Moed Katan 10b — the Talmud in English

But

to the

mill donkey

that is destined to grind in the mill,

it is not

permitted to trim its hooves, for the entire permission to grind is only for the needs of the festival, and a small amount can be ground with a donkey even without trimming its hooves.

Rav Yehuda permitted:

to trim the hooves

—the claws—

of the mill donkey.

And to set up the millstones,

to place one stone upon another in their usual manner.

And to build a mill,

that is, to make it from the beginning.

And to build the trough of the mill,

the wood upon which the mill is built.

And to build a stable,

a cattle shed.

Rav permitted:

to comb a horse,

to comb the horses with an iron comb [see Tosafot, s.v. ve-ein] in order to beautify them. And it is permitted because of the needs of the festival, for it is considered among the needs of riding.

And to build a manger,

a trough in which to place grain before the horses.

And to build a platform,

a bench on which to sit or lie.

Rava permitted drawing blood

—bloodletting—

from an animal on the intermediate days of the festival.

Abaye said to him: It was taught

a beraita

that supports you: Blood is let from an animal, and one does not withhold medical treatment from an animal on the intermediate days of the festival.

And even when its treatment requires performing a work of Torah origin.

Rava permitted smoothing

—pressing—

thin cloths,

clothes thin like a membrane.

What is the reason?

Since

it is an unskilled act. [

And Rambam and the Shulchan Arukh explained that it is permitted to knead linen garments after laundering in order to soften them.]

Rav Yitzchak bar Ami said in the name of Rav Hisda: Permanent folds

—to make through pressing permanent creases, such as a collar—

are forbidden

on the intermediate days of the festival.

What is the reason?

Since

it is the work of a craftsman.

Rava said: One who removes a mound

—one who removes a mound of earth to level the ground, if he does so—

with the intention of the threshing floor,

for the purpose of preparing the threshing floor, to thresh wheat there for the needs of the festival,

it is permitted.

But if he does this

with the intention of the land,

that he digs his field for the purpose of sowing, it is

forbidden.

And we explain:

What are the circumstances?

How do we know for what purpose he removed the mound from his field?

If he removed

a mound

from one place and placed it

on a mound

elsewhere, or if he lowered a mound by filling its surroundings with the earth he had removed from it and leveling them.

And

likewise if he dug in

a depression,

in a low place, resembling a pit, and placed it

in another depression,

or if he dragged the edges of the pit toward the middle and smoothed it.

Thus his actions prove that

with the intention of the threshing floor

he moved the earth from place to place, for he did not level the entire field, but only the place desired for the threshing floor, and it is permitted to do so for the needs of the festival.

But if

he removed a mound and cast it into a depression,

filling the hollows with the earth removed from the mound, his actions prove that

with the intention of the land

he is doing it, to level it for sowing, and it is forbidden.

And Rava said: This one who gathers scattered wood,

who gathers wood from his ground [and the Ran explained that he uproots it], if he does so

with the intention of firewood,

because he needs wood with which to kindle a fire,

it is permitted.

But

with the intention of the land,

because he wants to sow it and is clearing it for plowing,

it is forbidden.

And we explain:

What are the circumstances,

which gathering is for kindling and which is for plowing?

If he

takes

only

the large ones,

the large ones,

and leaves the small ones,

leaving the small ones in the field, then

with the intention of firewood,

with the intention of taking the wood for kindling, he is acting, for only the large ones are used for kindling, and it is permitted.

However, if he

takes

everything,

the large and the small,

it appears that

with the intention of

clearing

the land

he gathers, and it is forbidden.

And Rava said: This one who opens water to his land,

who makes a ditch between the river and his field [and the Ran explained that he opens an aperture in the field’s fence without a ditch], with two openings, and if he wants to catch fish he opens both of them, and they enter from the river and remain in the ditch, while the water exits.

But if he wants to water the field, he opens only toward the river, and the water fills the ditch and rises over its banks and waters the field.

