Pesachim 55a — the Talmud in English

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The tanna taught leniencies, leniencies.

Everything that he says, “There is no difference between,” was said by one tanna, and he stated all the laws that are leniencies, both with regard to uncertainty and with regard to labor; and likewise, that which he says, “There is no difference between Tisha Be-Av and a public fast,” also comes to explain its leniency in relation to a public fast.

But he did not state the stringencies here.

And therefore, with regard to bathing, which is a stringent law, it differs from a public fast and is more stringent than it.

We learned in the Mishna:

And everywhere, Torah scholars

are idle. Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says: A person should always make himself a Torah scholar!

And we raised a difficulty concerning it:

Is it to say that Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel holds that we are not concerned with conceit,

and therefore he permits every person to be stringent upon himself like a Torah scholar?

But

if

the Sages,

who said that specifically Torah scholars should be idle,

hold that we are concerned with conceit,

and therefore not every person may present himself as a Torah scholar.

But we hear the opposite from them

from Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel and the Sages with regard to concern for conceit.

For we hold: A bridegroom is exempt from reciting the Shema on the first night of his marriage, because he is preoccupied with the mitzva intercourse.

And we learned: A bridegroom, if he wishes to recite the Shema on the first night,

he

recites.

For if he does not wish to exempt himself even for a single hour from the acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, he has permission to do so. And we are not concerned that this appears as conceit.

Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says: Not everyone who wishes

to show that he is unable to remove from himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven

and assume the title [

the crown of abstinence and fear of Heaven],

may assume it!

And they do not allow him to do so, because it appears as conceit.

It follows that their positions there are the opposite of their positions here concerning labor on Tisha Be-Av: Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel permitted every person to make himself like a Torah scholar, whereas the Sages did not permit this.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The position is reversed!

The tanna who arranged their dispute, that of the Sages and Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel, here and there, exchanged in one of the places the position of Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel for the position of the Sages.

Rav Shisha, son of Rav Idi, said:

Actually,

do not reverse

their positions. And even so, there is no contradiction from here to there. And he proceeds to explain:

With regard to the Sages’ position against the Sages’ position, it is not difficult.

For the Sages hold that

here,

with regard to Tisha Be-Av, an ordinary person who is not a Torah scholar should not abstain from labor,

since everyone engages in labor. But

if

he does not engage in labor, it appears as conceit.

But there,

with regard to reciting the Shema,

since everyone

in the world

who are not bridegrooms

recites

the Shema,

and he [

the bridegroom]

also recites—

it does not appear as conceit!

For he is not deviating from the practice of everyone in the world.

With regard to Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel’s position against Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel’s position

also

it is not difficult.

For specifically

there,

with regard to reciting the Shema,

he

said that he should not recite it, since

we require intention

for reciting the Shema.

And we testify that

since he is preoccupied with his mitzva,

he is unable to direct his mind.

And if he recites, he demonstrates about himself that he is able to direct his mind,

and it appears as conceit.

But here,

by his not engaging in labor,

it does not appear as conceit.

For all who see him idle from labor

say: He has no labor!

And they will not attribute his idleness to conceit. Rather, they will say,

Go out and see [

go out and see]

how many idle people there are in the marketplace.

Mishna:

We learned at the beginning of our chapter that the prohibition against performing labor on the eve of Passover until midday depends on the local practice.

And the Sages say: In Judea they would perform labor on the eve of Passover until midday.

But

in the Galilee they would not perform

labor at that time

at all.

The night

of the eve of the fourteenth—

Beit Shammai prohibit

labor even on it.

And Beit Hillel permit it until sunrise,

for the prohibition begins only during the day of the fifteenth.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: The night—Beit Shammai prohibit and Beit Hillel permit! And we raised a difficulty concerning it:

Initially,

at the beginning of our chapter,

the tanna

stated the law of performing labor in the language of

custom: “As for a place where they were accustomed not to perform, they do not perform.”

as we learned: “In a place where the custom is not to perform labor, one may not perform it.”

