumed on the altar.  Since they are not eaten they cannot be offered.  One who wants to bring a burnt-offering would have to do so on Hol Hamoed, the intermediate days of the festival.
  Bet Hillel says: one may bring peace-offerings and burnt-offerings and also lay hands upon them.  Bet Hillel allows the laying of the hands on the animal since this is part of the sacrificial process. The Talmud also explains that according to Bet Hillel the laying of the hands must be done right before it is offered, and therefore he could not do it before Yom Tov.  Bet Hillel also allows burnt offerings to be brought even though they are not eaten, since they are brought in fulfillment of the commandments of the festival.
  
  Mishnah 5
  
  Introduction
  It is permitted to make a fire on Yom Tov in order that one can cook food.  Our mishnah discusses making a fire so that one can heat up water to wash one’s feet.
  Bet Shammai says: a man may not heat water for his feet unless it is also fit for drinking.  Bet Shammai holds that labors that are permitted on Yom Tov because they are necessary for preparing food are permitted only if they are done in the preparation of food.  One may not heat water just to wash one’s body. The only leniency for which Bet Shammai allows is that if one heats up water that is fit for drinking, one can also use it for other purposes.  This is similar to cooking on Yom Tov for the day after.  If one can eat some of the food cooked on Yom Tov, one is allowed to cook, knowing that there will be leftovers.
  But Bet Hillel permits it.  Bet Hillel generally holds that labors permitted in order to prepare food are permitted even if they are done not to prepare food.  Hence, heating water is permitted whether one does so for drinking water or to wash one’s feet.
  A man may make a fire and warm himself at it.  The final clause in the mishnah seems to also go according to Bet Hillel.  It is not only permitted to heat water in order to wash one’s feet, one may even make a fire just to keep warm.  The reason we might have thought that Bet Hillel prohibits this is that in this case there is no water being heated, water which one could claim one might drink in time of great thirst.  This section lets us know that Bet Hillel allows one to make a fire on Yom Tov even if there is no chance that it will lead to food preparation.
  
  Mishnah 6
  
  Introduction
  Mishnah six contains three cases in which Rabban Gamaliel ruled like Beth Shammai in connection with the laws of Yom Tov.  This mishnah is also found in its entirety in tractate Eduyot 3:10.
  This mishnah lists three cases in which Rabban Gamaliel ruled strictly, as had Bet Shammai.  Although later Sages generally ruled like Beth Hillel, there were some exceptions, and some of those are listed in our mishnah.
  In three cases Rabban Gamaliel was strict like the words of Beth Shammai.One may not cover up hot food on Yom Tov for Shabbat;  As we learned above, it is forbidden to prepare food on Yom Tov for Shabbat, since that would be considered an insult to the honor of the festival.   In our mishnah we learn that Bet Shammai and Rabban Gamaliel prohibit one from hiding food in a warm place to preserve its heat for Shabbat (see Shabbat 4:1). This is true even if he made an “eruv tavshilin” because in this case everyone can tell that he is putting food aside just for Shabbat.  In contrast, when one cooks, one might be cooking to eat the food on Yom Tov.  Bet Hillel would allow one to put food in something that preserves its warmth.  For a somewhat different explanation see my commentary on Eduyou 3:10.
  And one may not join together a lamp on a festival;  The Talmud explains that this is a case where a lamp made of several parts breaks on Yom Tov. Rabban Gamaliel forbids one to fix it, since this is a type of “building” which is forbidden on the Sabbath.  Beth Hillel holds that there is no prohibition of “building” with regards to erecting vessels, and therefore this is permitted.
  And one may not bake [on Yom] thick loaves but only wafer-cakes.  Rabban Gamaliel holds that it is forbidden to bake large loaves on Yom Tov, and that only thin loaves are permitted.  This is meant to prevent one from making too much bread on the festival, lest he make some for after the festival.  Beth Hillel holds that it is permitted to bake large loaves, since bread cooks better when the oven is full.  Furthermore, Bet Hillel in general is far more lenient when it comes to cooking on Yom Tov.
  Rabban Gamaliel said:  “In all their days, my father’s house never baked large loaves but only wafer-cakes.” They said to him: “What can we do with regards to your father’s house, for they were strict in respect to themselves but were lenient towards Israel to let them bake both large loaves and even charcoal-roasted loaves.”  The final section of the mishnah contains some interaction between Rabban Gamaliel and the other sages, who hold like Beth Hillel. Rabban Gamaliel testifies that his father’s house indeed acted in this manner, and only baked wafer-cakes on the festival.  The other sages accept this testimony of Rabban Gamaliel as being an accurate description of what Rabban Gamaliel’s father’s house used to do, but they understand its significance differently.  The sages say that Rabban Gamaliel’s father’s house was strict upon themselves, but allowed the rest of Israel to cook large loaves, even charcoal roasted loaves which are very difficult to make.  The strict actions of Rabban Gamaliel’s father’s house were only meant for themselves and were not meant to set precedent for everyone else.
  
  Mishnah 7
  
  Introduction
  In mishnah six we learned of three cases where Rabban Gamaliel was strict like Beth Shammai.  In mishnah seven we learn three cases where he adopted a more lenient position than the other Sages.
  Also he declared three decisions of a lenient character:One may sweep up [on a festival] between the couches,  In the time of the Mishnah, during formal meals people would recline on couches on the ground and eat off personal tables which were more like trays.  According to Rabban Gamaliel one can sweep up between the couches after the meal on Yom Tov.  The Sages forbid this for fear that one might fill in a hole that is in the floor, which could be considered a form of building, which is forbidden on the Sabbath and Yom Tov.
  And put spices [on the coals] on a festival;  As we have learned many times already, cooking food is allowed on Yom Tov.  Rabban Gamaliel allowed people to put spices on coals, which would make a pleasant scent.  Even though this is not cooking food, it is permitted since it is still a bodily pleasure.  The sages forbid doing so since not all people are equally accustomed to put spices on coals after a meal.  Cooking food is permitted because everyone eats; putting spices on coals is prohibited because this is not a practice in which all classes of people engage.
  And roast a kid whole on the night of Passover. But the sages forbid them.  When there was a Temple in Jerusalem, people would roast kids (lambs, not the human kind) as Passover sacrifices on the day before Passover and eat them at night.  When the Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E. sacrifices could no longer be offered.  Nevertheless, Rabban Gamaliel permitted people to make roasted kids at their own seders.  The other Sages forbid this, lest someone think that they were eating sacrificial meat outside of Jerusalem (for more on this topic see Pesahim 7:1).
  
