Beitzah 15a (טו.) — the Talmud in English

which do not provide warmth. Therefore, even if they were made of shatnez—a forbidden mixture of wool and linen—it would not be prohibited to sit on them.

Rabbi Yosei prohibits

sending even a

black shoe, because it requires polishing

—rubbing it in order to smooth it, and before that it is considered unprepared for use.

And

with regard to a black shoe

they do not disagree,

rather,

one taught according to the circumstances of his place, and the other according to the circumstances of his place,

each of them ruling in accordance with the practice that prevailed in his locality.

In the locality of the one who said

Rabbi Yehuda, they would place the

flesh side

of the leather

downward,

on the inner side of the shoe; and since the smooth side faced outward, there was no need to polish it.

In the locality of the one who said

Rabbi Yosei,

the flesh side was placed upward,

on the outer side of the shoe; and since it is not smooth, it must be polished and smoothed, and before that it is prohibited to send it.

We learned in the Mishna:

This is the general principle: Anything from which one derives benefit

on a Festival.

Rav Sheshet permitted the Sages to send

to send

tefillin on a Festival.

Abaye said to him: But we learned in the Mishna: Anything from which one derives benefit,

which is prepared for use

on a Festival,

one may send it.

Yet tefillin are not worn on a Festival.

Rav Sheshet said to him:

This is what

the tanna in the Mishna

means: Anything from which one derives benefit

[even if it is permitted to use it only]

on an ordinary weekday—

one may send it on a Festival.

Abaye said: Since tefillin have come into our hands,

we have encountered them and dealt with their laws,

let us say

something further

about them.

One who

was traveling

on the eve of Shabbat ,

with tefillin on his head, and the sun set upon him—

the Sages permitted him [so that the tefillin would not be disgraced if he left them there] not to have to remove them immediately. Rather, he should

place his hand over them

to conceal them from the gaze of onlookers,

until he reaches his home,

where he removes them. He may carry them in this manner in the public domain, since he is carrying them as a garment, and this is carrying in an unusual manner.

And Ramban [in his מלחמות ה'] explained that the Rif’s view is like Rashi’s, that the entire sugya concerns the onset of Shabbat; therefore, he cited Abaye’s statement even with regard to one traveling. He proved this as follows: If the matter concerned a weekday, why would he place his hand over them? Even if night were not a time for tefillin, there would be no prohibition against continuing to wear them at night in order to safeguard them; and even if the house adjacent to the wall were protected, he could continue walking with them in order to safeguard them. If it is prohibited to wear them even for the purpose of safeguarding them [when they are protected from dogs], then he should remove them and safeguard them in his hand—so why does he place his hand over them? Necessarily, the case concerns the eve of Shabbat, when he cannot carry them, and he places his hand over them to demonstrate that he is wearing them only to safeguard them. He explained the reason for the change in wording as reflecting ordinary circumstances: one traveling recognizes the onset of Shabbat from the sunset visible to him, whereas one sitting and learning there takes note of the sanctification and the blasts that announce Shabbat. Similarly, if on the eve of Shabbat

he was sitting in the beit-midrash with tefillin on his head, and the day became sanctified—

he places his hand over them until he reaches his home.

Rav Huna, son of Rav Ika, raised an objection

against Abaye from what is taught in a beraita: One who

was traveling with tefillin on his head, and the day became sanctified—

places his hand over them until he reaches the house adjacent to the wall.

If he was sitting in the beit-midrash and the day became sanctified—

he places his hand over them until he reaches the house adjacent to the beit-midrash!

Whereas Abaye said that he may carry them to his home.

And we resolve the difficulty:

It is not difficult.

This

the beraita is speaking of a case

where it is guarded,

where the tefillin are protected in the first house, the one adjacent to the wall or to the beit-midrash.

Whereas

this

is what Abaye is speaking about: a situation

where it is not guarded

in the first house, and there is no protected place for him until he reaches his home.

And we challenge this:

If it is not guarded

in the first house,

why specifically

does Abaye speak only of one who had tefillin

on his head?

After all,

even if the tefillin were

lying

on the ground,

and not on his head,

also

he should put them on on Shabbat and carry them in, so that they will not remain in a place where they are not protected!

For we learned

in tractate Eruvin [95a]:

One who finds tefillin

in an unprotected place

brings them in

by wearing them

one pair at a time!

So that they will not come to be disgraced.

And we answer:

It is not difficult.

[The reading and explanation below follow the Masoret ha-Shas according to Rashi’s version, whose source is the Shita Mekubbetzet] .

This

the Mishna in Eruvin, which permitted bringing them in one pair at a time, is speaking of a case

where they are not protected

neither

because of thieves nor

because of

dogs.

Therefore, he may bring them in even when they are lying on the ground.

This

is what Abaye, who said that it is permitted to bring them in only when they are on his head, is speaking about: a case

where they are protected from dogs but not from thieves.

There is a novelty in the fact that he may bring them in when they are on his head:

For

lest you say

that

most bandits are Jewish and do not treat them contemptuously,

and he may leave them there rather than bring them in while they are on his head,

it teaches us

that one must be concerned that the thieves will treat them contemptuously. But this applies only when they were already placed on his head, and not when they are lying on the ground.

We have completed Tractate Beitza.