But

if

at the end [

in our Mishna]

the tanna

stated this law in the language of

prohibition,

as we learned: “Beit Shammai prohibit.”

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: It is not difficult.

This [

the Mishna at the beginning of the chapter] is

Rabbi Meir’s

position, for he holds that it is only a custom.

This [

our Mishna] is

Rabbi Yehuda’s

position, for he holds that it is a law of prohibition.

For it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Yehuda said: In Judea they would perform labor on the eve of Passover until midday. But in the Galilee they do not perform

labor at that time

at all.

Rabbi Meir said to him: What proof [

what connection]

do Judea and the Galilee have here?!

For this law is not specifically dependent on the Galilee and Judea.

Rather,

every

place where they were accustomed to perform

labor at that time

performs.

And every

place where they were accustomed not to perform

labor

does not perform.

And everything depends on the custom.

And

from the fact that Rabbi Meir says it is a custom,

it

follows that Rabbi Yehuda

says it is a law of

prohibition!

For if we say that according to Rabbi Yehuda as well it is a custom, and that Rabbi Yehuda said only that in the Galilee they were accustomed not to perform, in what does Rabbi Meir disagree with him?

Rather, necessarily, according to Rabbi Yehuda it is a prohibition. And for this reason he distinguished between Judea and the Galilee: the inhabitants of Judea permitted performing labor until midday, whereas the inhabitants of the Galilee prohibited it. And our Mishna also follows his position. And for this reason it was stated in the language of prohibition.

And we raise an objection:

Does Rabbi Yehuda hold

that

the fourteenth is permitted for performing labor [

for the inhabitants of Judea]?

But it was taught:

Every grain that took root after the sixteenth of Nisan [which is the day of the offering of the omer] is prohibited with the prohibition of “new grain” until the sixteenth of Nisan of the following year. Then the omer renders it permitted.

Rabbi Yehuda says: One who weeds

weeds from among the grain

on the thirteenth

of Nisan,

and a stalk was uprooted by his hand

along with the weeds, and he wishes to plant it again—

he plants it in moist soil

so that it will take root quickly before the sixteenth of Nisan, which is the day of the offering of the omer.

But

he does not plant it in dry soil [

dry earth], because the grain does not take root quickly there. And if it does not take root by the sixteenth of Nisan, the omer will not render it permitted, and he will have to wait for it until the following omer.

And we infer: Specifically

on the thirteenth

of Nisan it says, “One who weeds,”

does not [

then he can weed]. But

on the fourteenth he may not

weed.

And necessarily, the reason is because of the prohibition against performing labor: one may not perform the labor of weeding on the eve of Passover.

And one cannot say that the reason it stated “one who weeds on the thirteenth” is that there is no benefit in planting it on the fourteenth, because it would not have time to take root before the sixteenth.

For

since,

behold,

we have heard Rabbi Yehuda say: Any graft that does not take root

within

three days no longer takes root!

It is evidently sufficient to have three days for the stalk to take root again. And if so, when he plants it on the fourteenth, there are three days until the time of the offering of the omer.

And we conclude our objection:

And if it enters your mind that the fourteenth is permitted for performing labor, why do I need him

to plant it specifically

on the thirteenth

of Nisan?

After all, he could plant it even on the fourteenth.

For there is

until the time of the omer, part of the day of

the fourteenth [

the fourteenth],

and

the day of

the fifteenth [

the fifteenth],

and part

of the day of

the sixteenth [

the sixteenth].

Rava said:

The fact that Rabbi Yehuda did not permit weeding on the fourteenth—

they taught this in the Galilee

indeed! And the inhabitants of the Galilee prohibit performing labor then, as stated in our Mishna.

And we raise another objection:

But there is the night

of the fourteenth, during which Beit Hillel permit. And why did he state specifically, “one who weeds on the thirteenth”?

Rav Sheshet said:

That beraita is

according to Beit Shammai,

who prohibit labor even on the night of the fourteenth.