  Mishnah 8
  
  Introduction
  Mishnah twelve contains three cases where Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah was more lenient than the other Sages.  We should note that not all of these sections deal with the laws of Yom Tov.
  Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah allows three things and the Sages forbid them:His cow used to go out with the strap which she had between her horns;  It is forbidden to carry things in the public domain on Shabbat.  This is true even for a person’s animal, since it is forbidden to make one’s animal perform work on the Sabbath.  Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah allowed his cow to go out with a strap between its horns, since this strap was only an adornment and therefore he did not consider it “work”.  In the same way a person can wear clothing in the public domain and that is not considered carrying.  However, the Sages forbid cows from carrying anything, since most cows do not do so.  Furthermore, if others were to see this they would think that it is permitted for an animal to work on the Sabbath.  (See also Shabbat 5:4).
  One may curry cattle on a festival;  Currying is a type of combing done with a sharp metal comb.  Rabbi Eleazar permits a person to curry an animal on the festival, even though that might cause a wound.  Rabbi Eleazar permits this since even if he does cause a wound he did not intend to do so and unintentionally performed work is permitted on Shabbat and Yom Tov.
  And one may grind pepper in its own mill.  Rabbi Elazar holds that grinding pepper is permitted on Yom Tov because it is done in preparation of food, even if the grinding is done in a large mill.  The sages however allow the grinding of pepper only in a small mill, one which will produce less ground pepper and that is easier.
  Rabbi Judah says: one may not curry cattle on a festival, because it may cause a wound, but one may comb them.  Rabbi Judah states that currying is forbidden since it will cause a wound, but combing with a wooden comb is permitted since it will not cause a wound.
  But the Sages say: one may not curry them, and one may not even comb them.  The Sages rule even more strictly.  Even combing is forbidden, lest by permitting combing one might assume that currying is also permitted.
  
  Mishnah 9
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah is brought here on account of section three in yesterday’s mishnah which dealt with using a pepper-mill on Yom Tov.  As an aside, the mishnah teaches the susceptibility of a pepper-mill to impurities.
  A pepper-mill is susceptible to impurity on account of [it consisting of] three [separate] utensils; on account of a receptacle, on account of a metal utensil and on account of a sifting utensil. A pepper-mill has three separate parts. Our mishnah teaches that each part is itself considered a “vessel” and therefore each part on its own can receive impurities.  If one of the parts should break, while it can no longer become impure, because broken vessels are not receptive to impurities, the other two parts can still become impure. The bottom part of the pepper-mill is a wooden receptacle for the ground pepper.  All vessels which have a receptacle are susceptible to impurity. The top part is made of metal. This is the part that grinds the pepper.  It is susceptible to impurity because it is metal and all metal vessels are susceptible to impurity, even if they don’t have a receptacle. The middle part of the pepper-mill sifts the ground pepper.  Some commentators explain that since some of the pepper gets stuck here, this part is also considered to be a receptacle and hence susceptible to impurity.
  
  Mishnah 10
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah is here because of its connection with the previous mishnah, and not because of any connection with the laws of Yom Tov.  It continues to deal with the impurity of vessels.
  A child’s cart is susceptible to the impurity of midras, and it may be handled on Shabbat, and it is dragged along only on matting.  A child’s cart is one that a small child would push around while learning how to walk (today these make sounds and have spinning things to keep your child entertained while you fold the laundry).  Since the cart is made to lean upon, it can receive a type of impurity called “midras.”   “Midras” means pressure.  A zav or a zavah (a man or woman with an abnormal genital discharge) who steps, sits, lies or leans upon this cart, in other words applies bodily pressure to the cart, will render it impure. This type of impurity is derived from Leviticus 15:4. The cart may be handled on Shabbat and on Yom Tov.  It is not muktzeh.  However, it is forbidden to drag it along the ground because it will make grooves in the ground.  This is a forbidden labor on Shabbat and on Yom Tov which is derived from the forbidden labor of plowing.  The only way to use it is to drag it on some type of matting.
  Rabbi Judah says: no vessels may be dragged along [the ground] except a wagon because it [only] presses [the earth] down.  Rabbi Judah holds that the cart is the one type of vessel that may be dragged on the ground on Shabbat.  All other vessels when dragged will create grooves in the ground.  The cart when dragged will only press down the ground, without creating grooves.  Hence, your little toddler can push his little cart knowing that he is not violating Shabbat.
  
  
  
  
  
  Mishnah 1
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah deals with catching fish, fowl or game on Yom Tov.  While slaughtering an animal is permitted on Yom Tov because it is done in the preparation of food, catching is not permitted because it could have been done the day before.  Our mishnah defines what is considered “catching.”  As an aside, the word in Hebrew for “catching” or “trapping” animals, fish or fowl is the same word as for hunting.  However, I have translated the word as “catching” because hunting, that is killing the animal while catching it, is not allowed.
  One may not catch fish from a fishpond on Yom Tov nor give them food,  While fish in a pond are already to a certain extent trapped in a small enclosure, they still must be caught in order to eat them.  Since catching a fish from a fish pond is still considered catching it is therefore forbidden on Yom Tov.  It is forbidden to feed these fish lest by doing so he come to catch one of them.
  But one may catch game or fowl from animal enclosures and one may put food before them.  However, an animal which is trapped in a small enclosure is considered to already have been caught and hence one may “catch” such an animal or fowl on Yom Tov. Since it is permitted to catch them, he may also put food in front of them.
  Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel says: not all enclosures are alike. This is the general rule: anything that still needs to be trapped is forbidden but anything that need not be trapped is permitted.  Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel points out that not all enclosures are alike. Fish in a bucket are basically already caught, whereas a deer in a very large pen is not caught. The general rule is that anything that still needs to be caught may not be caught on Yom Tov.
  
