Moed Katan 8b (ח:) — the Talmud in English

And Shmuel said:

because the dead person is not forgotten by the heart for thirty days,

and if one delivers a eulogy during the thirty days before the Festival, there is concern that he will continue delivering a eulogy during the Festival, since the deceased has still not been forgotten by the heart.

And the Gemara explains:

What is the practical difference between them,

between the two reasons?

There is a practical difference between them

in a case

where he performs

the eulogy

for free.

For if the concern is that they might continue the eulogy during the Festival, there should also be concern when he does it for free, lest he also deliver a eulogy during the Festival.

But there is no concern that they might spend on the eulogizer the money designated for making pilgrimage.

Mishna:

One may not dig burial niches or graves

[the Gemara will explain what a grave is and what a niche is]

during the Festival,

since it is prohibited to do so as preparation for people who will die in the future, because this entails excessive exertion during the Festival. [For someone who dies during the Festival, it is permitted].

But one may prepare the niches during the Festival.

The Gemara will explain what this “preparation” is.

And one may make a water basin during the Festival,

a small pool of water [for washing the deceased and laundering the deceased’s garments, Tosafot].

And it is permitted to make it, since doing so does not entail extensive exertion.

And

likewise, one may make

a coffin with the deceased in the courtyard.

That is, it is permitted to saw the wood for a coffin for the deceased, but only in the courtyard where the deceased is located, so that it is evident to everyone that he is making it for the deceased. But he may not make the coffin in another courtyard, since those who see him will think that he is performing labor during the Festival for a purpose unrelated to the deceased.

Rabbi Yehuda prohibits

cutting planks for a coffin for the deceased during the Festival, since this entails considerable exertion.

Unless he has planks with him

that are already prepared and he needs only to assemble them, in which case this is not excessive exertion, and it is permitted during the Festival.

Gemara:

And we inquire:

What are niches and what are graves?

Rav Yehuda said: Niches—

dug

in the ground.

And graves—

constructed.

It was likewise taught in a beraita: What are niches and what are graves?

Niches—

dug, and graves—

constructed.

We learned in the Mishna:

But one may prepare the niches.

How does one

prepare

them?

Rav Yehuda said: If the niche was

already

long,

he shortens it.

A tanna taught in a baraita:

How does one prepare the niche?

He lengthens it and widens it.

We learned in the Mishna:

And one may make a water basin, and so on.

What is a water basin?

Rav Yehuda said: This is a beki,

a pool.

And we challenge this:

But it was taught in a beraita: “The basin and the beki”!

It is evident that a basin is not a beki!

And we answer:

Abaye said, and some say Rav Kahana:

The basin and the beki are both pools. Therefore, Rav Yehuda said that the basin is a beki, in order to explain that it is a pool.

Rather, the basin is a large pool called

Gihah,

and

the beki is a small pool adjacent to the large pool, called

bar Gihah.

Therefore, the beraita taught: The basin and the beki.

We learned in the Mishna:

And a coffin with the deceased in the courtyard.

The Gemara says that we already learned in a beraita what is stated in the Mishna:

We have already learned this!

As the Sages taught: One may perform all the needs of the deceased

during the Festival:

one may cut his hair, launder his garment, and make a coffin for him from planks sawn before the Festival.

[In accordance with the view of Rabbi Yehuda in the Mishna.]

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: One may even bring wood and saw it discreetly

inside his house.

[In accordance with the view of the first tanna.]

Mishna:

a.

One may not marry women during the Festival, neither virgins

nor widows.

And one may not perform levirate marriage. Because

in every marriage

there is rejoicing for him.

The Gemara will explain why one does not celebrate a wedding during the Festival.

But he may remarry his divorcee,

because there is not the same joy in marrying her as in marrying a new wife.

2.

And a woman may adorn herself during the Festival,

that is, apply cosmetics to her body.

Rabbi Yehuda says:

They did not permit every form of adornment. Therefore,

she may not apply lime

to her body,

because it is disfiguring for her.

Although removing the hair makes her beautiful, she suffers while the lime is on her. And the Gemara will explain this.

3.

A layman,

who is not a tailor,

may sew in his ordinary manner

according to his ability, for the needs of the Festival.

But

if

a craftsman,

whose sewing is fine,

sews in a dog-tooth stitch,

making irregular stitches that look like the teeth of a dog.

4.

And one may weave,

making ropes in a warp-and-weft pattern in order to support

the beds

for the needs of the Festival.

Rabbi Yosei says: One may tighten them,

so that even if the bed is already standing and all that is needed is to tighten it, and it could be repaired in another manner, it is nevertheless permitted when done for the needs of the Festival.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: One may not marry during the Festival, because it is joy for him.

And we raise an objection to this:

Is it indeed joy for him—

what of it!?

Is joy prohibited during the Festival?

The Gemara brings several opinions to explain why one may not marry during the Festival:

1.

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said, and likewise Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Oshaya said; and some say

and there are those who say:

Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Ḥanina said: Because one may not combine one joy with another joy!

One must rejoice during the Festival only with the joy of the Festival.

2.

Rabba bar Rav Huna said:

They prohibited marriage during the Festival

because he abandons the joy of the Festival and occupies himself with the joy of his wife.

Abaye said to Rav Yosef: This

reason

of Rabba bar Rav Huna

is in accordance

with Rav.

As Rav Daniel bar Ketina said that Rav said: From where do we know that one may not marry during the Festival?

As it is stated, “

And you shall rejoice in your Festival.”

