Beitzah 28a (כח.) — the Talmud in English

Mishna:

Rabbi Yehuda says: A person may weigh

a butcher selling on a Festival, without stating the price, may weigh

meat

on a scale, but he may not place a standard weight opposite it on the other pan of the scale as he does on a weekday. Rather, he must deviate and weigh it

against a vessel

whose weight he knows, placing it on the other pan of the scale,

or against a cleaver

, a large knife whose weight he knows, and placing it on the other pan.

And the Sages say: One does not inspect

or use

a scale pan at all.

That is, one may not weigh at all with a scale on a Festival.

Gemara:

And we raise a question about this:

What

is the meaning of the statement of the tanna, “One does not inspect a scale pan

at all”?

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said:

One may not place meat on scale pans suspended above the ground,

even

not merely

to protect it

there

from mice

, because it appears as though he is weighing it.

Rav Idi bar Avin said:

The prohibition against placing meat on a scale pan even to protect it applies only when there is room for suspicion,

and that is when the pan is suspended

from the scale

by its ring

, the ring from which it hangs when it is used for weighing. But when the pan is not placed in the ring, it is evident to everyone that the meat was placed there only for protection and not for weighing.

And Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: An expert butcher

who can determine the weight of each piece precisely by the feel of his hand—

may not weigh meat by hand.

This is because this too is a form of weighing.

And Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: An expert butcher may not weigh meat in water.

He places water in a vessel marked at various water levels, and puts the pieces of meat into the vessel; from the level of the water that remains, in accordance with the markings on the vessel, he knows the weight of the meat placed into it.

And Rav Hiyya bar Ashi said: It is prohibited to make

on a Festival a hole that will serve as a

“handle” in meat

so that it can be carried, since this is a weekday practice: It is customary for the seller to make a handle for the purchaser so that he can carry it. Since commercial transactions are prohibited on a Festival, one who makes a handle in the manner used for a sale is performing a “weekday act” on a Festival.

Ravina said: And

to make the handle

by hand

and not with a knife

is permitted.

Rav Huna said: It is permitted to make

on a Festival

a distinguishing mark on meat.

As in the case of Rabba bar Rav Huna

: When he sent meat from the market to his home, he would

cut it

the piece of meat

with three corners

, in the shape of a triangle, so that it would not be exchanged.

Rabbi Hiyya and Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi

: When they divided between themselves on a Festival the meat of an animal that they had purchased jointly, they would

weigh a maneh against a maneh

, comparing their portions by weight, but they would not weigh them against a specified weight

on a Festival.

And we raise a question about this:

In accordance with whom

did they conduct themselves in this manner?

Not in accordance with Rabbi Yehuda and not in accordance with the Sages!

If it is in accordance with Rabbi Yehuda—

he says: A person may weigh meat against a vessel or against a cleaver

, because weighing in this manner is not the weekday practice.

Therefore, only

against a vessel—

yes,

but

against anything else—

no.

Yet weighing a maneh against a maneh is precisely how people divide something purchased jointly!

If it is in accordance with the Sages—

they say: One does not inspect a scale pan at all

, and not even to place meat there to protect it from mice!?

And we answer:

They—

acted in accordance with Rabbi Yehoshua.

As it is taught in a beraita: Rabbi Yehoshua says: One may weigh a maneh against a maneh on a Festival.

Rav Yosef said: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Yehoshua, since we learned

in an unattributed Mishna

with regard to

the weighing of

firstborn animals, in accordance with him

, as weighing a maneh against a maneh is not considered ordinary weighing.

As we learned

in tractate Bekhorot [31a]:

Sacrificial animals that developed a blemish are redeemed, and the redemption money belongs to the Temple treasury. There are two exceptions, however: Two offerings that the Torah says may not be redeemed or ransomed; rather, they are eaten by their owners without redemption. They are the firstborn animal, eaten by its owner the koen, and the tithe animal, eaten by its Israelite owner.

There is an additional distinction between sacrificial animals that developed a blemish and were subsequently redeemed, and a firstborn or tithe animal that developed a blemish, with regard to preserving the honor of the remnant of their sanctity.

With regard to

“disqualified sacrificial animals,”

since

their benefit

is their redemption money

for the Temple treasury,

the Sages were lenient with regard to them, permitting them to be sold even in a butcher shop, and permitting them to be sold by weight, despite the fact that this entails a certain belittling of their sanctity, so that the Temple treasury would receive a higher price for their redemption.