  Mishnah 2
  
  Introduction
  In yesterday’s mishnah we learned that one may not hunt (trap) animals on Yom Tov because he could do it the day before. Today we learn about taking animals out of traps on Yom Tov when the traps were set before Yom Tov.
  Traps for wild animals, birds or fish which were set on the eve of Yom Tov, one may not take from them on Yom Tov unless he knows that they were [already] caught on the eve of Yom Tov.  If the animals, birds or fish were caught in the traps the day before Yom Tov it would be permitted to take them out and slaughter them on Yom Tov.  However, if they were trapped on Yom Tov then they are muktzeh because they could not have been used when Yom Tov began. When Yom Tov began he would have still had to trap them and trapping is prohibited on Yom Tov.  If he finds them in the traps on Yom Tov he cannot use them unless he knows for certain that they were caught before Yom Tov.  According to this opinion, something that is “doubtful muktzeh”, meaning it might or might not be muktzeh, it is prohibited.
  It once happened that a certain non-Jew brought fish to Rabban Gamaliel [on Yom Tov] and he said: they are permitted, but I have no wish to accept [them] from him.  In this story we see that Rabban Gamaliel disagrees with the previous clause.  The non-Jew brings him a fish as a gift and we don’t know whether he caught the fish the day before or today.  Rabban Gamaliel states that the fish is permitted because he holds that doubtful muktzeh is permitted.  However, he adds that he himself acts more stringently and therefore he refuses to accept the fish.  Note that we also saw in the previous chapter that Rabban Gamaliel acted strictly with regard to himself.
  
  Mishnah 3
  
  Introduction
  In this mishnah we learn two laws concerning slaughtering an animal on Yom Tov.
  One may not slaughter [on Yom Tov] an animal which is about to die unless there is time enough on that day to eat from it as much as an olive of roasted flesh. Rabbi Akiva says: even [if there is only time to eat] as much as an olive of raw flesh [taken] from the place of slaughter.  Slaughtering on Yom Tov is permitted as long as the person will have time left over in the day to eat some of the animal’s meat. If there is no time to eat any part of the animal then he can’t slaughter it because he would be doing so in order to eat it on another day.  In the case in our mishnah it is clear that the person wants to slaughter the animal on Yom Tov because the animal is getting sick and if it dies he won’t be able to eat it.  Even though it is clear that he is slaughtering it only in order to preserve some of its value, and that eating it is a sort of legal fiction, he still may do so, provided there is time left in the day for him to roast a small piece of meat and eat it.  Roasting is the quickest form of cooking, hence the mishnah mentions roasting.  Note that he does not actually have to roast and eat some of the meat, there just has to be time for him to do so. Rabbi Akiva is even more lenient and allows one to slaughter the animal even if there is only enough time to rip out a small piece of flesh from the animal’s throat (“the place of slaughter) and eat it raw.  Rabbi Akiva mentions taking the meat out from the throat because to do this he wouldn’t even need to skin the animal.  It seems even clearer here that this is not actually going to be done there just needs to be enough time so that it could have been done.
  If he slaughtered it in the field, he may not bring it in on a pole or a barrow, but he may bring it in piece by piece in his hand.  The mishnah rules that if someone slaughters an animal in the field he should not hoist it up on a pole or put it in a wheelbarrow in order to bring it back into his courtyard or other living quarters.  Doing so would look too much like ordinary weekday work and hence it should be avoided on Yom Tov. Rather he may carry it back home piece by piece, a more modest act that others will notice less.  Note that in this case there are values competing against one another.  Carrying it back piece by piece is more work for him and nevertheless the mishnah recommends doing so to avoid the act looking like weekday work. To put this otherwise, the mishnah preserves the overall communal character of the day as a day free from work at the expense of the individual’s own experience.
  
  Mishnah 4
  
  Introduction
  A first-born animal may not be eaten until it becomes blemished (Deuteronomy 15:21-22).  Experts would determine whether an animal was blemished.  Our mishnah deals with a first-born that fell into a pit on Yom Tov and may have been blemished there.  The debate is over whether they may send down an expert to see if the animal had become blemished and if so, bring it up and slaughter it on Yom Tov.
  A first-born beast that fell into a pit:Rabbi Judah says: let an expert go down and inspect [it].  If it had a blemish he may bring it up and slaughter it, but if not, he may not slaughter it.  Rabbi Judah allows the expert to go down into the pit to examine the animal.  If the animal is blemished they may bring the animal out of the pit and slaughter it on Yom Tov.  But if there is no blemish he may not slaughter it nor may he even bring it up from the pit.
  Rabbi Shimon says: any animals whose blemish was not observed on the day before the Yom Tov, it is not prepared (.  Rabbi Shimon holds that even if the animal should be found to have a blemish, they still may not bring it out of the pit and slaughter it on Yom Tov because when Yom Tov began that animal could not be slaughtered.  The animal was not “mukhan”, or ready.  Mukhan is the opposite muktzeh.  The animal is muktzeh because when Yom Tov began it could not be used for food because it was still a first-born on whom no blemish had been found.
  
  Mishnah 5
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah deals with what may be done with a beast (a cow, sheep, goat or bull) that has died on Yom Tov.
  If a beast died [on Yom Tov] it may not be moved from its place.  Since the beast died and was not slaughtered, it cannot be eaten.  Since it cannot be eaten there is nothing that one may do with it on Yom Tov.  Hence, it is muktzeh.  All that he can do is leave it in its place and then when Yom Tov is over he can cut it up, use its hide and feed dogs with its meat.
  And it happened that they once asked Rabbi Tarfon concerning this and concerning hallah that had become defiled.  He went into the bet midrash and inquired, and they answered him: they may not be moved from their place.  The mishnah now relates that this halakhah was asked of Rabbi Tarfon and he didn’t know the answer until he went and asked the question in the study house, the bet midrash.  He also was asked about hallah, the part of the dough that is given to the priest, that had become impure on Yom Tov.  Impure hallah, like an animal that died without being slaughtered, cannot be eaten and hence it is also muktzeh on Yom Tov.  The answer therefore to both questions was that both are muktzeh and that neither can be moved until Yom Tov is over.
  
