Moed Katan 11a — the Talmud in English

For it was taught:

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to the fair of gentiles, and they purchase

at the prices of market day,

livestock, slaves and maidservants, houses, fields, and vineyards, and they write and present [the documents] at their courts

to validate and sign the bills of sale, so that they should not challenge it later; and even though on their festival day one may not engage in business with them, when he presents it before the courts, he honors them, and one should be concerned as though he acknowledges idolatry [see Rashi and Ritva, Avoda Zara 13a]; nevertheless, they permitted him

because he is like one rescuing [property] from their hands.

For only on that day does he find [the purchase] cheaply. And he must come on that same day before the courts sitting to validate the bills of sale, because if he comes to validate it on another day, he will lose, since the sellers will return and challenge the sale.

Rav permitted Hiyya bar Ashi to make fishnets

to weave a net for catching fish

on the intermediate days of the festival.

And we explain:

What is the reason

did Rav permit it? Since

it is ordinary workmanship.

But

to prepare

bird nets,

nets with which birds are caught,

is forbidden.

What is the reason?

Since the making of bird nets

is skilled workmanship. .

Rav Yehuda permitted

on the intermediate days of the festival

to Ammi, the oven-maker [

Ammi, who makes ovens],

to make an oven

to make a new oven.

And

he likewise permitted

Rabba bar Ashbi to make a sieve,

to make a sieve.

And we challenge:

Is that so? But Rabba bar Shmuel taught

a beraita:

And they agree

the first tanna and Rabbi Yehuda, who disputed in the Mishna whether one may plaster mills, both agree

that one may not make an oven initially!?

And we answer:

It is not difficult.

Here,

where Rav Yehuda permitted making an oven,

is in the summer days,

such as on Passover, when the oven dries immediately in the sun and one can bake in it during the festival; and it is work needed for the festival, which they permitted.

Whereas

here,

in the Mishna, it is speaking

of the winter days,

such as on Sukkot, when the oven cannot dry for a long time, and its work is included among exertion not needed for the festival, and it is forbidden.

Mishna:

1.

They make

on the intermediate days of the festival

a parapet for a roof and for a balcony,

ordinary workmanship, but not skilled workmanship,

meaning that it is permitted only by placing one stone upon another without mortar, or with “branches and laurel,” from interwoven branches.

2.

They smooth

and seal

the cracks

in the oven,

and they roll them with a roller,

for they roll a large piece of wood over the floor of the oven and press upon them

with the hand

or

with the foot

so that they seal the cracks with plaster.

But they do not

press the plaster

with clamps,

which are the tool of craftsmen who smooth the plaster; since it is skilled workmanship, it is forbidden during the festival.

3.

The hinge,

which protrudes from the door and turns in a hole in the threshold, and upon which the door is mounted,

and the socket,

which is the hole in the threshold in which the hinge turns,

and the beam,

which is what we call the lintel,

and the lock and the key—

all these, if it happens

that they break, he repairs them during the festival,

and it is considered a matter of loss, because of thieves.

Provided that he does not

wait until before the festival and

intend to do his work

during the free time from work

during the festival. .

4.

And all pickled foods,

foods that people customarily pickle in vinegar and salt in a manner

that he can eat from them during the festival,

for their pickling is quick and he need not wait until their pickling is complete until after the festival—it is permitted

to pickle them

during the festival.

Gemara:

And we inquire concerning what we learned in the Mishna, that one makes a parapet as ordinary workmanship:

What are the circumstances of ordinary workmanship?

Rav Yosef said,

for example, that he makes the parapet only

with branches and laurel,

which is the interweaving of branches of palm trees with laurel branches.

Whereas

in a teaching [of a beraita] it was taught:

he may build the parapet from stones, but he

builds with rubble,

placing one stone upon another and putting clods of earth between them to join them,

and he does not plaster with mortar,

and this is considered ordinary workmanship.

We learned in the Mishna:

They smooth the cracks, and roll them with a roller.

And we wonder:

Now,

even

with a roller you said it is permitted,

although it is somewhat skilled workmanship. To smooth [to seal by pressing]

with the hand and foot,

which is not skilled workmanship at all,

is it necessary,

for the tanna to teach us that it is permitted?

And we explain:

This is what he says

the tanna in the Mishna:

They smooth the cracks, and roll them,

that is, they press with the hand and foot with force that is

like a roller.

Not actually with a roller, but only

with the hand and foot.

But not with clamps,

for this is completely skilled workmanship and is forbidden during the festival.

We learned in the Mishna:

The hinge, the socket, the beam, the lock, and the key that broke—he repairs them during the festival.

These repairs are performed by striking with a hammer, and therefore we challenge:

And we juxtapose [a contradiction]

a contradiction: We learned in tractate Second Tithe:

Until his days

of Johanan the High Priest [who instituted several enactments brought there in the Mishna],

there was a hammer

used by those who repaired a matter of loss,

striking in Jerusalem

during the intermediate days of the festival. And he decreed that one should not strike with a hammer during the festival because of the public nature produced by the noise of the repair, which entails disparagement of the festivals.

And it is difficult: how did they permit in the Mishna the repair of doors? Does it not imply that only

until the days

of Johanan the High Priest

yes, they would make repairs? But

they would make such repairs.

from then onward, no!?

And we answer:

It is not difficult.

Here,

where Johanan the High Priest prohibited it, it is speaking

of a

hammer

of the smiths,

which makes a great noise; therefore he prohibited it, because the prohibition is to produce a noise.

