Beitzah 22b — the Talmud in English

What is different in the case of an egg

that was born on the first Yom Tov, which was not permitted on the second Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah, even though on the other festivals it is permitted on the second day, because the sanctity of the two days of Rosh Hashanah is one, and they were lenient on the second day only in honor of the dead.

And if so, why did Amemar permit applying eye makeup on the second Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah?

He said to him,

Amemar:

I—

I hold in accordance with the people of Nehardea, who say: even in the case of an egg

that was born on the second Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah, they were lenient concerning it.

And what is your opinion

to be stringent and prohibit it on the second Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah? After all, the entire concern could be

lest the court intercalate

the month of

Elul.

That is, you are concerned lest the witnesses not come on the thirtieth day of Elul, and Elul will be found to be “intercalated,” thirty days long [instead of the ordinary twenty-nine days], and Rosh Hashanah will, by Torah law, be on the second Yom Tov.

You need not be concerned about this concern, because

as Rav Ḥinana bar Kahana said: From the days of Ezra onward—

we have not found an intercalated Elul!

We learned in the Mishna:

And one may bake neither thick loaves nor wafers.

The Sages taught: Beit Shammai say: One may not bake thick bread on Pesach, and Beit Hillel permit it.

And the Gemara assumes that the reason of Beit Shammai is concern over leavening, and therefore the Gemara asks:

A

t

what

thickness is the

“thick bread”

that Beit Hillel permitted, without concern over leavening?

Rav Huna said:

Up to a thickness of

a handbreadth.

For thus we find with the showbread

that was baked unleavened, and it had a thickness of

a handbreadth.

Rav Yosef raised an objection against it: If they said

to permit a thickness of a handbreadth

for

the priests, who are

diligent

and able to guard against leavening—

will they say this for

ordinary people,

who are not diligent,

that it is permitted for them to bake on Pesach up to a thickness of a handbreadth?

If they said

that it is permitted to bake a thickness of a handbreadth

in “laborious bread”

of the showbread, in whose making much labor was invested—

will they say

this

in

ordinary bread on Pesach,

which is not laborious?

If they said

that there is no concern over leavening in the showbread, since the bread was baked with fuel

of dry wood,

which produces great heat—

will they say

that it is permitted to bake thick bread with fuel

of damp wood,

which has low heat?

If they said

in the baking of the showbread

in a hot oven,

which they heated every day for the meal-offerings—

will they say this in an oven

of Pesach that was

cold

until it was heated, and did not have great heat?

If they said

concerning the showbread, which was baked

in a metal oven,

whose heat was great—

will they say this in a clay oven

whose heat was less?

And Rav Yosef’s questions remained unanswered. Therefore, the Gemara brings another explanation of what Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disputed concerning thick bread on Pesach.

A.

Rav Yirmeya bar Abba said: I asked

I asked

my master [

my teacher]

in private,

between him and me, not in the presence of other people.

And, parenthetically, the Gemara explains:

And who was he,

who was Rav Yirmeya bar Abba’s teacher?—

Rav.

What is “thick bread”

that Beit Hillel permitted one to bake?

And Rav answered me:

Much bread.

For they permitted baking many loaves on Yom Tov, more than is needed for Yom Tov itself. And Beit Shammai prohibit this because of the trouble for another day, but not because of concern over leavening.

Some say,

as follows

Rav Yirmeya bar Abba said in the name of Rav:

I asked my master in private.

That is, Rav himself asked this of his teacher.

And who was he,

Rav’s teacher?—

Our holy master

was he [Rabbi].

What is thick bread?

And Rabbi answered me:

Much bread.

And why did they call it “thick bread”?—

Because it is abundant,

for it is very thick

at

the time of

kneading.

Alternatively, in the place of this tanna

who taught this beraita,

for much bread—

they call it “thick” bread.

And the Gemara raises a difficulty against this explanation:

Granted,

after all,

because he is exerting unnecessary exertion

on Yom Tov,

that

is what Beit Shammai prohibited.

And if so, this is difficult:

Why specifically

did the tanna state that their dispute is concerning

Pesach?

But

even on the other Yamim Tovim as well

they would dispute this.

And we answer:

Indeed so,

they also disputed this concerning the other Yamim Tovim.

And the tanna

who taught it in the beraita concerning Pesach, since he was

in

the laws of

the Yom Tov of Pesach,

for the tanna was teaching these matters within the other laws of Pesach with which he was occupied.