  Mishnah 6
  
  Introduction
  As we have learned many times, it is permitted to slaughter an animal on Yom Tov.  In the mishnaic times most people would have bought shares in an animal from a butcher before the day the animal was slaughtered and then paid for it on the day it was slaughtered.  Our mishnah teaches how this arrangement may be worked out so that people may buy freshly slaughtered meat on Yom Tov without it looking as if they are conducting business as usual.
  They may not be counted as having a share in an animal at the outset on Yom Tov, but they may be counted [as having a share in an animal] on the eve of Yom Tov, and they may then slaughter it and divide it between them [on Yom Tov].  People may not go to a butcher on Yom Tov and decide how to divide up and pay for an animal that is to be slaughtered on that day.  The problem with this is that it looks too much like one is engaging in business as usual.  Hence it is prohibited.  Rather what they may do is divvy up the various parts of the animal before Yom Tov before it is slaughtered and set a price for each part. Then on Yom Tov they may come have the butcher slaughter the animal and collect the parts which they reserved and pay for them at a later date.  Since there is no verbal give and take on Yom Tov, it does not look as much like business as usual.
  Rabbi Judah says: a man may weigh meat [on Yom Tov] against a utensil or against a butcher's chopper. But the sages say: one may not pay attention to the scales at all.  The debate here is concerning weighing out meat at the butcher’s on Yom Tov.  All agree that the butcher cannot just weigh out meat as usual, using weights on the scale, because that looks too much like conducting business as usual. They also all agree that one can go to a butcher and get meat on Yom Tov.  This is necessary to ensure that the average person has access to fresh meat so that he can enjoy his Yom Tov to the fullest extent.  As a solution to the problem of the butcher weighing out the meat, Rabbi Judah says that the butcher may use other utensils on the other side of the scales.  For instance, if he knows that his chopping knife weighs 2 kilo, he can weigh out meat according to the weight of his knife.  This looks different enough that everyone will know that he is not engaging in business as usual. The sages say that this is still too much like business as usual.  The sages forbid any use of the scales on Yom Tov.  All that the butcher and client may do is estimate the weight of the meat and then hope that it turns out to be fair.
  
  Mishnah 7
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah continues to deal with the laws of slaughtering and divvying up meat on Yom Tov.
  One may not sharpen a knife on a festival, but one may draw it over another knife.  He shouldn’t sharpen a knife with a sharpening stone on Yom Tov because this is similar to completing work on a vessel which is forbidden on Yom Tov.  Furthermore, he could have sharpened the knife before Yom Tov.  However, if he sharpens it in an unusual manner, by using another knife, then it is permitted.
  A man may not say to a butcher, “Weigh me a dinar’s worth of meat” but he may slaughter [the animal] and shares it among them.  This section returns to discussing the problem discussed in yesterday’s mishnah, the problem of buying meat on Yom Tov.  One cannot tell a butcher to give him a piece of meat worth a certain amount of money because this is considered conducting business as usual on Yom Tov, which is forbidden.  This is forbidden even if he weighs the meat out in a manner that is usually permitted, as we learned in yesterday’s mishnah.  Merely mentioning the price seems to be forbidden.  However, the butcher may slaughter the animal and divide it up among his clients keeping in mind how much each owes him.
  
  Mishnah 8
  
  Introduction
  After having dealt with how one may get meat from a butcher on Yom Tov, our mishnah deals with how one can buy other food supplies from others or from a storekeeper.
  We will see again that the mishnah is very concerned with protecting the atmosphere of Yom Tov.  Cooking is permitted and therefore we must allow people to get things at the store (remember they had no refrigeration and probably stored very little food at home), but when they do so they should refrain from any action that would send the message that business is being conducted as usual.
  A man may say [on Yom Tov] to his fellow, “Fill me this vessel,” but not in a specific measure.  A person can bring a vessel to his friend or to a storekeeper and ask him to fill it up for him on Yom Tov with wine or oil but he may not mention to him a specific amount.  Since this is not the way that business is usually conducted it is permitted on Yom Tov.
  Rabbi Judah says: if it was a measuring-vessel he may not fill it.  Rabbi Judah says that this is not permitted if the vessel is one used for measuring.  Although the person does not mention a specific amount, in other words, he does not say, “fill up this ten liter jug”, it is still forbidden because both he and the person giving him the wine or oil know exactly how much is being given.
  It happened that Abba Shaul ben Batnit used to fill up his measures on the eve of Yom Tov and give them to his customers on Yom Tov. Abba Shaul says: he used to do so even during hol hamoed (the intermediate days of the, on account of clarifying the measures. But the sages say: he used also to do so on an ordinary day for the sake of the draining of the measures.  In order to avoid the problem of measuring out wine or oil when giving it out on Yom Tov, Abba Shaul ben Batnit used to fill his measuring vessels before Yom Tov and then just give them out on Yom Tov. Abba Shaul says that Abba Shaul ben Batnit used to do the same thing on the intermediate days of the festival, hol hamoed.  During these days people were not supposed to be doing work (we will learn this in Tractate Moed Katan) and so they had time to learn how to measure things out.  Because there were so many people who came to him, he didn’t have time to fill up all of the measuring vessels that they should be completely full without any froth.  Therefore he filled them up at night. Good manuscripts of the Mishnah do not contain the words “on account of clarifying the measures.”  Indeed there is another explanation in the Talmud. There it says “on account of not attending the Bet Midrash.”  Abba Shaul ben Batnit filled up his measuring vessels early so that he could spend all of hol hamoed teaching Torah.  Rashi explains that many people would come to see him on hol hamoed because they were free from doing work, and hence he didn’t want to waste any time filling up his measures.  Notice Abba Shaul ben Batnit was a businessman he just made sure that he conducted his business in a manner in which he could still teach and learn Torah. The sages say that Abba Shaul ben Batnit always filled up his measuring vessels ahead of time, even on ordinary weekdays.  He would then pour from his vessels into his customers’ vessels and then wait overnight and fill them up more, depending upon how much the clay vessel had soaked up into its walls.  This was his way of making sure that his customers received the full amount that they paid for.
  A man may go to a shopkeeper to whom he generally goes and say to him, “Give me [so many] eggs and nuts” since this is the way of a householder to reckon in his own home.  A person can go to a storekeeper with whom he is familiar, one that will give him food now and not make him pay back until a later day. To this storekeeper he may even tell the number of eggs or nuts that he wants. This does not look like “business as usual” because the customer does not usually count the eggs or nuts until he goes home.
  
