Beitzah 36b — the Talmud in English

Rather, say: provided that he does not make it a

trap.

So that he does not cover the opening of the hive and turn it into a “trap” in which the bees are trapped.

The Gemara raises a difficulty concerning this interpretation:

But

obviously

for Rabbi Yehuda, who holds that an unintended act is forbidden, he must not make it a trap, since trapping is a primary category of labor; and for what purpose did the beraita need to inform us that he must not make it a trap?!

And we answer: it is a novel matter that it is forbidden to trap the bees.

For

lest you say

that something which

is of a kind that is trapped

—[the usual practice is to trap those of its kind]—is

forbidden

to trap, but something

which is not of a kind that is trapped

—[the usual practice is not to trap those of its kind]—such as bees,

is permitted

to trap them.

It teaches us

that it is forbidden.

And here the Gemara returns to Rav Ukva of Mishan’s difficulty concerning the Gemara’s answer on folio a: that one may move the mat for the sake of the hive, even though it is not an object that may be moved, because of the honey in it, which is an object that may be moved. And he raised the difficulty: This works well during the summer, when there is honey; but during the rainy season, what can be said? Yet the beraita states: “In the sun, because of the sun, and in the rain, because of the rain.”

Rav Ashi said

he answers:

Does it teach

in the beraita

“during the summer and during the rainy season”?!

But

it teaches: “in the sun, because of the sun, and in the rain, because of the rain.”

And it is to be explained:

On the days of Nisan and on the days of Tishrei, when there is

at times

sun and there is

at times

rain, and

on these days

there is

always

honey.

We learned in the Mishna:

And they place a vessel beneath the dripping water on Shabbat:

A tanna

in a beraita:

If the vessel becomes full

it

pours

the water dripping into the vessel outside,

and repeats

returning it again to its place beneath the dripping water,

and does not refrain

from doing so throughout the entire day if he needs this.

At Abaye’s mill there was dripping water,

Abaye’s millstones were made of clay and were being dissolved by the rain that dripped upon them, and he did not have enough vessels to receive the dripping water so that it would not fall upon the millstones. Nor could he move the millstones, since they were muktze. Therefore

he came

Abaye

before Rabba

[he came before Rabba] so that he would give him advice.

He said to him

Rabba said to Abaye:

Go, bring your bed there

[go and bring your bed beside the millstones]

so that it will be like a graf shel re’i

[and the millstones will be to you as though they were a vessel into which excrement is cast], that is, they will be repulsive to you like a graf shel re’i,

and take it out

[take the millstones out of their place beside the bed], for everything repulsive to a person is permitted to be moved and removed in order to distance it from him, on account of his dignity, even though it is muktze, as will be explained later in the Gemara.

Abaye sat and was troubled

by Rabba’s words:

Do they make a graf shel re’i initially,

and is it permitted to cause the object to become repulsive to him so that he will remove it?! And because he questioned Rabba’s permission, he refrained from doing it.

Meanwhile, Abaye’s millhouse collapsed,

in the meantime, Abaye’s millhouse collapsed.

He said

Abaye reacted to this:

May it come to me that I transgressed the words of my master

[Rabba]; may this come to me as a reward for having transgressed the words of Rabbi.

Samuel said: A graf shel re’i and an avit for urine

[they are earthenware vessels upon which people relieve themselves], since they are repulsive and it is not the dignity of a person that they remain there and become repulsive to him, therefore

it is permitted to take them out to the refuse heap.

And when he returns it

to the empty vessel, he cannot move it as it is, since it is muktze on account of repulsiveness [Rashi]. And although they permitted him to move it in order to remove what is in it to the refuse heap, he cannot return it to its place; therefore:

he puts water in it and returns it,

for through the water, which is not forbidden, he moves the vessel as well.

