Shabbat 140a — the Talmud in English

It was taught: Jacob the son of Karha said:

Why is there no prohibition in separating the yolk from the white?

Because this is not done as sorting, since the yolk is better for eating, so this would have been sorting food from refuse

,

but

the sorting is done in order

to vary

[to give color] to the mustard through the yolk, which is suitable for this; therefore the sorting is considered sorting food from food .

Now the Gemara teaches how mustard is prepared on Shabbat in a permitted manner.

It was stated: Mustard that he kneaded on the eve of Shabbat,

how shall he finish kneading it

tomorrow?

Rav said: He thins it with a utensil

[he mixes it through a utensil ] with the water that he put into it, for this is the deviation from his weekday practice,

but not by hand,

because by hand he thins it thoroughly, and that is its usual manner.

Samuel said to him:

What is this that you said, that on Shabbat one may not mix the mustard

by hand?

Is it so

[does]

every day

on weekdays

he thin it for him by hand,

so that you prohibited doing so on Shabbat? Is mustard

the food of donkeys!

Rather, Samuel said: He thins it by hand,

for in this way he deviates from his weekday practice,

and he does not thin it with a utensil.

It was stated: Rabbi Elazar said: Both this

[with a utensil]

and this

[by hand]—

are forbidden.

And Rabbi Yohanan said: Both this and this—

are permitted.

And below it will be explained what deviation is required .

Abaye and Rava both said: The halakha is not in accordance with Rabbi Yohanan.

Rabbi Yohanan rose

and returned and withdrew from it and adopted

the position of Rabbi Elazar

that it is forbidden.

Rabbi Elazar rose and adopted Samuel’s position.

And after they heard of the retraction of Rabbi Yohanan and Rabbi Elazar,

Abaye and Rava both said: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Yohanan

who prohibited it both by hand and with a utensil.

Abaye’s mother made it for him

[Abaye’s mother made mustard for him on Shabbat]

and he did not eat .

The wife

[wife]

of Zeira made it for Rav Hiyya bar Ashi, and he did not eat.

She said to him: For your master

my husband

you make it and he eats, while you do not eat.

Rava bar Shava said: I was standing before Ravina

[I was standing and serving Ravina].

And I mixed it for him with a garlic stalk,

[and I mixed it for him through the stalk found in the middle of garlic],

and he ate,

for in his opinion this deviation is sufficient.

Mar Zutra said: The halakha is not in accordance with all these teachings

of the amoraim who prohibit it .

Rather, it is like that which was stated: Mustard that he kneaded on the eve of Shabbat, tomorrow—

he may thin it both by hand and with a utensil, and put honey into it

. And he may not beat it

[he may not mix it by beating forcefully]

but he mixes

gently .

Garden cress

[leeks]

which he ground on the eve of Shabbat,

tomorrow—

he puts oil and vinegar into it and continues

[and puts]

mint into them. And he may not beat it, but mixes.

Garlic that he crushed on the eve of Shabbat, tomorrow—

he puts beans and groats into it. And he may not grind it

but mixes. And he continues

[and puts]

the mint into them.

What is mint?—

Niniah

[mint].

Abaye said: Learn from this—

this niniah is good for

mixing together with

garden cress

[garden cress].

We learned in the Mishna:

And one makes anomlin on Shabbat.

The Sages taught: One makes anomlin

for drinking

on Shabbat,

but one does not make aluntit

in order to drink it after bathing, to cool the body and not because of thirst, for this is like a remedy forbidden on Shabbat .

And which is anomlin, and which is aluntit?

Anomlin—

wine, honey, and peppers.

Aluntit—

old wine, clear water, and balsam, which they make in the bathhouse to cool down.

[Which they make for drinking after bathing in a bathhouse, in order to cool the body].

Rav Yosef said: Once I went up after Mar Ukva to the bathhouse

[once I went after Mar Ukva to the bathhouse].

When I came out, he gave me one cup of wine to drink

[when I came out, he gave me one cup of aluntit wine to drink],

and I felt its coolness from the hair of my head to the toenails of my feet

[and I felt its coolness from the hair of my head to my toenails].

And if he had given me another cup to drink

[and if he had given me an additional cup],

I would have feared that perhaps they would deduct from me merit in the World to Come

[I would have feared—if I escaped death—that perhaps they would deduct from my merits in the World to Come on account of this].

And we raise an objection:

But Mar Ukva, who drank every day

aluntit—why did he not fear?

And we answer:

Mar Ukva is different, because he was accustomed to it

[because he was accustomed to it].

Mishna:

One may not soak ḥiltit

[a species of pungent fruit]

in lukewarm water

in order to drink the water for a remedy,

but he may put

it

into vinegar

in order to dip food in it.

And one may not soak

[one may not soak]

vetches

[animal fodder ] in water so that the refuse will float and become separated ,

nor rub them

by hand to remove the refuse, for he is sorting .

But he may put

them

into a sieve or into a basket,

even though sometimes the refuse falls by itself through the holes of the sieve or basket, he does not intend this .

One may not sift straw

with a sieve

in order to separate the chaff from it .

And

likewise

he may not

place it

upon a high place

where the wind prevails

in order that the chaff should fall

which is the upper awn of the ear and is not fit even for an animal.

But he may take

the straw

with a sieve, and put it into the manger

even though it is possible that it will become sorted in the process, for an unintentional act is permitted, in accordance with Rabbi Shimon .

Gemara:

We learned in our Mishna: One may not soak ḥiltit in lukewarm water.

