Shabbat 117b — the Talmud in English

Rather, Rav Ashi said: three partitions and one side-post —

this is an alleyway that is not open through.

Three partitions without a side-post —

this is an alleyway that is open through.

And even according to Rabbi Eliezer, who says that we require

two

side-posts, this applies —

for

saving

food and drink.

But for

saving

a Torah scroll —

one side-post suffices.

And therefore the Sages permit [saving] with three partitions and one side-post , and Ben Beteira permits [it] without any side-post at all.

Mishna:

They may save food for three meals .

What is fit for a person —

for a person; what is fit for an animal —

for an animal .

How so?

If a fire broke out on Shabbat eve —

they may save food for three meals.

In the morning —

they may save food for two meals.

At Minhah —

food for one meal.

Rabbi Yosei says: They may always save food for three meals,

even if the fire broke out close to the departure of Shabbat, since he is saving in a permitted manner, and they only decreed that he should not carry out more, so that he would not come to extinguish, and this restriction is sufficient .

Gemara:

And we raised an objection to it:

Since

after all, when he saves

he is exerting himself for a permitted purpose,

if so,

let him save more!

Rava said: Since a person is agitated over his property, if

you permit him

to save as much as he desires —

he will come to extinguish.

Therefore they decreed to limit the quantities that he is permitted to save .

Abaye said to him: Rather, concerning that which was taught in a beraita: If his barrel broke on the top of his roof —

he brings a vessel and places it beneath it, provided that he does not bring another vessel and catch [the liquid], another vessel and combine [the liquid].

There —

what decree is there?

What concern is there that he will perform a labor?

Rava said to him:

Here too

they prohibited [it] because of a

decree —

lest he bring a vessel through the public domain.

And therefore they permitted [it] only with one vessel and not with another vessel, for if he exerts himself to bring many vessels, he will forget and bring them through the public domain.

The substance itself: If his barrel broke on the top of his roof —

he brings a vessel and places it beneath it, provided that he does not bring a vessel

elsewhere and catch [the liquid], another vessel and combine [the liquid] .

But if

guests happened to come to him —

he brings another vessel and catches [the liquid], another vessel and combines [it].

And he may not catch [the liquid] and afterward invite [guests].

Rather, he should invite [them] and afterward catch [the liquid].

And one may not employ a ruse through this,

to invite guests who do not need to eat .

In the name of Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda they said: One may employ a ruse.

And we raised an objection to it:

Shall we say that the Sages and Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda

—

disagree in the dispute of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua?

For it was taught in a beraita: If an ox and its offspring fell into a pit

on Yom Tov, and it is possible to slaughter only one of them on Yom Tov, it follows that it is permitted to exert oneself only to remove one of them from the pit.

Rabbi Eliezer says: He brings up the first in order

to slaughter it.

And the second —

he makes provision for it,

a means of saving,

in its place, so that it will not die.

Rabbi Yehoshua says: He brings up the first in order to slaughter it, but he does not slaughter it, and employs a ruse,

finding a reason that the second is preferable for slaughter because it is superior,

and brings up

also

the second.

And when both are outside:

if he wishes —

this one he slaughters; if he wishes —

that one he slaughters.

And we reject this:

From where

do we know that they disagree in that same dispute?

Perhaps Rabbi Eliezer said only there

to be stringent and not employ a ruse, because

it is possible

to save the second

by making provision for it.

But here, where it is not possible

to save it —

he does not

become stringent and refrain from employing a ruse.

And Rabbi Yehoshua said only there

that one employs a ruse, but

because there is the suffering of living

creatures.

But here, where there is no suffering of living creatures —

he did not

permit employing a ruse.

The Sages taught:

If he already

saved fine bread, he may not

go back and

save

also

coarse bread, kibbar .

But if he saved

coarse bread —

he may save fine

bread .

And they may save from Yom Kippur for Shabbat, but not from Shabbat for Yom Kippur .

And it is unnecessary to say

that they do not save

from Shabbat for Yom Tov,

since he can prepare food on Yom Tov.

And not from Shabbat for the following Shabbat.

The Sages taught: If he forgot bread in the oven and the day became sanctified over it —

and if he leaves the bread in the oven it will burn, and this involves saving from a fire —

they may save

and remove it from the oven [which is only a rabbinic prohibition]

food for three meals.

And he says

also

to others: Come and save for yourselves .

And when he removes it —

he may not remove it with a baker's peel,

which is an ordinary weekday manner,

but with a knife,

and since he performs it with a change, there is no prohibition in this.

And we challenged this, that it was necessary for him to perform it with a change:

Is that so? But the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught:

[Exodus 20]

“You shall not perform any labor” —

excluding

it

the sounding of the shofar and the removal of bread, for it is skill and not labor!

And we answer:

Whenever it is possible to make a change, we make a change.

Rav Ḥisda said: A person should always rise early to

exert himself for

the expenditures of Shabbat.

As it is stated

[Exodus 16]

“And it shall be on the sixth day, and they shall prepare what they bring” —

immediately.

As soon as they gather, they should prepare it, and this is in the morning .

Rabbi Abba said: On Shabbat a person is obligated to break bread

to recite the blessing on Shabbat

over two loaves

of bread.

For it is written, “double bread” .

Rav Ashi said: I saw Rav Kahana take two

holding two loaves in his hands

and break

and cut only

one.

He said: “Gather it” is written.

for they gathered a portion from the lechem mishneh.

Rabbi Zeira would cut for his entire meal,

for he would cut a large slice for the needs of the entire meal, and by doing so he would show the affection for the meal of Shabbat, that he was preparing himself to eat a large meal in honor of Shabbat.

Ravina said to Rav Ashi: But it appears like gluttony!

He said to him: Since every day he does not do so,

he does not cut a large slice,

and today he is the one who does so—

it does not appear like gluttony.

Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi, when a loaf came to them

the loaf of bread

of the eruv,

of the eruv of courtyards—

they recited the blessing

they recited the blessing “ha-motzi”

over it.

They said: Since one mitzva was performed with it—

let another mitzva be performed with it.

We learned in the Mishna:

“How is it? If a fire broke out”—

one saves food for three meals.

The Sages taught: How many meals is a person obligated to eat on Shabbat—

three.

Rabbi Hidka says: Four.

Rabbi Yohanan said: And both of them—

expounded one verse.

It is written [

Exodus 16]:

“And Moses said: Eat it today, for today is Shabbat for the Lord. Today you will not find it

in the field.”

Rabbi Hidka holds: These three “today”—

which come to teach about three meals—

apart from the evening,

apart from the meal of the night of Shabbat.

And the Rabbis hold: together with the evening.