They thought to infer,

the students thought to interpret Samuel’s words, in which he mentioned the vessels in connection with the permission to take them out to the refuse heap, that moving

the graf shel re’i through the vessel

[moving the excrement and urine through the vessel in which they are placed]

is not

indeed permitted, but moving them

by themselves is not.

Come and hear

that their understanding was not correct:

There was a certain mouse that was found in Rav Ashi’s spice shop

[a mouse was found among Rav Ashi’s spices].

Rav Ashi said to them: Take it by its tail and remove it

[catch the mouse by its tail and remove it], for it is like a graf shel re’i, which is permitted to be moved. We have therefore learned that it is permitted to remove a repulsive object even not through a vessel.

Mishna:

Anyone for whom they are liable,

all the prohibitions that the Sages prohibited

because of shevut

or

because of optional matters

or

because of a mitzva on Shabbat.

There are prohibitions for which there is no reason to permit them on account of any need of a mitzva, and these are called “because of shevut.”

And there are prohibitions for which there is room to permit them on account of the complete mitzva involved in them, but nevertheless the Sages prohibited them, and they are called “because of a mitzva.”

And there are prohibitions for which there would be room to permit them because they are close to a mitzva, but nevertheless the Sages prohibited them, and they are called “because of optional matters.” Although there is some mitzva involved in them, they are called “optional” in relation to “mitzva.”

All these prohibitions that the Sages prohibited on Shabbat—

they are liable concerning it

not to perform it even

on a Festival.

And these are because of shevut: One may not climb a tree, one may not ride upon an animal, one may not swim upon the water, and one may not clap

with the hand at the time of song,

and one may not slap

which is striking the hand against the thigh,

and one may not dance;

the reason for all the prohibitions specified in our Mishna is explained in the Gemara.

And these are because of optional matters: One may not judge

a case,

and one may not betroth

a woman,

and one may not perform chalitza and one may not perform yibbum.

And these are because of a mitzva: One may not consecrate

consecrated objects,

and one may not make valuations

of himself or of others, saying, “Its valuation is upon me,” and he is obligated to give according to the valuation fixed by the Torah in accordance with the age of the one being valued,

and one may not declare property cherem

saying: “This object is cherem,” and he gives it for the maintenance of the Temple, since ordinary cheramim are for the maintenance of the Temple,

and one may not raise teruma and tithe.

All these they stated concerning a Festival; by a kal va-chomer, concerning Shabbat

the only difference between a Festival and Shabbat is

the labor of

preparation of food alone.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna:

One may not climb a tree:

And the Gemara explains the reason for the prohibition:

A decree lest he detach

from the tree.

And one may not ride upon an animal: A decree lest he go out beyond the תחום,

because, since he is not walking on his feet but upon an animal, he does not see the markers made at the boundary of the techum.

And we raise a difficulty: If so,

infer from it

from our Mishna the view of the tanna who holds:

techumim

are forbidden

by Torah law,

for if this were not so, the Sages would not prohibit one matter lest he transgress another prohibition of techumim, which itself is forbidden only by rabbinic law, since the Sages do not issue a decree to prevent violation of another decree?!

Rather,

the reason for the prohibition against riding is:

a decree lest he

cut a branch

in order to strike the animal, and this entails liability on account of “reaping.”

And one may not swim upon the water: A decree lest he make a swimmer’s barrel,

a vessel of reeds that they weave and make in the form of a long barrel, and with which they learn to swim.

And one may not clap, one may not slap, and one may not dance: A decree lest he repair a musical instrument.

We learned in the Mishna:

And these are because of optional matters: One may not judge:

And we raise a difficulty: Why is this prohibition called “because of optional matters”

when he is performing a mitzva?!

And we answer:

It is necessary where there is someone greater than he,

there is a court in the city greater than he, and the obligation to judge does not rest upon him.

We further learned in the Mishna, among the prohibitions that are because of optional matters:

And one may not betroth:

And we raise a difficulty:

But he is performing a mitzva,

and why does the Mishna call it “because of optional matters”?!