Rav Ashi said: Actually,

Rabbi Yehuda stated this law also

according to Beit Hillel.

And the fact that it teaches, “one who weeds on the thirteenth,” is

because it is not the practice of people to weed at night.

Ravina said: Actually, even in Judea

Rabbi Yehuda said this [that he plants it specifically on the thirteenth and not on the fourteenth].

And not because of the prohibition against performing labor, but because of the prohibition of “new grain.”

And as for what is difficult for you, that there are three days until the omer during which the stalk would have time to take root, one can say that we do not have three complete days from the fourteenth until the time of the offering of the omer.

For when he plants on the fourteenth, there is only part of that day. And even from the sixteenth we have only part of it, for the omer is offered in the middle of it.

And with regard to taking root—

only

one

“part of the day is like the whole day”

do we say.

And this is when he plants at the end of the thirteenth day, for it is properly considered three days until the omer: the entire fourteenth day, the entire fifteenth day, and part of the sixteenth day.

But

two

“parts of the day are like the whole day”

we do not say.

Therefore, if he planted it after the beginning of the fourteenth day, it does not take root by the time of the omer.

Mishna:

Rabbi Meir says: Any labor that one began before the fourteenth of Nisan, he completes on the fourteenth.

And even in a place where they do not perform labor on the fourteenth, if he began at the permitted time, he is permitted to complete it.

But he may not begin it

as labor

in the first place on the fourteenth, even though he can complete it

before midday.

And the Sages say: Three

craftsmen

perform

the

labor

belonging to them

on the eves of Passover until midday. And these are they: tailors, barbers, and launderers!

And the reason will be explained in the Gemara.

Rabbi Yosei ben Yehuda says: Also shoemakers [

makers of shoes] perform labor at that time.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: Any labor that one began before the fourteenth, he completes on the fourteenth.

They raised a question before them:

Is it specifically labor that is

for the needs of the festival that we learned,

that he is permitted to complete it if he began it with permission?

But

if it is

not for the needs of the festival, even

to

complete it also they did not permit

?

Or perhaps,

even when

it

is

not for the needs of the festival, we learned

that he is permitted to complete it.

But

labor that is

for the needs of

the festival, even

to begin

labor on the fourteenth also

we begin, for even in a place where they were accustomed not to perform labor, this applies only to labors not for the needs of the festival.

because even in a place where the custom is not to perform labor, that applies only to labor not needed for the festival.

Or perhaps, whether

the labor is

for the needs of the festival,

and

whether

it is

not for the needs,

specifically if he began before the time of the prohibition,

to complete it, he may not [

complete it]. But

to begin

on the fourteenth,

no,

they do not begin under any circumstances.

And we resolve it:

Come and hear: But he may not begin in the first place

to perform labor

on the fourteenth.

And he may not make then

even a small belt [

a belt]

small,

and

even a head-covering [

a cloth for covering the head]

small.

And we raised a difficulty concerning it:

What

“even

a small belt”? What does this come to teach us?

What,

is it not even these [

the belt and the head-covering]

which are for the needs of the festival, specifically

specifically

to complete them, he may not [

they did not permit him to complete them if he began their production before the fourteenth]. But

to begin

making them on the fourteenth

they did not

permit?

And

it follows

from this that specifically those that are for the needs of the festival, they permitted him to complete. But labor

that

is

not for the needs of the festival, we do not complete it either.

Even if he began it before the fourteenth.

And we reject this:

No,

it is not proof from there.

Actually,

it can be said

that

even

when it is not for the needs, we also complete it.

And the belt and the head-covering as well are not for the needs of the festival.

And what

is the special point with regard to the belt and the head-covering, that it teaches concerning them

“even”?

To teach us

that even these too

one does not begin, and

that they are small [

small]

they are.

For it might enter your mind to say,

since they are made in a short time,

their beginning is their completion of labor; let us begin them also

to make them. And there is no distinction in them between beginning and completion.

It comes to teach us

that even with regard to them they permitted only completion.