  
  
  
  
  Mishnah 1
  
  Introduction
  Even though carrying is allowed on Yom Tov, he should not carry things the same way that he carries things during the week because this makes it look like “business as usual.”
  One who carries jars of wine from place to place, he may not carry them in a basket or in a large basket, but he may carry [them] on his shoulder or in front of him.  It is permitted to carry jars of wine from place to place on Yom Tov, as long as one is within the Shabbat border limit.  However, when carrying them he should not carry them in the same manner that he does during the week (non-Yom Tov). What he should do is carry them with his hands on his shoulder or in front of him, held against his body. This looks less like he is delivering merchandise and more like he is just bringing wine to a friend’s house.
  Similarly, one who brings straw, he may no drape a large basket over his back, rather he must carry it in his hand.  Basically, the same holds true for carrying straw used for lighting a fire or for animal feed.
  And one may start [using] a heap of straw, but [one may] not [start using wood] from the back-yard.  This third section deals with the concept of muktzeh something is prohibited if it was not designated for use on Yom Tov. He may use the heap of straw even though he did not specifically designate it and has never used that heap before. This is because heaps of straw are automatically set aside for use and do not require any special and intentional designation that they will be used on Yom Tov. In contrast, wood which is in the backyard is not necessarily designated to be used for something that can be done on Yom Tov and one cannot begin to use from that wood on Yom Tov.  Indeed, the Hebrew word in this mishnah for backyard is muktzeh because in that area one sets aside things that one doesn’t have a specific intention to use (for those of you learning modern Hebrew, muktzeh is most definitely not a word for backyard.)
  
  Mishnah 2
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah deals with the places where a person can collect kindling wood in order to cook on Yom Tov.
  One may not take wood from a sukkah but only from [what is] next to it.  The “sukkah” referred to here is not a sukkah used on the festival of Sukkot, but rather a sort of hut used for shade by farmers out in the field.  It is forbidden to take wood that was used in building the sukkah because this is considered “tearing down” which is forbidden on Shabbat and Yom Tov.  However, he may take the wood gathered next to the sukkah.
  One may bring in from the field wood that is gathered together, and from a karpef [an enclosure] even though it is scattered about.  He can bring in wood from the field if it has already been gathered together.  However, if it is scattered then it is muktzeh because there was no intent to use that wood for building a fire, and therefore he may not bring it in. From a karpef, a type of enclosure used for storage (see also Eruvin 2:3, 2:5 and 5:2) he may gather even loose wood.  Since this wood was put into an enclosure, it has already been designated for use and it is not muktzeh.
  What is a karpef?  Any [enclosure] next to the town, the words of Rabbi Judah. Rabbi Yose says: Any [enclosure] which one enters with a key, even if it is [only just] within the Shabbat border.  In this section Rabbi Judah and Rabbi Yose debate from what kind of a karpef he can bring in wood.  According to Rabbi Judah the karpef has to be close to the city, since only if it is close to the city does he intend to use it on Yom Tov. Rabbi Yose says that the criterion is that the karpef is locked and can only be opened with a key. The wood in such a karpef is not muktzeh, even if the karpef is not next to the city.  However, the karpef must be within the Shabbat limit (2,000 cubits in all directions), otherwise he won’t be able to even get there.
  
  Mishnah 3
  
  Introduction
  The first topic of this mishnah is chopping wood to make firewood on Yom Tov. The second topic is opening up a sealed storage room to take out produce. Both of these topics touch at least indirectly upon the subject of muktzeh.
  One may not chop up wood, neither from beams nor from a beam which was broken on Yom Tov.  This first section is concerned with chopping wood from a beam that was not designated for use as firewood before Yom Tov began.  One may not chop up a beam that was meant to be used in building because it is muktzeh before Yom Tov there was no intention to use it for fire.  Even if the beam breaks on Yom Tov and is now only good for lighting fires, he can’t chop it up into firewood because when Yom Tov began it was muktzeh.  Only if it was broken before Yom Tov can he chop it up.
  And one may not chop with an axe or with a saw or with a sickle but only with a [butcher's] chopper.  This section refers to wood that one is allowed to chop up on Yom Tov.  Even though it is permitted to do so, one shouldn’t do so in a normal fashion because this looks too much like “business as usual.”  One shouldn’t use the normal instruments but rather a butcher’s knife, one usually used for cutting bones and meat.  This requirement will probably make people prefer to chop up their wood before Yom Tov begins chopping wood with a butcher’s knife won’t make the butcher very happy and it’s not a good idea to tick off people who own big knives.
  A [closed] room full of produce which was burst open [on Yom Tov] he may take [produce] out through the breach. Rabbi Meir says: he may make a hole at the outset and bring out [the produce].  This section refers to a storage room that has been closed off by a row of bricks that have not been cemented together.  According to the first opinion, if some of the bricks should fall away he may go into the room through the opening and take out the produce and use it on Yom Tov.  Since there was no cement sealing the bricks together, the produce is not considered muktzeh.  However, according to this opinion, he may not himself remove the bricks because this is too close to “tearing down” a building, a prohibited labor on Shabbat and Yom Tov.  Concerning this last ruling, Rabbi Meir disagrees.  Since the bricks were not cemented together, he may even take them down and create a new opening on Yom Tov.
  
  Mishnah 4
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah deals with several laws concerning the use and production of lamps on Yom Tov.
  One may not make a hole in a [lump of clay for use as a] lamp because that is making a vessel.  Lamps in mishnaic times were basically lumps of clay with a receptacle for oil and a small hole in which one could put a wick.  While lighting a lamp is allowed on Yom Tov, making a lamp is not.  One may not make a hole in a lump of clay in order to make it into a lamp because making a vessel is forbidden on Yom Tov.
  One may not make charcoal on Yom Tov.  Charcoal is also considered to be a vessel, or at least as important as a vessel.  Therefore it is forbidden to make charcoal on Yom Tov.
  And one may not cut a wick into two. Rabbi Judah says:  he may cut it into two lamps using a fire.  Cutting a piece of twine or other material into two in order to make two wicks is also considered similar to making a vessel and is therefore prohibited on Yom Tov.  Rabbi Judah says that while one cannot cut the twine into two with a knife or scissors, he can cut it into two by using fire. The Talmud explains that he places two lamps next to each other and one wick in the two lamps, one end in each.  He then lights the wick in the middle and it will split in two.
  
