Moed Katan 11a (יא.) — the Talmud in English

As it was taught in a beraita:

One may go

to the fair of gentiles, and purchase

at the market-day prices

animals, slaves and maidservants, houses, fields, and vineyards, and write and register the deeds in their courts

to validate and sign the bills of sale, so that they will not later contest them; and even though on their festival day one may neither engage in business with them nor transact with them, when he brings the document before their courts he honors them, and one might be concerned that this is as though he acknowledges idolatry [see Rashi and the Ritva, Avoda Zara 13a], nevertheless they permitted him to do so

because he is like one rescuing property from their hands.

For only on that day can he find the goods cheaply. And he must come on that same day before the courts that sit to validate the bills of sale, because if he comes to validate them on another day he will suffer a loss, since the sellers will reconsider and contest the sale.

Rav permitted Hiyya bar Ashi to weave fishnets

for catching fish

during the intermediate days of the festival.

And we explain:

What is the reason

that Rav permitted this? Since it is

the work of an ordinary craftsman.

But

to prepare

bird nets

nets used to catch birds,

is prohibited.

What is the reason?

Since making bird nets

is the work of a skilled craftsman.

Rav Yehuda permitted

during the intermediate days of the festival

Ami the oven maker

Ami, who made ovens],

to build an oven

to make a new oven.

And

he likewise permitted

Rabba bar Ashi to make a sieve

to make a sifter.

And we challenge this:

Is that so? But Rabba bar Shmuel taught

a beraita:

And they agree

the first tanna and Rabbi Yehuda, who disagree in the Mishna as to whether one may smooth millstones; both agree

that one may not build an oven in the first instance!?

And we resolve:

It is not difficult.

Here

Rav Yehuda permitted making an oven

during the summer season,

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

Whereas

here,

in the Mishna, the case is

during the rainy season,

for example, on Sukkot, when the oven cannot dry for a long time; its construction is therefore included among exertion not needed for the festival, and is prohibited.

Mishna:

1.

One may make

during the intermediate days of the festival

a parapet for a roof or balcony,

as the work of an ordinary craftsman, but not as the work of a skilled craftsman,

that is, one may only place one stone on another without mortar, or use “branches and laurel,” woven branches.

2.

One may smooth

seal

the cracks

in an oven,

and roll them with a roller,

by rolling a large piece of wood over the floor of the oven and pressing on them

with his hand

or

with his foot

so that the cracks will be sealed with clay.

But one may not

press the clay

with clamps,

which are the tool of craftsmen for smoothing clay, since this is the work of a skilled craftsman and is prohibited during the festival.

3.

The hinge,

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

the socket,

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

the beam,

which we call the lintel,

the lock and the key—

all of these, if it happened

that they broke, one may repair them during the festival,

since they are considered a matter involving loss, because of thieves.

Provided that he does not

wait until before the festival and

intend to do his work

when he is free from other work

during the festival.

4.

And any pickled foods,

foods that are customarily pickled in vinegar and salt in such a manner

that he can eat them during the festival,

because they pickle quickly and he need not wait until after the festival for the pickling to be complete—are permitted to

pickle them

during the festival.

Gemara:

We inquire concerning what we learned in the Mishna, that one makes a parapet as the work of an ordinary craftsman:

What constitutes the work of an ordinary craftsman?

Rav Yosef said,

for example, when he makes the parapet only

with branches and laurel,

that is, by weaving branches of palm trees with laurel branches.

Whereas

it was taught in a baraita:

he may build the parapet from stones, but he

builds with irregular stones,

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

and does not plaster them with clay;

this is considered the work of an ordinary craftsman.

We learned in the Mishna:

One may smooth the cracks and roll them with a roller.

And we ask:

Now,

even

with a roller you said it is permitted,

although it involves a somewhat skilled craft. To smooth [to seal by pressing]

with the hand and foot,

which is not the work of a skilled craftsman at all,

is it necessary

for the tanna to teach us that it is permitted?

And we explain:

This is what

the tanna in the Mishna

is saying:

one may smooth the cracks and roll them—that is, press them with the hand and foot with force that is

similar to a roller.

Not actually with a roller, but only

with the hand and foot.

But not with clamps,

since that is a completely skilled craft and is prohibited during the festival.

We learned in the Mishna:

The hinge, the socket, the beam, the lock, and the key that broke may be repaired during the festival.

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

And we juxtapose

a contradiction: We learned in tractate Maaser Sheni:

Until the days

of Yoḥanan the High Priest [who instituted several enactments recorded there in the Mishna],

there was a hammer

of those who repaired matters involving loss,

striking in Jerusalem

during the intermediate days of the festival. He decreed that one may no longer strike with a hammer during the festival because of the publicity created by the noise of the repair, which constitutes denigration of the festivals.

It is difficult: How did they permit repairing doors in the Mishna? It seems that only

until the days

of Yoḥanan the High Priest

yes,

did they make such repairs. But

from that point onward, no!?

And we resolve:

It is not difficult.

