Beitzah 31a — the Talmud in English

Mishna:

They bring wood

detached on a Festival

from the field [

which is within the Shabbat limit]

from what was gathered,

which they gathered before the Festival in order to use it, for he thereby revealed his mind that he relied upon it, and it is not muktzeh.

But from wood scattered in the fields he may not bring, since it is muktzeh, because his mind was not upon it before the Festival, and it is not “prepared.”

And from the karpef,

which is a place outside the city enclosed by a fence, where all kinds of things are stored, including wood—he is permitted to bring wood from it

even from what is scattered

there. Since the place is enclosed and guarded, even concerning what is scattered within it he did not divert his mind from it.

What is the karpef

that we said it is permitted to bring wood from within it, even from what is scattered?

Any place that

is

adjacent to the city

literally, only,

the words of Rabbi Judah.

Rabbi Yose says: Any place into which one enters with a key [

with a key] and is thereby guarded,

even

if the karpef was far from the city, provided that the karpef

is within the Shabbat limit.

Gemara:

Rav Judah said that Shmuel said: One may bring wood only from what is gathered in a karpef.

The Gemara raises an objection to him from our Mishna:

But we learned in the Mishna: “From the karpef, and even from what is scattered!”

And why did Shmuel require that even the wood in the karpef be gathered?!

And we answer:

The Mishna

that permits taking scattered wood in a karpef—is the position of

an individual,

namely, Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar according to the opinion of Beit Hillel, as will be explained in the beraita that the Gemara brings shortly. But the Sages disagree with him, and Shmuel spoke in accordance with the Sages.

For it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel did not disagree concerning what is scattered in the fields, that one may not bring it, or concerning what is gathered in a karpef, that one may bring it.

Concerning what did

Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagree?

Concerning what is scattered in a karpef.

And concerning what is gathered in the fields.

For Beit Shammai say: He may not bring it,

unless it was in a karpef and gathered.

And Beit Hillel say: He may bring it

even from these, and this is also the opinion of the tanna of our Mishna. Indeed, the Sages disagree with him, and Shmuel follows their opinion.

Rava said:

Although it is permitted to bring from what is gathered, nevertheless:

As for reed leaves and vine leaves, even though one gathered them and placed them [

even though they were gathered and lying there],

since, if the wind is raised, it will scatter them [

if the wind lifts it, it will scatter the leaves], already now

they are considered as scattered, and are forbidden.

For he certainly did not rely in his mind upon them, since he thought that the wind would scatter them.

But

nevertheless,

if he placed a vessel upon them yesterday [

if he placed a vessel upon the leaves before the Festival] to weigh them down,

it is well permitted,

for the vessel prevents the wind from scattering them, and he relies in his mind upon them.

We learned in the Mishna:

What is the karpef,

any place adjacent to the city, the words of Rabbi Judah; Rabbi Yose says, any place into which one enters with a key, and even within the Shabbat limit:

Their disagreement must be explained in two ways:

One way: Rabbi Judah requires two conditions: both that it have a key and that it be adjacent to the city.

And Rabbi Yose is lenient concerning one of the two conditions, as will be explained below.

The second way: Rabbi Judah makes the law dependent upon adjacency to the city alone, without taking “a key” into consideration.

And Rabbi Yose makes the law dependent upon a key alone, without taking adjacency to the city into consideration.

And the members of the academy were uncertain concerning this doubt, and the Gemara explains the expressions of the tannaim according to the two ways.

They raised a question before them: What is he saying

Rabbi Judah?

Any place adjacent to the city

is a karpef from which it is permitted to take wood,

and it must have a key,

for an ordinary karpef has a key, and Rabbi Judah is speaking about it; it follows that Rabbi Judah is stringent, requiring both conditions [adjacency to the city and a key] in order to make it a karpef from which it is permitted to take wood.

And Rabbi Yose came to say

that

since it has a key,

that alone is sufficient, and it need not be adjacent to the city, but

even

if it is far from the city, yet

within the Shabbat limit—

also

it is considered a karpef, for according to him one condition alone, either a key or adjacency to the city, is sufficient.

Or perhaps, this is what he is saying

Rabbi Judah:

Any place adjacent to the city, whether it has a key or whether it does not have a key,

is considered a karpef, and the law depends only upon adjacency to the city.

And

Rabbi Yose came—

who said: “Any place into which one enters with a key”—to establish that the law of the karpef depends upon a key alone, and

to say:

the law does not depend at all upon adjacency to the city, but

even within the Shabbat limit. And specifically when it has a key

is it called a karpef,

but when it does not have a key, even if it is adjacent to the city, it is not so.

Come and hear: From the fact that it teaches

in our Mishna:

Rabbi Yose says: Any place into which one enters with a key, and even within the Shabbat limit.

Conclude from this: Rabbi Yose said two things for leniency:

A. If it has a key, even though it is far from the city, this is permitted.

B. If it is adjacent to the city, even though it does not have a key, this is permitted.

And we conclude:

Conclude from this!

Rav Sala said that Rabbi Yirmeya said: The halakha is according to Rabbi Yose—

to be lenient.

Mishna:

A.

One may not split wood

for kindling on a Festival,

neither from beams,

nor from a beam

of the house

that broke on the Festival,

and the reason will be explained in the Gemara.

B.

And one may not split

detached wood on a Festival that is permitted for kindling,

neither with a hatchet [

a craftsman’s tool, and it resembles the tool with which packsaddles for animals are made],

nor with a saw [

a knife full of notches, which quickly cuts wood, and it is a craftsman’s tool],

nor with a sickle [

a type of craftsman’s tool], since all these are craftsman’s tools for splitting wood with them, and it appears as though he is performing labor with it.

Rather, with a cleaver [

a butchers’ knife], since it is not a craftsman’s tool.