  Mishnah 5
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah deals with certain preparations made in order to facilitate cooking.
  One may not break up a potsherd or cut paper in order to roast on it a salty fish.  When grilling a fish it would often be put on a broken shard of a pottery or on a piece of paper in order to prevent it from being burned.  The mishnah considers breaking some pottery or cutting a piece of paper to be used as such to be “making a vessel” which is not permitted on Yom Tov.
  And one may not rake out an oven or a range, but one may press [the ashes] down.  One should not rake out the ashes and dirt from an oven or a range. This is also considered to be “making a vessel” because it makes the oven usable.  However, it is permitted to “press down” the ashes, which seems to be a means of getting them out of the way in order to facilitate cooking.  The Rambam notes that if one cannot cook unless the ashes are raked out, he may do so because one is allowed to cook on Yom Tov.
  And one may not place two jars side by side in order to balance upon them saucepan.  Putting two jars next to each other so that there is a fire in between them and then balancing a pan upon them is like building a makeshift range. This is prohibited because it is forbidden to build on Yom Tov.
  And one may not prop up a pot with a wooden wedge and the same applies to a door.  One may not use small pieces of wood to prop things up on Yom Tov because the wood was intended to be used as kindling.  All other uses are prohibited.
  And one may not drive cattle with a staff on a festival. But Rabbi Elazar the son of Rabbi Shimon permits it.  According to the Talmud, one may not drive cattle with a stick because it looks like he is bringing them to the marketplace to sell.  Rabbi Elazar disagrees.
  
  Mishnah 6
  
  Introduction
  In the middle of yesterday’s mishnah we learned that chips of wood can be used only as kindling. Today’s mishnah continues to discuss this subject.
  Rabbi Eliezer says: a man may take a chip from that which is lying before him to pick his teeth with it, and he may collect [chips] from the court yard and make a fire, for everything in a court is prepared [for use on Yom Tov].  Rabbi Eliezer says that one may take a chip of wood that is lying inside his house and use it to pick his teeth clean (aren’t you glad we have toothbrushes).  From outside the house one may collect chips of wood and use them to build a fire because according to Rabbi Eliezer all chips of wood are “prepared” to be used as wood for a fire that is they are not muktzeh.
  But the sages say: he may collect only from that which is before him and make a fire.  The sages disagree with Rabbi Eliezer on two accounts. First of all, one cannot gather wood from outside the house because it was not designated for use on Yom Tov.  Only the wood from inside the house that has been set aside for use can be used.  Secondly, they hold that wood can only be used to build a fire.  It cannot be used to pick one’s teeth (sorry if you’re a dentist).
  
  Mishnah 7
  
  Introduction
  The first section of this mishnah teaches that it is forbidden to produce new fire on Yom Tov.  This is related to the prohibition of “muktzeh” which was the topic of yesterday’s mishnah.  The second half of the mishnah continues to deal with the laws of muktzeh.
  One may not produce fire either from wood, or from stones, or from dirt, or from water (.  While one is allowed to use fire on Shabbat, one is not allowed to create a new fire by “bringing it out” of a substance such as wood (rubbing sticks together) or from stones (striking a stone against another) or dirt (I  don’t really know how this was done) or from water, which is the mishnah’s word for gas.  We should remember that today creating new fire is exceedingly easy  one just flicks a lighter or strikes a match.  In ancient times starting a new fire would have been difficult.  Most fire was probably just passed from one existing fire to another.  The rabbis prohibited creating a new fire because it didn’t exist before Yom Tov began, much as they forbid the egg that was laid on Yom Tov in the first mishnah of this tractate.
  Nor may one make tiles red-hot in order to roast on them.  It is also forbidden to heat up tiles to cook on them because by heating them up he is forging them. This is considered like completing the making of a vessel which is forbidden on Yom Tov.
  Rabbi Eliezer further said: A man may stand near his “muktzeh” on the eve of Shabbat in the sabbatical year and say: “From here I will eat tomorrow.” But the sages say: [This doesn’t work] unless he marks it out and says, “From here to there.”  These words of Rabbi Eliezer are a continuation of his words above in mishnah six, which dealt with muktzeh.  The word “muktzeh” here refers, according to its accepted interpretation, to a place where a person has set his fruit to dry out (dates, figs and grapes).  In order for these fruits to be available for use on Yom Tov, in other words in order for the things in the “muktzeh” to not be “muktzeh”, one must designate them for use before Yom Tov.  Furthermore, this can only happen on the Sabbatical year during which one doesn’t have to separate tithes.  During the other years because the fruit in the muktzeh has not generally been tithed, and it is forbidden to tithe on Yom Tov, one cannot eat them on Yom Tov even if he had designated them for use. He could only eat them if they had already been tithed. The mishnah now brings a debate concerning how one designates drying fruit for use.  According to Rabbi Eliezer all one needs to do is say “From here I will eat.”  The rabbis are stricter and rule that he must point specifically to the area of fruit from which he will eat.  Just as Rabbi Eliezer was more lenient in mishnah six, so too he is more lenient than the other sages here.
  
  
  
  
  
  Mishnah 1
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah continues to deal with laws concerning fruit set out to dry and things that one may and may not do with this fruit on Yom Tov.
  One may let down fruit through a trap-door on Yom Tov but not on Shabbat.  This section deals with a person who has put his fruit up onto his roof to dry out on Yom Tov and then he sees that it is going to rain.  The mishnah allows him to drop the fruit down through a trap-door in the roof because this is not considered to be a lot of work.  He would not be allowed to take them down through a window or through the door because this is a greater amount of work.  Furthermore, they only allowed this on Yom Tov on Shabbat it was prohibited.
  And one may cover up fruit with vessels on account of the rain, and likewise jars of wine and jars of oil.  One also may cover up fruit, jars of wine and jars of oil if rain is leaking down on them.  Covering up fruit or bringing it into the house so it doesn’t get wet are activities done not in order to eat the fruit on Yom Tov, but they are nevertheless permitted in order to prevent the financial loss.
  And one may place a vessel beneath the drops of rain [even] on Shabbat.  On Shabbat one can even put a vessel underneath drops of rain coming down from a leaky roof.
  
