Beitzah 33a (לג.) — the Talmud in English

Likewise,

the same law applies to a

beitsa

[egg]: when one places it on a hollow vessel and sets the vessel upon the coals so that the egg will roast, he may not first set down the vessel and then place the egg upon it, as this is akin to building. Rather, he should hold the vessel in his hand, place the egg upon it, and then set the vessel upon the coals.

Likewise,

the same law applies to a

a pot that is set upon two barrels, with the fire beneath it: it is permitted only if he first holds the pot suspended in the air and then places the barrels beneath it. But if he first places the barrels and only afterward sets the pot upon them, it is prohibited.

Likewise,

the same law applies to a

purya,

a dismantlable bed used by nobles. Long beams are inserted into the bed legs at both ends, and the hide upon which one lies is spread out and tied to those beams. He may not make it in the usual manner—by setting up the legs, inserting the beams into them, and tying the hide, since this is the manner of building. Rather, he should first stretch out the hide, bring the beams, and tie the hide to them; afterward he should raise the bed legs and insert the beams into them.

Likewise,

the same law applies to a

havita

[barrel]: when arranging barrels in a storeroom and placing one barrel upon two barrels, he may not arrange the lower ones first and place the upper barrel upon them. Rather, he should hold the upper barrel in his hand and arrange the two barrels beneath it.

We learned in the Mishna:

And one may not support a pot with a piece of wood, and likewise with a door:

The initial understanding of the Mishna’s meaning was: one may not support a pot with a piece of wood, and likewise one may not support a pot with a door. Therefore, the Gemara was astonished:

Would it enter your mind that one supports a pot

with a door?

Is there anyone who supports a pot with a door? Surely the door would break!

Rather, say

as follows:

And likewise, the door,

one may not support it with a piece of wood.

The Sages taught:

One may not support a pot with a piece of wood.

Likewise,

one may not support

the door

with a piece of wood,

because wood was designated only for kindling,

as was explained in the Mishna.

And Rabbi Shimon,

who does not hold of the law of muktzeh,

permits.

We learned in the Mishna:

And one may not lead an animal with a stick on a Festival, and Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, permits:

The Gemara had assumed that the reason of the first tanna, who prohibits this, is the law of muktzeh, because wood was designated only for kindling.

The Gemara asks: If so,

shall we say that Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon,

who permits it, does so because

he holds like his father,

[Rabbi Shimon],

who maintains that there is no law of muktzeh?

The Gemara rejects this:

No.

This is not the reason, as we had assumed—that the first tanna prohibits it because of muktzeh, while Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, permits it because he holds like his father Rabbi Shimon, who does not hold of muktzeh. Rather, according to the first tanna as well, there is no prohibition against using a stick because of the laws of muktzeh; it is prohibited for another reason.

Conversely,

in this case,

leading an animal with a stick on a Festival, it is possible that

even Rabbi Shimon,

Rabbi Elazar’s father, who does not hold of muktzeh,

agrees

that it is prohibited, in accordance with the first tanna.

The reason for the prohibition against leading an animal with a stick on a Festival is

because

it appears that he intends to lead it to a distant place, for which a stick is needed, and

it appears as though he is going to the market,

so that he appears to be going to sell it in the marketplace, which is called a ḥang [because people circulate and walk there, like women who circle in dances].

If so, Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, who permits it, is not relying on his father’s view that there is no law of muktzeh.

The Sages permitted moving wood on a Festival for the purpose of kindling.

At first glance, there is no need to derive a special permission to kindle with wood, since kindling a fire is permitted on a Festival, and wood has a use on a Festival as fuel, and is therefore unlike stones and earth. Rashi explains [below, 33b, s.v. lo yitol] that ordinary wood is presumed to be designated for making utensils, something that is prohibited to do on a Festival. Consequently, it should have been muktzeh, but the Sages came and permitted taking it for kindling. The Gemara now records a dispute among the amoraim concerning the status of wood for other uses that are permitted on a Festival: did the Sages likewise permit using wood for those purposes, or did they prohibit it because of muktzeh?

The Gemara relates that the amoraim disputed the law concerning taking a

ḥazra

[a sharp wooden branch], not for kindling but in order to insert it into roasted meat like a spit and roast the meat with it:

Rav Naḥman prohibited

this on a Festival, as he proceeds to explain.

And Rav Sheshet permitted

it.

The Gemara explains which type of ḥazra they disputed about, and the basis of their dispute:

With regard to

a ḥazra that is

wet

[a wet branch]—

everyone agrees that it is prohibited,

since it is unfit to be moved even for kindling, as wet wood is not used for kindling.