And we derive:

“In your Festival,” but not with your wife! Rambam [Yom Tov 7:16] wrote that one may not marry during the Festival so that he will not forget the joy of the Festival. He then added that, likewise, one may not hold a betrothal feast during the Festival [as explained below, 18], because one may not combine one joy with another joy. The Leḥem Mishne raised a difficulty: Rambam’s words appear to contradict one another, for at first he gives the reason according to Rav, while at the end of his words he concludes according to Shmuel. See there what he wrote about this. The Beit Meir [Even HaEzer 62:2] wrote in resolution that this law of “one may not combine one joy with another joy” is valid according to everyone. The dispute among the amoraim concerns only how to explain the law of the Mishna that one may not marry during the Festival, whose implication is that this is prohibited even without a feast, as will be explained in the following note. Rav and the other amoraim hold that “one may not combine one joy with another joy” can apply only to a feast, since the source of this law is the dedication of the Temple, where there was in fact a feast. Therefore, they had to provide additional reasons for prohibiting marriage. Shmuel, however, does not distinguish in this matter: with regard to any joy, the law of “one may not combine one joy with another joy” applies. It follows that with regard to a betrothal feast, although the reason of “he abandons the joy of the Festival,” and so on, does not apply, since it is not such a great joy that he would forget the joy of the Festival, it is nevertheless prohibited even according to Rav, because of combining joys and because of the feast involved. On this point he disagrees with the Leḥem Mishne, who holds that the law prohibiting a betrothal feast during the Festival applies only according to Shmuel, whereas according to Rav it is permitted, since Rav does not accept the law of “one may not combine one joy with another joy.” Rambam’s view, according to him, is that the halakha follows Shmuel. See also the Rivash [responsum 260], whose opinion on this matter is likewise like that of the Beit Meir. And see further Rambam [Marriage 10:14].

3.

Ulla said

that they prohibited marriage during the Festival

because of the exertion,

for exerting oneself during the Festival is prohibited, and in the case of marriage, because of the joy involved, one exerts himself greatly on its account.

4.

Rabbi Yitzḥak Nappaḥa said: Because of the neglect of procreation.

For if it were permitted to marry during the Festival, people would wait until the Festival in order to save money and hold a single feast for both the Festival and the wedding. They would not marry throughout the rest of the year. The Mishna permitted remarrying one’s divorcee during the Festival. According to the first reasons, this is well understood: such a marriage does not involve such great joy or the exertion of preparing a feast.

And Tosafot wrote that according to the reason of procreation, one must explain that since they were already married in the past, presumably he had already fulfilled the mitzva of procreation, and therefore there was no need to institute a decree on this basis. However, Tosafot of the Rosh wrote that even if he has children, a decree should be instituted because of procreation, for we learned in Yevamot [62]: If he had children in his youth, he should have children in his old age, as it is stated, “In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand.” Tosafot also wrote that it is not customary to delay remarrying one’s divorcee [when he intends to remarry her], and therefore no decree was instituted in this case. [See the Jerusalem Talmud [Gittin 4:5] concerning whether a slave may marry during the Festival according to the reason of procreation.] It is explained below [18] that although it is permitted to betroth a woman during the Festival, since this does not involve such great joy, one nevertheless may not hold a betrothal feast during the Festival. The Keren Ora raised a difficulty: Indeed, according to the first reasons—that marriage was prohibited so that he would not forget the joy of the Festival, or because of combining joys, or because of the exertion—the same should apply to a betrothal feast, which should be prohibited for precisely these reasons. But according to the reason of procreation, it is difficult: Why did we prohibit the feast? According to the above words of the Beit Meir, this difficulty is resolved, for it was explained in his words that everyone agrees that a feast constitutes the combining of joys, and they disagree only with regard to marriage itself. Tosafot Ketubot 47] wrote that they prohibited during the Festival only marriage accompanied by a feast, but marriage without a feast is permitted. The Maharshal raised a difficulty there: Below [18], we learned in a beraita that one may not marry during the Festival, but one may betroth, and one may not hold a betrothal feast. If so, one should infer from this that marriage is prohibited even without a feast. The Maharsha explained their intention as follows: By Torah law, the prohibition applies only to marriage accompanied by a feast, but the Sages added a prohibition against marriage alone. The beraita below, which prohibits marriage by itself, is therefore rabbinic. However, the Magen Avraham 604:1] explained that this issue depends on the dispute between Rav and Shmuel. According to Rav, who prohibited marriage so that he would not forget the joy of the Festival, the prohibition applies specifically to marriage accompanied by a feast, which involves great joy and may cause him to forget the joy of the Festival; this is not so with marriage alone. But according to Shmuel, who prohibited combining joys even though he would not forget the joy of the Festival, the same applies to marriage alone, since it certainly involves joy and there is concern about combining joys. The beraita below, which prohibits marriage without a feast, was taught in the academy of Shmuel, as explained there. With regard to a wedding feast without a wedding, this will be explained in the following note. Tosafot also discussed here whether it is permitted to hold a feast for the redemption of the firstborn [when it is not held at its proper time] during the Festival. They wrote that the reason of “he abandons the joy of the Festival,” and so on, certainly applies only to marriage [or to a betrothal feast], as they derived, “In your Festival, but not with your wife.” This does not apply to other joys, which do not cause him to forget the joy of the Festival; but according to those who prohibit because of combining joys, it would apparently be necessary to prohibit them as well. So too wrote the Ritba. However, at the end of their discussion Tosafot wrote that it is permitted according to everyone, because this is not such a great joy. And this is the ruling in Shulḥan Arukh 604:4]. Meytivi

against all the reasons that were stated for prohibiting marriage:

It was taught in a beraita:

All these

women

whom they said

are

prohibited to marry during the Festival—