  Mishnah 2
  
  Introduction
  This long mishnah deals with three categories of acts that are prohibited by the rabbis on Shabbat and on Yom Tov. They are all considered to be prohibited “derabbanan”, by the rabbis and not by the Torah.  The three categories are:
  Shevut mandated rest on Shabbat.  These are activities that are prohibited because they are generally not in the spirit of the day or because by doing one of them one might come to transgress a biblical prohibition.
  Reshut optional activities. These have some aspect of mitzvah in them but can be done on other days. Therefore one doesn’t do them on Yom Tov or Shabbat.
  Mitzvah these are commandments that can be performed on other days and therefore shouldn’t be done on Shabbat.
  The main point of the mishnah is that the only actions which are allowed on Yom Tov but prohibited on Shabbat those done while preparing food.  All of the other Shabbat prohibitions still hold true.
  Every [act] for which one is liable on Shabbat because of mandated rest [shevut], [or] because it is only optional [reshut], [or] even though it is a religious act [mitzvah], he is also liable on Yom Tov.For the following acts he is liable because of shevut: One may not climb a tree, And one may not ride on an animal. And one may not swim in water. And one may not clap hands, nor slap [thighs], nor dance.  Climbing a tree is forbidden lest one breaks a branch, which is forbidden to do on Shabbat.   Riding an animal is considered prohibited lest one while riding break a branch to use as a switch in guiding an animal.  It seems that a deeper reason for why the rabbis prohibited this was that they did not believe that riding an animal was in the spirit of Shabbat.  Swimming was prohibited lest while swimming one makes a raft on which to float. Finally, certain types of clapping, slapping of thighs and dancing were prohibited on Shabbat lest one begin to make music and then come to make a musical instrument.  We should note that some of these activities are no longer generally prohibited because the likelihood that by doing one of them one will come to transgress a more serious commandment is minimal.  In my mind the most important thing to remember is that while one follows the minutiae of Shabbat, one should also be mindful of the spirit of Shabbat. Even things that are permitted should not always be done.
  For the following acts he is liable because they are only optional: One may not judge; And one may not betroth a wife, nor perform halizah, nor perform yibbum [consumate a levirate marriage].  This section contains activities that have some aspect of “commandment” to them but can be done on other days. Judging, betrothing and other legal aspects of arranging various types of marriages can be done any day of the week, therefore one should not do them on Shabbat.  In my opinion, this is again because these activities are not in the “spirit of Shabbat.”  They might detract from the special sanctity of Shabbat, a day set aside.  A more technical reason why these things are prohibited is that by doing one of them one might come to write.
  And for the following acts one is liable even though it is a religious act [mitzvah]: One may not dedicate [anything to the Temple], nor vow a personal valuation, nor make a vow of herem, nor set aside terumah or tithes.  These acts are actually mitzvot, but still one may not perform them on Shabbat or Yom Tov because they can all be done with as much ease on other days.  The Rambam explains that donating something to the Temple is similar to engaging in business and hence one does not do so on Shabbat.  One does not separate tithes or terumah on Yom Tov or Shabbat because by doing so one “fixes” something to make it usable.  Also, this could have just as easily been done the day before.
  All these things they [the rabbis said that they are forbidden] on Yom Tov, how much more so [are they forbidden] on Shabbat. There is no difference between Yom Tov and Shabbat except for the preparation of food alone.  In conclusion the mishnah notes that when discussing the laws of Yom Tov the rabbis prohibited these activities, but they are nevertheless even more prohibited on Shabbat.  The mishnah reminds us that the only type of activity which is permitted on Yom Tov but not on Shabbat is something done while preparing food.
  
  Mishnah 3
  
  Introduction
  The final three mishnayot of the chapter discuss Shabbat border limits, a topic which was discussed in far greater length in tractate Eruvin.  The Shabbat border limit is 2000 cubits to each side of the city. One can set up an eruv, a meal, at the end of the limit and thereby extend it another 2000 cubits in that direction. This extension only works in extending is Shabbat border limit in one direction and causes him to lose a matching amount of distance on the opposite side of the city.  Hence, one who sets up an eruv at the end of 2000 cubits on the western side of the city can now go 4000 cubits in that direction but cannot go outside the city at all on the eastern side.  Our mishnah teaches that these limits apply not only to the person himself but to his animals and his utensils as well.
  A beast and utensils are [restricted to the same limits] as the feet of the owners.  As stated in the introduction, just as a person cannot go past his own personal Shabbat border limit, so too the things that belong to him cannot beyond that point.
  One who gives his cow over to his son or to a cowherd [to tend], they are [restricted to the same limits] as the feet of the owner.  The mishnah adds that if a person gives his cow over to someone just to watch it, then the cow stays under the possession of the owner and may only go as far as the owner may go on Shabbat. Therefore, if the owner set his eruv to the west side of the city, his son or his cowherd may not take the cow outside the city on the eastern side.
  Vessels which have been set apart for [the use or] one of the brothers in a house, are [restricted to the same limits] as his feet, but [those utensils] which have not been so set apart, can be taken [only] to a place where [all the brothers] may go.  If a vessel (in Hebrew the word for “vessel” includes clothing, bedding and many more objects than the word connotes in English) belonged jointly to some brothers but one brother generally used it, then it can go on Shabbat to any place where that brother may go. So if that brother set his eruv to the west, that vessel can go to the west. However, if all brothers make use of the vessel than it can only go to a place where all of the brothers can go. So if one brother set his eruv to the north and one to the south then the vessel can’t leave the city at all because each brother prevents the other one from bringing the vessel to “his” side.
  
  Mishnah 4
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah continues to deal with the Shabbat/Yom Tov border limits placed on things. Since the mishnah deals with carrying, the rules are only applicable to Yom Tov on Shabbat all carrying is prohibited.
  One who borrows a vessel from his neighbor on the eve of Yom Tov, [it is restricted to the same limits] as the feet of the borrower. [But if he borrowed it] on Yom Tov, it is as the feet of the lender.  If one borrows an object it is considered as if the object belongs to the borrower and therefore it can go on Yom Tov to any place where he/she may go. However, this is only true if he borrowed it the day before Yom Tov, such that when Yom Tov began the object was in his possession.  In other words, the border limits of the object are determined by the one who possessed the object when Yom Tov began.  If he borrowed it on Yom Tov then it can go only where the feet of the lender can go.
  A woman who borrowed from her neighbor spices, water or salt for her dough, these are [restricted to the same limits] as the feet of both them. Rabbi Judah exempts in the case of water, because it is not substantial.  In this case a woman borrows some ingredients from another woman to use them in making dough on Yom Tov. Some of the ingredients therefore belong to the lender and some belong to the borrower.  Since the ownership is mixed (like the dough) the dough can only go to a place where they both can go.  This again means that if one set an eruv to the south and one to the north, the dough cannot leave the city at all. Rabbi Judah says that if all she borrowed was water then the dough is not restricted by the lender since the water is not substantial enough.  Water is not recognized in the final product or its taste and therefore it doesn’t count towards where the dough can go.
  