They disagree with regard to

a ḥazra that is

dry,

a dry branch that is fit to be moved for kindling. And this is the basis of their dispute:

The one who prohibits,

Rav Naḥman,

can say to you: Wood was designated only for kindling.

Since ordinary wood is presumed to be designated for the prohibited purpose of making utensils, the Sages permitted moving it only for kindling.

And the one who permits can say to you: What difference is there whether one roasts with it,

making it into a spit to pierce the meat with it so that the meat will roast,

or whether one roasts with its coal?

Just as they permitted using it for kindling and roasting with its coal, so they permitted roasting with it.

Some say:

With regard to a dry branch,

which is fit for kindling—

everyone agrees that it is permitted,

for what difference is there whether one roasts with it or roasts with its coal?

They disagree with regard to a wet branch:

The one who prohibits

does so because

it is not fit for kindling,

and therefore it is no longer possible to say with regard to it, “What difference is there whether one roasts with it or roasts with its coal?”

And the one who permits can say to you: It is fit—

a wet piece of wood is fit

for a large fire,

in which it burns; so what difference is there whether one roasts with it or roasts with its coal?

And the halakha is,

according to the one who holds of muktzeh, that this is the halakha concerning ḥazra [Rashi]:

A

dry ḥazra

is permitted, but a

wet ḥazra is prohibited.

Rava expounded,

as he holds in accordance with Rabbi Yehuda, who holds of muktzeh:

a.

A woman may not enter the woodpile to take an “ud,”

a piece of wood with which to rake the oven, because wood was designated only for kindling—unless it had been made into a utensil before the Festival by designating it for that purpose.

And an ud

that had been prepared on the eve of the Festival for raking the oven [and is therefore a utensil]—if it happens

that

it

breaks

on the Festival,

it is prohibited to kindle with it

as mere wood

on the Festival.

Because one kindles with whole utensils

but

one does not kindle with broken utensils,

because of muktzeh, as was explained above, on page 31a.

The Gemara asks: Do you mean to say

that Rava

holds like Rabbi Yehuda, who holds of muktzeh?

But Rava said to his attendant

[his servant]:

Roast a small goose for me and throw its innards to the cat

[roast a small goose for me and throw its innards to the cat]!

But according to Rabbi Yehuda, it is prohibited to move the innards, since they had been prepared from the previous day for a person but not for dogs. How, then, did Rava permit moving the innards?

The Gemara answers:

There,

with regard to the innards,

since they spoil

[they become putrid] if he does not give them to the cat that same day,

from the previous day he had already set his mind upon them,

intending to throw them to the cat.

Mishna:

Rabbi Eliezer says: A person may take a sliver of

wood

that is before him

in the house in order

to pick

his

teeth

, because everything in the courtyard is prepared, and it is permitted to move it even for a purpose other than kindling.

And

also

gathers

[collects] thin and hard twigs

from the courtyard,

even though he must exert himself to collect them from it,

and kindles

since

everything in the courtyard

is prepared!

We do not say that since he must exert himself to gather them, they were not prepared from the previous day.

And the Sages say: He gathers

only thin twigs

that are before him, and

only

kindles

, but he may not pick his teeth with them.

Rabbi Eliezer and the Sages disagree in two matters:

a. According to Rabbi Eliezer, one may gather thin twigs even from the courtyard, whereas according to the Sages, one gathers them only from before him, because since they are thin and he must exert himself to collect them, they were not designated for this purpose from the previous day.

b. According to Rabbi Eliezer, it is permitted to take a sliver even from wood in the courtyard, whereas according to the Sages, it is permitted to kindle with it but not to pick one’s teeth with it, because in their view wood was designated only for kindling.

One may not produce

on a Festival

fire

[one may not create a new fire], because by doing so one “generates” a new fire that did not exist before the Festival. The kindling of a new fire was not permitted, since it could have been done before the Festival; therefore, one may not produce fire on a Festival—

not from wood,

by rubbing pieces of wood against one another, or by striking pieces of wood against one another until fire emerges.

Nor from

rubbing

stones.

Nor from earth

[hard ground, when dug, can produce fire].

Nor from tiles,

the Bach deleted this phrase.

Nor from water

[sunbeams passing through water held in a glass vessel can ignite tinder touching the heated glass].

And one may not whiten tiles

[with which the roof is covered] in a fire in order

to roast with them

[upon them], and the Gemara will explain the reason.