Beitzah 23b (כג:) — the Talmud in English

Mishna:

The mill

for pepper

is composed of three parts, and each of the parts has the status of a vessel in its own right.

Therefore, it is

impure

under three designations of ritual impurity of vessels,

because of

the designations of

three vessels.

Accordingly, once the mill becomes impure, it does not become pure through the annulment of one of the designations; rather, this occurs only when all three designations of its component parts are annulled.

And these are the designations of its three parts, by virtue of which it is impure:

Because it is a “vessel with a receptacle,” and because it is a “metal vessel,”

and because it is a “sieve vessel.”

As will be explained in the Gemara.

Gemara:

The tanna

taught in a beraita:

The

lower

vessel of the mill, which is made of wood and receives within it the dust of the ground pepper, is impure

because of

the ritual impurity of a

vessel

of wood that has a

receptacle.

For the ritual impurity of wooden vessels applies only to vessels that have a receptacle, and not to “simple wooden vessels” without a receptacle.

The

middle

vessel, which is also made of wood and in which the sieve is located, through which the ground peppercorns are filtered, is impure by rabbinic law, since it has no receptacle; nevertheless, the Sages decreed that it become impure

because it is a “sieve vessel,”

since the sieve resembles a woven fabric, which is impure by Torah law.

But the

upper

vessel, in which the pepper is pounded, is also made of wood, except that the coating of the wooden base, on which the pepper is pounded, is made of metal, and that is the essential part, since the pepper is pounded by means of the metal coating. Therefore, it becomes impure

because of

the ritual impurity of a

metal vessel,

which becomes impure even if it has no receptacle.

Mishna:

A wagon

made for the play

of a minor,

in which he is seated for amusement and in which he is led—

it is

impure

with the ritual impurity of

midras.

This is a severe form of ritual impurity applying to vessels designated for the zav’s sitting [and likewise for a niddah and a zavah] or for his lying, if the zav sat or lay upon them. But a vessel that is not designated for lying or sitting: even if a zav sat upon it, he does not render it impure.

And our Mishna teaches that a minor’s toy wagon is likewise considered a place for sitting, and is not merely a toy wagon. Therefore, if the minor sat upon it while he was a zav, or leaned upon it, he renders it impure with the ritual impurity of midras.

And

it

may be carried on Shabbat,

for its status is like that of all vessels that are not muktzeh.

And the novel element is that we do not say that it is not a vessel because it is made solely for a minor’s play, and that it is therefore prohibited by the general decree that the Sages issued in the days of Nehemiah [Shabbat 123b] concerning anything that is not a vessel whose use is permitted on Shabbat: that it may not be moved.

And it may not be dragged

on Shabbat across the ground, so that it will not make a furrow in it and one will become liable for plowing,

but

it may be dragged

over vessels,

such as garments lying on the ground; thus, it does not make a furrow in the ground when it is dragged.

Rabi Yehuda says: No vessels may be dragged

across the ground, because the furrow made by dragging them is considered plowing,

except for the wagon,

which it is permitted to drag across the ground

because it presses down

the ground as it is dragged, and the furrow it makes in the ground does not move soil or loosen the ground as plowing does; rather, it merely compresses it, and this is not the manner of plowing.

Gemara:

The Gemara explains the rationales for the laws in our Mishna:

A minor’s wagon is impure with the ritual impurity of midras—

because he leans upon it,

the minor who is a zav.

And it may be carried on Shabbat—

because it has the status of a vessel.

And it may be dragged only over vessels.

And the Gemara infers:

Over vessels—

yes,

it is permitted to drag it. But

over the ground—

no.

What is the reason

that it is prohibited to drag it over the ground?—Because

he makes a furrow,

even though he does not intend to do so.

Whose

opinion does our Mishna follow?—

It is that of Rabi Yehuda, who says: An unintentional act is prohibited.

For if it were the opinion of Rabi Shimon—

does he not say: An unintentional act is permitted?

As it was taught in a beraita: Rabi Shimon says: A person may drag a bed, a chair, or a bench

across the ground on Shabbat,

provided that he does not intend to make a furrow.

Their dispute was explained on the previous page.

And if so, this poses a difficulty: the first clause of our Mishna follows the opinion of Rabi Yehuda—

consider the latter clause

of the Mishna:

Rabi Yehuda says: Not everything may be dragged on Shabbat

since it makes a furrow, and it is prohibited to do so because of plowing,

except for the wagon,

which does not involve the labor of plowing

because it presses down the ground.

And we should infer from the words of Rabi Yehuda in the latter clause:

Because

the wagon

presses down the ground—

yes,

it merely presses down the ground, and for that reason it is permitted to drag it; and it follows:

But a furrow

of plowing—

it does not make

the wagon by dragging it, according to Rabi Yehuda.

Whereas according to the way we established the first clause of our Mishna as referring to Rabi Yehuda, and inferred that one may not drag the wagon over the ground because it makes a furrow, it follows to the contrary!

And we answer: They disagree about this matter:

two tannaim, and [both express the view] of Rabi Yehuda.

The first clause and the latter clause reflect two tannaim who disagree regarding Rabi Yehuda’s opinion about dragging a wagon. According to the tanna of the first clause, the making of a furrow must be prohibited because at times the wagon’s wheel does not roll properly and press down the ground; rather, it is dragged and digs into the ground. But according to the tanna of the latter clause, the wheel always rolls and presses down the ground, and does not drag and dig into it.

We have completed [the study of] you, chapter Yom Tov.

Mishna:

One may not trap fish from fishponds

the pools of water in which fish are raised

on a Festival,

since they could have been trapped on the eve of the Festival and placed in water in a location from which they could be taken without trapping.

And

likewise

one may not place before them

the fish

food

on a Festival, since they can find their own food.

But one may trap wild animals and birds from enclosures,

places in which they are gathered and in which they are already trapped.

And

likewise

one may place food before them,

since they cannot find food during the winter, or even during the summer in places where people tread and where no grass grows for them to eat.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: Not all enclosures are alike

with regard to permitting the trapping of wild animals and birds on a Festival.