  Mishnah 5
  
  Introduction
  The first section of the mishnah teaches that while a live coal is considered as having substance, a flame does not have any substance.
  The second half of the mishnah deals with the restrictions on the carrying of water drawn from a well.
  A live coal is [restricted to the same limits] as its owner, but a flame can be taken anywhere.  A live coal, one that is burning, is considered to be an object of substance and therefore it is limited to going where its owner can go.  In contrast, a flame has no substance and therefore is not limited in where it can go.  What this means is that a person could take a lamp and light it from somewhat else’s lamp and then not be limited by the other person’s eruv.  The flame that he “takes” from another person has no substance so it is not like borrowing something from another person.
  In respect of a live coal of sanctified property [one who makes use of it] is considered as having trespassed, but as for a flame [of sanctified property], one may not derive benefit from it, but [one who does] has not trespassed.  One who makes non-holy use out of something dedicated to the Temple has “trespassed (me’ilah).”  He must make financial restitution and bring an asham, a guilt offering.  One who makes non-holy use out of a live coal has trespassed because a live coal has substance.  In contrast, one who makes non-holy use out of a flame has not trespassed.  Nevertheless, it is still forbidden to do so. The prohibition is “derabbanan” it is forbidden lest he trespass something with substance.
  If one carries out a live coal into the public domain [on Shabbat] he is liable, but [if he carries out] a flame he is exempt.  Carrying a live coal into the public domain on Shabbat counts as carrying, and hence he has transgressed.  However, carrying a flame does not count as carrying and hence he has not transgressed.  If you ask, how can you carry a flame?  (Ouch!)  The answer is that one could blow a flame from the private domain out into the public domain and that would count as carrying because it moved as a result of his force.
  [The water from]: A private well is [restricted to the same limits] as its owner, And [the water from a well] belonging to the inhabitants of that town is [restricted to the same limits] as the people of that town; And [the water from a well] belonging to those who came up from Babylonia is [restricted to the same limits] as he who draws [the water].  There are three types of wells referred to here. The first is that of a private person. The water in that well can go on Yom Tov wherever he can go. The second is that of a public well. This water belongs to everyone in the city and therefore it can only go where everyone can go.  This means that unless everyone who set up an eruv put it on the same side of the city, the water wouldn’t be able to leave the city. The third type of well is one of the public wells dug for the benefit of the people coming back from Babylonia after the exile.  These wells can be used by any traveler.  They can go anywhere that the person who fills them up can go. The difference between these wells and those shared by the people of a city is that the latter type is jointly owned by the people of the town whereas the former are not owned by anyone.
  
  Mishnah 6
  
  Introduction
  This mishnah deals with a person whose produce is in another town and he wishes to retrieve it on Yom Tov.
  If one has his produce in another town, and the inhabitants of that city made an eruv in order to bring to him some of his produce, they may not bring it to him.  In the case under discussion here the inhabitants of the other city made an eruv that would allow them to get to the city of the owner of the produce.  Nevertheless, they may not bring him his produce because his produce is limited by where he can go and since he didn’t set up an eruv to get to the other city, it can’t come to him.  Again, a person’s things are limited to going where he may go.
  But if he himself made an eruv, his produce is like himself.  If the owner of the produce set up an eruv then he can go to the other city and bring his produce back with him.  It is irrelevant whether the people of the other city set up an eruv since they are not the owners of the produce.
  
  Mishnah 7
  
  Introduction
  The first section of the last mishnah of Betzah deals with guests taking food home with them. The last part of the mishnah deals with giving water to animals.
  If one invited guests to his home, they may not take away with them [any] portions unless he [the host] had assigned for them their portions on the eve of Yom Tov.  In mishnaic times the portion of meat that one received at a dinner party was considered very important.  Important guests might receive bigger portions. Sometimes people wouldn’t eat their entire portion and they would be allowed to bring home the leftovers.  After all, with no refrigeration the host wouldn’t be able to do anything with the leftovers in any case. Our mishnah teaches that on Yom Tov guests can’t take their leftovers home with them unless the host gave them ownership over the portions before Yom Tov began. In this way, the portions belong to the guests when Yom Tov begins and they can then go as far as they can go.
  One may not give drink and then slaughter wilderness animals, but one may give drink and slaughter household animals. The following are household animals: they that spend the night in town. Pasture animals are they that spend the night in pasture ground.  Animals that pasture out in the wild are muktzeh they have not been set aside before Yom Tov for use on Yom Tov. Hence one cannot give them water or slaughter them on Yom Tov.  However, one can give water to and slaughter household animals because they are automatically “set aside” to be slaughtered. The mishnah goes on to define what household animals are and what pasture animals are. Congratulations!  We have finished Betzah. It is a tradition at this point to thank God for helping us finish learning the tractate and to commit ourselves to going back and relearning it, so that we may not forget it and so that its lessons will stay with us for all of our lives. Mishnah Betzah was all about the laws of Yom Tov.  I think at this point it would be worth it to think about how important the Jewish holidays are to the Jewish people.  The matzot and seders of Pesah, sitting in the sukkah on Sukkot, waving the lulav and receiving the Torah on Shavuot these are some of the most important parts of the Jewish year. They remind us of our shared history and hopefully our shared destiny.  Unfortunately I think that the sanctity of Yom Tov has eroded substantially in many of our communities.  I hope that learning this tractate will help inspire you to increase your own personal commitment and to help lead others to increase their commitment as well. And again, as always, congratulations on learning another tractate of Mishnah.  We are getting close to having finished half of the Mishnah.  May you have the strength and time to keep on learning more! Tomorrow we begin Rosh Hashanah.