Beitzah 29a (כט.) — the Talmud in English

In Narash they say: a half-se'a, and half of a half-se'a.

In Pumbedita they say: an uzia, and half an uzia.

In Nehar Pekod and Mata Meḥasya they say: a quarter-se'a, and half a quarter-se'a.

Mishna:

One may not measure on a Festival; the details of the prohibition will be explained below.

A person may say to another: “Fill this utensil for me, but not with a measure.”

This will be explained in the Gemara, as will the dispute with Rabbi Yehuda below.

Rabbi Yehuda says: If it was a measuring utensil—

he may not fill it.

There was an incident involving Abba Shaul ben Botnit, who would fill his measures on the eve of the Festival and give them to customers on the Festival.

In this way, he avoided measuring on the Festival.

Abba Shaul says: Even on

a weekday

he does so,

as he would fill his measures beforehand,

because of the clarification of the measures.

This was in order to avoid theft, since if he sold the liquid immediately upon pouring it into the measure, the foam would distort the accurate measurement to the customer's disadvantage.

And the Sages say: Even on

an ordinary

weekday he does so,

when he was selling oil, as he would pour the oil into the customer's utensil and wait a long time until all the oil had drained from the measure into the customer's utensil,

because of the draining of the measures,

as the oil does not all descend from the measure into the customer's utensil until the measuring utensil has remained over the customer's utensil for an extended period.

Gemara:

The Gemara explains:

What does the phrase “

fill this utensil for me,

but not with a measure” mean?

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said:

this is what it means:

but he may not

fill it for him

using a utensil designated for measuring.

But a utensil

that has not yet been used for measuring, but is merely a utensil

intended for measuring,

designated for use when the measure breaks—

he may fill it.

And Rabbi Yehuda comes to say: He may not fill even a utensil intended for measuring.

And the Gemara infers:

Apparently, with regard to the rejoicing of the Festival—

Rabbi Yehuda is stringent, and the Rabbis are lenient.

And we challenge this:

But we have heard the opposite from them!

As we learned in a Mishna: Rabbi Yehuda says: A person may weigh meat against the utensil and against the cleaver.

And the Sages say: One pays no attention whatsoever to the pan of the scales.

Apparently, Rabbi Yehuda is lenient and the Rabbis are stringent.

There is a difficulty between one statement of Rabbi Yehuda and another statement of Rabbi Yehuda.

There is likewise a difficulty between one statement of the Rabbis and another statement of the Rabbis!

And the Gemara answers:

The contradiction between one statement of Rabbi Yehuda and the other statement of Rabbi Yehuda is not difficult: There,

the case is

when the utensil

and the cleaver

are not intended for measuring.

Here—

the case is when they are intended for measuring.

The contradiction between one statement of the Rabbis and the other statement of the Rabbis is also not difficult.

There—

when he weighs with scales,

he is doing what people ordinarily do on a weekday,

as people sometimes weigh in this manner.

Here—

he is not doing what people ordinarily do on a weekday,

since this utensil is merely designated for measuring, but has not yet been used for measuring.

Rava said: What does “but not with a measure” mean?—

That he should not mention a measure by name,

such as a log or the like.

But a utensil designated for measuring,

without mentioning its name—

he may fill it.

And Rabbi Yehuda comes to say: A utensil designated for measuring—

he may not fill it.

And the Gemara infers:

Apparently,

according to Rava's explanation,

with regard to the rejoicing of the Festival, Rabbi Yehuda is stringent and the Rabbis are lenient.

But we have heard the opposite from them:

As we learned in a Mishna: Rabbi Yehuda says: A person may weigh meat against the utensil and against the cleaver, and the Sages say: One pays no attention whatsoever to the pan of the scales.

Apparently, Rabbi Yehuda is lenient and the Rabbis are stringent.

There is a difficulty between one statement of Rabbi Yehuda and another statement of Rabbi Yehuda, and likewise a difficulty between one statement of the Rabbis and another statement of the Rabbis!

And we answer:

The contradiction between one statement of Rabbi Yehuda and the other statement of Rabbi Yehuda is not difficult.

There—

the case is when it is not designated for measuring.

Here—

the case is when it is designated for measuring.

The contradiction between one statement of the Rabbis and the other statement of the Rabbis is also not difficult:

There—

he is doing what people ordinarily do on a weekday.

Here,

when the purchaser comes with a measuring utensil and says, “Fill this utensil for me,”—

he is not doing what people ordinarily do on a weekday,

since purchasers do not ordinarily come to the seller with a measuring utensil; rather, this is the practice of people lending to one another only.

Since

people are accustomed

to

give wine

to their friends free of charge

in a measured utensil,

in a measuring utensil,

and drink it.

We learned in the Mishna:

There was an incident involving Abba Shaul ben Botnit.

The tanna taught: Even on

a

weekday

he

would do so,

as he would fill the measures the evening before,

because of the cancellation of Torah study,

since he was a great Sage and people would ask him questions of halakha, and he did not wish to waste his time during the day waiting until the foam subsided while pouring for the customers.

The Sages taught: He accumulated three hundred jars of wine from the clarification of the measures,

as he calculated that he had gained this amount over time because of the foam present during measuring.

And his colleagues accumulated three hundred jars of oil from the draining of the measures,

as they poured oil, and some remained with them because the oil had not completely drained into the customers' utensils.

And they brought them before the treasurers in Jerusalem

to give them to the Temple treasury, since they did not wish to benefit from money that was not theirs.

They said to them,

the Temple treasurers:

You are not required to do this,

since the customers waive their claims against you.

They said to them: We too do not desire this.

They said to them: Since you have imposed stringency upon yourselves—

use them for the needs of the public.

As it was taught in a beraita: If one stole property and does not know from whom he stole it—

he should use it for the needs of the public.

What are these?—

Rav Ḥisda said: Wells, cisterns, and caves,

for drinking water.

He appointed

the attendant

Rav Ḥisda

and directed

Rav Naḥman bar Rav Ḥisda

in the city's passageways,

and he taught: A person may not measure barley and place it before his animal on a Festival.

But he may scoop it

with a measuring utensil,

a kav or several kavs,

into the barley,

and place it before his animal, and he need not be concerned.

And a baker may measure spices and place them into his pot—

so that his dish will not burn.

Rav Yirmeya bar Abba said that Rav said: A woman may measure flour on a Festival and place it into her dough, so that she may take ḥalla generously.

For if she does not know the quantity of the dough, she will be sparing in separating ḥalla, because she will estimate that the quantity of the dough is smaller.

And Shmuel said: It is prohibited

to measure.

And we challenge this:

But the tanna of the school of Shmuel says that it is permitted

to measure!

Abaye said: Now that Shmuel has said that it is prohibited,