Whereas

here,

in our Mishna, where they make repairs during the festival, this is

with a

hammer

of carpenters,

made of wood; and likewise the other repairs enumerated in our Mishna, whose repair does not involve a great noise.

And we reject this:

Rav Hisda raised an objection against it:

if so,

they will say,

the people:

a great sound is forbidden, whereas

a

a small sound is permitted!?

But the prohibition is to produce a sound during the festival!

Rather, Rav Hisda said,

another distinction to reconcile the contradiction between the Mishnayot:

It is not difficult.

This

of our Mishna is

with saws,

with a large saw that makes no sound at all. Whereas

that

concerning the decree of Johanan is

with axes,

with an axe that makes a sound, and it is forbidden.

Rav Pappa said: Here,

the Mishna, is speaking

before the decree.

Here,

in tractate Second Tithe, where Johanan the High Priest prohibited it, it is speaking

after the decree.

Rav Ashi said: This

that they prohibited was according to the opinion of

Rabbi Yehuda [

below, 12a], who holds that even in work involving a matter of loss one requires a change.

Whereas

this

in our Mishna, where they permitted it, is according to the opinion of

Rabbi Yosei,

who disputes him below and holds that one does not require a change in a matter of loss.

And we find that this is the explanation of their dispute below, whether even in a matter of loss one requires a change:

for Rabbi Yitzhak bar Avdimi said, which tanna

according to which tanna was the beraita requiring

a change during the festival in

work involving

a matter of loss?

It must be according to the tanna who holds

not according to Rabbi Yosei,

for according to Rabbi Yosei one does not need to make a change!

Ravina said: According to whom do we raise the threshold beam nowadays on the intermediate days of the festival?

According to which of the tannaim do we rely in this matter, when we return and raise the lintel that has shifted from its place, on the intermediate days of the festival?

According to whom? According to Rabbi Yosei.

For he permits performing work for the sake of a matter of loss without a change.

And it is explained that in this Rabbi Yosei disputes Rabbi Yehuda.

We learned in the Mishna.

Pickled foods that he can eat during the festival—he pickles them.

In the river

Ditya

there was a place called

Levai,

where they caught many

fish. And they did this by diverting the river’s water, and the fish remained.

They did this by diverting the river’s water, leaving the fish behind.

Everyone went

during the festival

hunting,

they hunted and

brought fish.

Rava permitted them to salt some of them

and thereby prepare them for after the festival, for because of their extensive salting it was impossible to eat them now.

Abaye said to him: But we learned

in the Mishna that only

pickled foods that he can eat from during the festival—he pickles them.

But these pickled fish cannot be eaten during the festival!

He said to him,

Rava said to Abaye: These fish,

since initially they were in his possession with the intention of eating them ,

he brought them,

and if he leaves them,

if he leaves them without salting,

they will spoil; therefore

Therefore,

it is like merchandise that will be lost, and it is permitted,

because of the loss.

, And some say:

this matter that

Rava permitted them:

it was not a matter of afterward, after they had brought the fish, but rather he permitted them initially to

fish

, to go and bring them

, and to salt them.

And concerning this

Abaye said to him: But we

specifically

“concerning pickled foods that he can eat from them

during the festival,

he pickles them”

we learned!

And to this Rava replied and

said to him: These

fish that are thoroughly salted

also become edible

during the festival itself

through the pressing,

when the salt is squeezed out of them. Since the pressing softens the fish and makes it fit for eating. And therefore it is permitted to pickle them during the festival .

For it is like that which we find concerning

we find concerning

Shmuel, that

they

did

make

sixty pressings for him,

they washed and squeezed the fish sixty times, until it became fit for eating because of the many pressings,

and he ate

it without cooking.

And so it happened concerning

Rava,

when

he happened to come to the house of the exilarch.

They made sixty pressings for him, and he ate.

We see that it is possible to eat fish that has been heavily salted by washing it.

Rav happened to come to the house of Rav Shafir

during the festival.

They brought before them

they brought before them

that fish,

which had been prepared as follows:

one third cooking,

one third of it was cooked,

one third salting,

one third was salted, and the salting included washing and squeezing,

and one third roasting,

and one third was roasted.

Rav said: Adda

who was

a fisherman, told me: fish—

when close to its becoming spoiled, it is superior!

That is to say, it is better to eat the fish when it is close to the end of the time at which it will become spoiled than to eat it at a time close to its being caught .

And Rav said: Adda the fisherman told me:

this is the proper way to prepare fish:

Fish—

roast it with its brother!

Roast the fish with salt, because salt is the fish’s brother, as both of them were created from the water.

Put it into water—

with its father!

And after roasting it, it is good to place it in cold water. And the water is called the fish’s father, for it came out from them.

Eat it—

with its offspring!

Eat the fish in the fatty broth that comes out of it, and the broth is called “the fish’s son,” because it comes out of the fish.

Drink after it,

drink after eating the fish water—which is

its father!

And Rav said: Adda the fisherman told me:

a person who eats

fish, cress,

cress,

and milk—

after eating them

let him burden the body,

it is good for him to walk a great deal,

and let him not burden the bed,

and let him not go to sleep on the bed immediately after eating them.

And Rav said: Adda the fisherman told me: fish, cress, and milk—

it is good to drink after eating them

water, and not beer,

beer.

And if he does not wish to drink water, it is preferable to drink

beer, and not wine,

wine.

We shall return to you, chapter “Watering the Irrigated Field.”