It was taught likewise,

explicitly, that the subject of the dispute is the laws of exertion on Yom Tov, and not concern over leavening on Pesach:

For it was taught:

Beit Shammai say: One may not bake much bread on Yom Tov, and Beit Hillel permit it.

Mishna:

He too,

Rabban Gamliel, who was stringent in the preceding mishnayot,

said three matters as leniencies:

A.

They sweep

the

house of the beds.

For this was the place where they reclined on beds to eat the meal. And he did not fear the decree lest one come to level the hollows while sweeping.

B.

And they place the incense

frankincense upon coals

on Yom Tov,

and they did not prohibit it on the grounds that it is not a need of food for a person.

C.

And they make a roasted kid,

roasted whole on its legs, with its entrails, which were roasted together with it,

on the nights of Pesach,

and he did not fear that it would appear as though one were eating a Paschal offering outside.

And the Sages prohibit

sweeping, lest one level hollows; fumigating, since it is not a need of food for a person but only for the pampered; and making a roasted kid, because it resembles eating consecrated food outside.

Gemara:

Rav Asi said: The dispute is concerning fumigating

garments, when one places the frankincense on the fire so that the fragrance enters the garments. And since it is not for bodily pleasure, therefore the Sages prohibited it.

But

fumigating in order

to smell,

which is bodily pleasure—

according to everyone it is permitted.

The beraita objects

from that which we learned in a beraita:

A.

They do not sweep

the

house of the beds on Yom Tov.

But

the members of his household

of Rabban Gamliel’s house

were

sweeping.

Rabbi Eliezer bar Tzadok said: Many times I entered after my father into Rabban Gamliel’s house, and they were not sweeping the house of the beds on Yom Tov.

Rather,

they were

sweeping them [

the houses of the beds]

from the eve of Yom Tov, and

they were

spreading over them,

over their floors,

sheets.

On the following day, when guests entered,

they would

remove the sheets, and the house was consequently swept by itself.

They said to him: If so,

according to your words—

it is also permitted to do so on Shabbat.

And if the Sages disputed him on Yom Tov, this is proof that Rabban Gamliel permitted actual sweeping on Yom Tov itself.

B.

And they do not place the incense on Yom Tov.

But those of Rabban Gamliel’s house

were

placing it.

Rabbi Eliezer bar Tzadok said: Many times I entered after my father into Rabban Gamliel’s house, and they were not placing the incense on Yom Tov.

Rather,

they would

bring ardaskayot,

perforated vessels

of iron, and smoke them,

putting the fragrance of frankincense inside them,

from the eve of Yom Tov. And they would stop up

their

openings from the eve of

Yom Tov

so that the smoke, together with the pleasant fragrance, would be preserved inside the vessels.

On the following day, when guests entered—

they would open their openings, and the house was consequently fumigated by itself.

They said to him: If so,

according to your words—

it is also permitted to do so on Shabbat!

Rather, from here there is proof that Rabban Gamliel permitted fumigating on Yom Tov itself, and therefore the Sages disputed him.

And it is proven from the beraita against what Rav Asi said, that the Sages agree with Rabban Gamliel that fumigating is permitted!

Rather, if it was stated,

the statement of Rav Asi—

it was stated as follows:

Rav Asi said: The dispute

is concerning fumigating in order

to smell.

But fumigating

so that the fragrance enters the garments—

is prohibited

according to everyone.

They raised a question before them: What is the law concerning smoking

fruits with the fragrance of frankincense? Is it permitted to place frankincense upon coals for the purpose of smoking the fruits?

Rav Yirmeya bar Abba said in the name of Rav: It is prohibited,

because there is here the labor of extinguishing in placing the frankincense upon the coals for a pleasure that is not common to every person.

And Shmuel said: It is permitted,

since it is suitable for every person, except that it is not practiced by the poor because they do not have money to purchase it.

Rav Huna said,

to explain the reason of Rav, who said

it is prohibited—

because he extinguishes,

for by placing the frankincense upon the coals, he extinguishes some of the fire burning in them. And the labor of extinguishing was permitted only for a need of food or for a pleasure common to every person, whereas this is a particular indulgence and is not common to every person.

Rav Naḥman said to Rav Huna

:

Let the master say

that it is prohibited to place the frankincense upon the fire

because he kindles

the frankincense?!

He said to him: At its beginning it extinguishes

the fire of the coals,

and

only

at its end does it kindle

the frankincense; therefore I stated the first prohibition.

Rav Yehuda said:

Only

upon a coal is it prohibited

to place the frankincense in order to smoke fruits, because he extinguishes and kindles for the sake of something that is not common to every person.