Here,

where Yoḥanan the High Priest prohibited it, the case concerns

a

hammer

of smiths,

which makes a loud noise; therefore he prohibited it, since the prohibition is against making a noise.

Whereas

here,

in our Mishna, where repairs may be made during the festival, the case is

a

hammer

of carpenters,

made of wood; and likewise, the other repairs listed in our Mishna do not make a loud noise.

And we reject this:

Rav Ḥisda raised an objection:

If so,

people will say

:

A loud sound is prohibited, whereas

a

soft sound is permitted!?

But the prohibition is against making a sound during the festival!

Rather, Rav Ḥisda said

another distinction to resolve the contradiction between the Mishnayot:

It is not difficult.

This

statement of our Mishna is referring

to saws,

a large saw that makes no sound at all. Whereas

that

decree of Yoḥanan concerned

axes,

an axe that makes a sound, and is prohibited.

Rav Pappa said: Here,

the Mishna, is speaking

before the decree.

Here,

in tractate Maaser Sheni, where Yoḥanan the High Priest prohibited it, the case is

after the decree.

Rav Ashi said: That

which they prohibited was in accordance with the view of

Rabbi Yehuda

below, 12a], who maintains that even work involving a matter involving loss requires a change in the manner of performance.

Whereas

that

which they permitted in our Mishna was in accordance with the view of

Rabbi Yosei,

who disagrees with him below and maintains that a change is not required for a matter involving loss.

And we find that this is indeed the explanation of their dispute below: whether even work involving a matter involving loss requires a change:

For Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Avdimi said: Who is the tanna,

in accordance with which tanna was the beraita requiring

a change during the festival in

the work of

a matter involving loss?

It must be in accordance with the tanna who holds

not in accordance with Rabbi Yosei,

because according to Rabbi Yosei, a change is not required!

Ravina said: In accordance with whose view do we raise the doorpost nowadays during the intermediate days of the festival?

In accordance with whose view do we rely when we return and raise a lintel that has come out of its place during the intermediate days of the festival?

In accordance with whose view? In accordance with Rabbi Yosei.

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

And it is clear that Rabbi Yosei disagrees with Rabbi Yehuda in this matter.

We learned in the Mishna:

Pickled foods that one can eat during the festival, one may pickle.

In the river

Deyata

there was a place called

Lava’i,

where they caught many

fish.

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

Everyone went

during the festival

to catch,

caught fish and

brought fish.

Rava permitted them to salt some of them

and thereby prepare them for after the festival, since because of the large amount of salt used they could not be eaten immediately.

Abaye said to him: But we learned

in the Mishna that only

pickled foods that one can eat from during the festival, one may pickle.

But these pickled fish cannot be eaten during the festival!

He said to him

Rava said to Abaye: These fish,

since from the outset they were obtained with the intention of eating them ,

he brought them,

and if he leaves them,

if he leaves them without salting,

they will be ruined.

Therefore,

it is comparable to merchandise involving loss, and it is permitted,

because of the loss.

And some say:

this matter that

Rava permitted them

was not a case where this was done after the fact, once they had brought in the fish; rather, he permitted them initially to

catch

, transport them,

and salt them.

Regarding this,

Abaye said to him: But we

specifically

learned: “Regarding pickled foods that he can eat from

during the Moed,

he may pickle them”

!

Rava responded and

said to him: These

fish, which are thoroughly salted,

can also be eaten

during the Moed itself

by means of squeezing,

when the salt is squeezed out of them. Since squeezing softens the fish and makes it fit for eating, it is therefore permitted to pickle them during the Moed .

As in the case that

we find concerning

Shmuel,

that

they did

prepare

sixty washings for him,

washing and squeezing the fish sixty times, until it became fit to eat as a result of the repeated squeezing,

and he ate

it without cooking.

The same occurred with

Rava,

when he

happened to be at the house of the Exilarch.

They prepared sixty washings 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 be at the house of Rav Shafir

during the Moed.

They brought before them

they brought before them

a certain fish,

which had been prepared as follows:

one-third cooked,

one-third of it was cooked,

one-third salted,

one-third salted, with the salting including washing and squeezing,

and one-third roasted,

and one-third roasted.

Rav said: Ada

who was

a fisherman told me:

“Fish is better when close to spoiling!”

That is, it is better to eat the fish when it is close to the time it will spoil than to eat it soon after it was caught .

And Rav said: Ada 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 were created from water.

To cool it—

with its father!

After roasting it, it is good to place it in cold water. The water is called the fish’s father, since the fish emerged from it.

To eat it—

with its offspring!

Eat the fish together with the fatty liquid that emerges from it; this liquid is called “the fish’s son,” because it comes out of the fish.

Drink over it,

drink water after eating the fish—that is

its father!

And Rav said: Ada the fisherman told me:

A person who eats

fish, cress,

cress,

and milk—

after eating them,

should exercise his body,

it is advisable for him to walk a great deal,

and he should not burden his bed,

and he should not go to sleep on his bed immediately after eating them.

And Rav said: Ada 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 want to drink water, it is preferable to drink

beer, and not wine,

wine.

We will return to you, chapter “Those Who Irrigate a Field.”