They raised a dilemma before them: If he soaked it, what

is its law?

Rav Adda of Nersh explained it before Rav Yosef: If he soaked it—

he is liable to bring a sin-offering

because of cooking.

Abaye said to him: If that is so, if he soaked raw meat

[raw meat]

in water, is it likewise the case that he is liable,

after all, lukewarm water does not cook as cold water does?!

Rather, Abaye said:

there is no prohibition in this אלא

by rabbinic decree, so that he should not do it in the manner in which he does it on a weekday.

Rabbi Yoḥanan asked Rabbi Yannai: What is the law

with regard to soaking ḥiltit in cold water?

He said to him: It is forbidden.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said to him:

But we learned in the Mishna: One may not soak ḥiltit in lukewarm water.

And it implies:

but in cold water—

it is permitted!

He said to him: If so,

that I do not know how to explain the Mishna,

what is the difference between me and you,

you who are my student?

The Mishna is an individual opinion [the Mishna is according to an individual opinion],

and the halakha is not in accordance with it.

For it was taught in a beraita: One may not soak ḥiltit, neither in hot water nor in cold water.

Rabbi Yosei says: In hot water—

it is forbidden; in cold water—

it is permitted.

And the Gemara explains:

For what purpose is it prepared—

for heaviness of the heart [for heart pain].

for heart pain ].

Rav Aḥa bar Yosef suffered from heaviness of the heart and came before Mar Ukva. He said to him: Go drink three tiklei of ḥiltit

[drink the weight of three gold coins of ḥiltit]

over three days.

He went and drank it

on

Thursday, and on the eve of Shabbat

[and on the eve of Shabbat].

In the morning

[on Shabbat morning]

he went and asked in the beit-midrash

how he should conduct himself on Shabbat.

They said to him: A tanna of the school of Rav Adda—and some say—

a tanna of the school of Mar bar Rav Adda: A person may drink a kav or two kav

of ḥiltit on Shabbat

and he need not be concerned.

He said to them: With regard to drinking

the ḥiltit on Shabbat—

I have no dilemma

for ḥiltit is a beverage that healthy people drink, and there is no prohibition in drinking it because of medicine.

For when I have a dilemma—

with regard to soaking

the ḥiltit in lukewarm water or in cold water—

what is the law?

Rav Ḥiyya bar Avin said to them: I had such an incident, and I came and asked Rav Adda bar Ahava, but he did not have an answer. [I had that incident, and I asked Rav Adda bar Ahava, but he had no answer.]

I had this case, and I asked Rav Adda bar Ahava, but he had no answer ].

I came and asked Rav Huna, and he said: This is what Rav said: He soaks

the ḥiltit

in cold water, and leaves

the water

in the sun

until it becomes lukewarm.

And we raised this question: Did Rav rule

in accordance with the one who permits

to soak ḥiltit in cold water, and after soaking it in cold water he may warm it in the sun, since there is no prohibition at all against warming a beverage in the sun? And we said:

Even according to the one who forbids

soaking it in cold water, Rav permitted it, because

these words—

apply where he did not drink at all

and wants to perform this treatment on Shabbat,

but here, since he drank on Thursday and on the eve of Shabbat, if he does not drink on Shabbat—

he will be endangered,

and nevertheless, since it is possible to do it with a change, he should do it with a change.

The Gemara brings here another halakhic question that Rav Aḥa bar Yosef asked concerning the laws of Shabbat.

Rav Aḥa bar Yosef was leaning and walking

[he was leaning and walking]

Rav Aḥa bar Yosef

when he was old

on the shoulder

[on the shoulder]

of Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak, the son of his sister [his sister’s son].

his nephew ].

He said to him

to Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak:

When we reach [when we arrive]

when we arrive ]

the house of Rav Safra —

bring me in [bring me in to him].

bring me in to him ].

When they arrived—

he brought him in.

Rav Aḥa bar Yosef asked

Rav Safra:

What is the law regarding rubbing a linen garment on Shabbat? [Is it permitted to rub a linen garment after washing it on Shabbat?]

is it permitted to rub a linen shirt after it has been laundered on Shabbat? ]

The Gemara explains the question. The rubbing brings two benefits to the garment: it softens it, and it also makes it shine and completes its whitening. The question is: Does

he intend to soften the linen garment

the one who rubs it primarily, while the benefit of whitening is secondary,

and it is properly permitted

Or perhaps: To produce whiteness [to add whitening]

to add whitening ]

he intends

every person who rubs primarily

and it is forbidden

by rabbinic decree, because this action is a continuation of laundering.

He said to him: He intends to soften it, and it is properly permitted.

When Rav Aḥa

Rav Aḥa

went out and came,

Rav Naḥman, who had brought him to Rav Safra, said to him:

What did the Master ask him?

He said to him: I asked him: What is the law regarding rubbing a linen garment on Shabbat? And he said to me: It is properly permitted.

Rav Naḥman said to Rav Aḥa:

And should the Master not have asked him

what is the law regarding rubbing

a head-covering?

Rav Aḥa said to him:

A head-covering—

I have no dilemma,

since

I asked

what its law is

of Rav Huna, and he resolved it for me

that it is forbidden.

Rav Naḥman said to him:

And should the Master not have derived it for himself from the head-covering

that it is also forbidden to rub a garment?

He said to him: There,

with regard to a head-covering—

it appears

more

as producing whiteness,

because people are more particular about it than about a garment, since they wear it on the head and it is visible.

Here,

with regard to a garment—

it does not appear as producing whiteness.