But a firstborn or tithe animal that developed a blemish, from which the Temple treasury derives no benefit, may be sold only at home, and may be sold only by estimation and not by weight, so as not to belittle its sanctity.

But—

one may weigh a maneh against a maneh with a firstborn animal,

as this is not considered weighing, and such weighing does not constitute a belittling of the sanctity of a firstborn animal.

Abaye said to

Rav Yosef:

Perhaps that is not so!

It is possible that the Sages in the unattributed Mishna in Bekhorot do not agree with Rabbi Yehoshua’s view concerning a Festival, and it is possible that Rabbi Yehoshua does not agree with them. For perhaps:

Rabbi Yehoshua said this only here

—that it is permitted to weigh a maneh against a maneh on a Festival—

because there is no degradation of sacrificial animals. But there, where there is degradation of

sacrificial animals—

no,

he would not have said this as the Sages did.

Alternatively, the Sages said this only there—

because

the weighing of a maneh against a maneh does not appear

like weekday activity. But here, where it appears like

weekday activity—

no.

For this is precisely the manner in which people divide meat that they purchased jointly.

The Gemara now explains what we said: Rabbi Hiyya and Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi, divided a maneh against a maneh between themselves by weight on a Festival.

Does this mean that they were particular with each other

and would divide their property only as a maneh against a maneh!?

But there were those seven fish

, seven fish,

that came to Rabbi’s house,

that were brought to Rabbi’s house,

and it was found

that after the seven fish had been divided among the members of Rabbi’s household,

five of them were in

the portion of

Rabbi Hiyya’s household, and Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi, was not particular

about this,

was he!?

Rav Pappa said: Add a person between them.

That is, add another person to this case. The incident did not occur between them, but

either

there were

Rabbi Hiyya and Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei;

or

there were

Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi, and bar Kappara.

Mishna:

One may not sharpen a knife on a Festival

in the manner in which it is sharpened on a weekday, because by doing so one repairs it; only work necessary for preparing food was permitted, and not the preparation of implements needed for preparing food.

But one may slide it

and smooth the knife

against another knife,

as this involves a deviation from weekday practice.

Gemara:

Rav Huna said: They taught

that it is prohibited to sharpen a knife on a Festival

only with a stone sharpener,

which properly repairs the knife, in the manner in which this is done on a weekday.

But with a wooden sharpener,

which does not completely repair the knife,

it is permitted.

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: This that you said

that with a stone sharpener it is prohibited—

we said this only

when he does so in order

to sharpen it,

which appears to be a repair.

But

if he does so

to remove its grease

from it—

it is permitted.

And the Gemara infers:

By inference, with a wooden sharpener—

even to sharpen it as well—

it is permitted.

There are those who teach this

statement of Rav Yehuda, son of Shmuel,

with regard to the latter clause,

the end of Rav Huna’s statement, which said:

With a wooden sharpener it is permitted.

And concerning this

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: This that you said, that with a wooden sharpener it is permitted—

we said this only to remove its grease, but to sharpen it—

it is prohibited.

And the Gemara infers:

By inference, with a stone sharpener—

even to remove its grease it is prohibited.

There are those who teach this

statement of Rav Yehuda, son of Shmuel, not with regard to Rav Huna’s words, but

with regard to the Mishna,

the Mishna itself, where we learned:

One may not sharpen a knife on a Festival.

And concerning the words of the Mishna,

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel

[unclear: extraneous letter in the source]

taught this only with regard to sharpening it, but to remove its grease—

it is permitted.

By inference, with regard to sliding it against another knife—

even to sharpen it as well is permitted.

And there are those who teach this

statement of Rav Yehuda, son of Shmuel,

with regard to the latter clause

of the Mishna:

But one may slide it against another knife:

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: They taught this only with regard to removing its grease, but to sharpen it—

it is prohibited.

By inference, with a sharpener—

even to remove its grease it is prohibited.

And the Gemara now explains:

Who is the tanna who holds that using a sharpener is prohibited?

Rav Hisda said: It is not in accordance with Rabbi Yehuda!

As it is taught in a beraita: The only difference between a Festival and Shabbat is food preparation alone,

but Rabbi Yehuda permits even implements needed for preparing food.

Rava said to Rav Hisda: Shall we teach in your name—

can we teach in your name that

the halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Yehuda,

who permits implements needed for preparing food on a Festival?

He said to him: May it be the will

that

you teach all such excellent statements in my name.

That all the statements you teach in my name will be as excellent as this one.