And therefore, to open it on the intermediate days of the festival, only

with the intention of fish,

fish, it is

permitted,

permitted.

But

with the intention of the land,

to water it, it is

forbidden.

And we explain:

What are the circumstances?

How will we know whether he opened the ditch to catch fish or to water his field?

If he

opened two openings,

two openings in the pool,

one

opening

from above,

to bring in the water from above,

and one from below,

to let the water return out, it is evident from his actions that

with the intention of fish

he opened the openings, and it is permitted.

But if he

opened

only

one opening,

and the water fills the ditch and rises over its banks, it is evident from this that

with the intention of the land

he opened it, and it is forbidden on the intermediate days.

And Rava said: This one who cuts a palm tree,

who cuts the branches of a palm tree, if he does so

with the intention of animals,

to give food to animals and cattle,

it is permitted.

But with the intention of the palm tree,

to improve it by removing only the dry branches,

it is forbidden.

And we explain:

What are the circumstances?

If he

takes all of it,

the branches, both moist and dry, and removes them only

from one side,

from one side of the palm tree—

with the intention of animals

he gathers them.

For everything is fit for an animal, and it is permitted.

But if he takes only dry branches

from this side and from that side,

from both sides of the palm tree, it is evident that

with the intention of the palm tree

he is acting,

and it is forbidden

on the intermediate days of the festival.

And Rava said: These unripe dates,

which have not ripened completely,

cutting them,

cutting them in half on a festival day for the purpose of eating them on the festival day,

is permitted.

Рав Папа сказал: поскольку в них заводятся черви, если их не засолить, — это подобно товару, который погибнет, и разрешено, поскольку это подобно торговле, разрешенной в промежуточные дни праздника, когда без торговли человек понесет убыток. Так же и финики испортятся, если в них заведутся черви. И сказал Рава: торговля, то есть ведение торговли в промежуточные дни праздника, даже

But squeezing them,

to pickle them in order to extract their moisture, is forbidden.

For through pickling them they are not fit to be eaten during the intermediate days. Rather, he intends to make them dried fruit in order to eat them in the future on an ordinary weekday, and this is

forbidden,

for he is preparing food during the intermediate days for an ordinary weekday.

Rav Pappa said: Since they become wormy,

they develop worms if they are not pickled—

it is like merchandise that would otherwise be lost, and it is permitted,

for it is like merchandise that is permitted to be dealt in on the intermediate days of the festival, in a situation where, if he does not trade in it, he will suffer a loss. The dates too are destined to be lost if they become wormy.

And Rava said: Merchandise,

to engage in commerce on the intermediate days of the festival, even

the smallest amount, is forbidden,

for it involves exertion.

Rabbi Yosei bar Avin said:

All the prohibition concerning commerce applies to commerce in which there is no loss.

And

however,

in a matter

that would otherwise be lost,

where, if he does not trade in it, he will suffer a loss,

it is permitted

to trade on the intermediate days.

Ravina had a certain business transaction that was worth six thousand

if he sold it during Chol HaMoed.

But because of the prohibition against commerce during the Moed,

he delayed selling it until after the Moed,

and he suffered no loss thereby, because the buyers remained in his place until after the Moed, and he gained

and

after the Moed

he sold it for twelve thousand.

Ravina was advancing money,

he would lend money, and they would give him merchandise in repayment, and he would profit from it. And he had debtors

among the sons of

the place situated on

the bank of the Shenuata,

the bank of the Shenuata River, who were in their homes during the Chol HaMoed, and he wished to collect from them.

He came before Rav Ashi and said to him,

and asked him:

What is [the law] concerning going now

during the Moed

to them?

He said to him,

Rav Ashi:

Since it is now that you find them,

and

on other days you do not find them—

it is considered like commerce involving a loss,

which was permitted in a place of loss,

and it is permitted .

It was also taught in a beraita concerning idolatry, similarly,

that they permitted commerce in a matter involving a loss, even in a place where ordinary commerce was prohibited.