Shabbat 19a — the Talmud in English

Rabbi Judah says: ![](pamud.bmp "

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Babylonian kutah and all types of kutah, it is forbidden to sell

them

thirty days before Passover.

For he holds like Beit Shammai, that a person is warned that his leaven should not be in the world, even after it is in the possession of a gentile. For kutah is not made to be eaten by itself, but only to dip food in it. Therefore it does not disappear until a considerable time has passed. And thirty days before Passover is the time when they begin to expound the laws of Passover, and then the warning concerning the mitzvot of the Passover festival takes effect. And from then it is incumbent upon him to prevent our leaven from being in the world during the Passover festival.

The Sages taught: One places

on Shabbat

food before the dog

in the courtyard.

And if

it took it

for food

and went out

to the public domain—

one does not attend to it

to restrain it from going out.

Similarly, one places food before a gentile in the courtyard.

And if

he took it and went out, one does not attend to him.

Specifically food, because he is accustomed to eat it immediately. But other objects it is forbidden to give him even on Friday, if he will take them out on Shabbat, according to Beit Shammai. And all the more so on Shabbat itself, when it is forbidden even according to Beit Hillel.

And we raised an objection to this:

This too—

why do I need it

to teach us this regarding a gentile, after he already taught us regarding a dog? And

this is the same thing

as them.

And we answer: If he had not taught “gentile,”

what might you have said

specifically

this one

—the dog, whose food

is imposed upon him

by the owners—is it permitted to trouble oneself on Shabbat with his food. But

this one

—the gentile—

whose food is not imposed

his food

upon him

by the Israelite, it is forbidden to trouble oneself on Shabbat with his food [and just as we find that it is forbidden to trouble oneself with the food of an animal, because its food is not imposed upon you].

It teaches us

that it is permitted, because he is considered somewhat as one whose food is imposed upon you. For they sustain the poor of gentiles together with the poor of Israel, because of the ways of peace [Tosafot].

The Sages taught: A person may not rent his utensils to a gentile on Friday

because it appears that he is renting them to him for Shabbat. And even when he does not rent them specifically for Shabbat, but rents them for a week or a month, and the rental for Shabbat is included within it, it is forbidden, because it appears as though he is taking payment for use on Shabbat [Tosafot].

But

on

day

four

or

on

day

five it is permitted

to rent them to him. For it does not appear that he is renting them for Shabbat and taking Shabbat wages, since it is not close to Shabbat, and he is not renting them specifically for Shabbat, but within a larger rental [Tosafot].

Similarly, one may not send letters by the hand of a gentile,

on

Friday.

Because it is as though he commands him to carry it for him on Shabbat, and “a statement to a gentile is a rabbinic prohibition.”

And

on

day

four and on

day

five it is permitted

to send it with him.

They said about Rabbi Yose the priest, and some say about Rabbi Yose the pious, that

he was stringent upon himself not to send by the hand of a gentile even on any of the days of the week, and

his handwritten letter was never found in the hand of a gentile.

Because he was concerned lest he carry it on Shabbat.

The Sages taught: One may not send a letter by the hand of a gentile on Friday, unless he fixes for him

the Israelite with the gentile

money

as payment for his agency. For then, even if the gentile carries it on Shabbat, it is not considered that he is doing so for the Israelite, but for the sake of earning his payment, and he is laboring for himself.

Beit Shammai say:

One does not send a letter with a gentile unless there is enough time in the day

that he can reach

the gentile

his house

of the one to whom it was sent before Shabbat.

And Beit Hillel say:

One sends even when there is time only

that he can reach

the gentile

the house adjacent to the wall of

the city to which the letter was sent. And we do not require that he reach the recipient’s house itself.

And we raise a difficulty:

But

the beraita is speaking of

fixing

money for his agency, and in this case Beit Hillel permit in every situation, even without his reaching the house adjacent to the wall, as it teaches at the beginning, “unless he fixes a price” [and so is proven from the Mishna, that Beit Hillel permitted handing over to a gentile on contract to perform labor on Shabbat, such as “hides to a tanner” and utensils to a launderer, when he fixes a price]!

Rav Sheshet said: This is what it says:

One does not send a letter by the hand of a gentile unless he fixes money for him.

And if he did not fix a price

and he is laboring for the Israelite—

Beit Shammai say: Until he reaches his house.

And Beit Hillel say: Until he reaches the house adjacent to the wall.

The distinction between fixing a price and not fixing a price was stated specifically regarding Beit Hillel. But regarding Beit Shammai, even when he fixes a price, one sends only with enough time for him to reach his house. For they prohibit giving to a gentile even on contract, as is demonstrated by the Mishna concerning “utensils to a tanner.” Tosafot.

And we further ask: How does it teach that without fixing a price it is permitted “with enough time for him to reach his house,”

when you said at the beginning, ‘One does not send’?

And it implies that it is forbidden in every situation.

And we answer: It is not difficult.

This

that it teaches “with enough time for him to reach his house” according to Beit Shammai, or “the house adjacent to the wall” according to Beit Hillel, is speaking

where a post office is established in the city

to which the letter was sent. And the messenger need not bring it to the recipient’s house, but to the post office. And this is the “house” of which Beit Shammai speaks. And according to Beit Hillel, he need not even reach the post office, but it is sufficient that he reach the house adjacent to the wall of that city, since he can leave it there.

And

this

that it teaches “one does not send” is speaking

where a post office is not established in the city.

And the messenger must bring the letter to the recipient’s house. And even if he can reach his house while it is still day, we do not rely on this, lest he not find him at home and have to carry the letter after him on Shabbat.

The Sages taught: One may not set sail on a ship fewer than three days before Shabbat

if his voyage is destined to continue even on Shabbat. And even within the teḥum it is forbidden, because of the decree of “swimming.” For one does not swim on the surface of the water on Shabbat, a decree lest he make a swimmer’s barrel. But before three days before Shabbat, that is, on day three, it is permitted to set sail. Since they required him to set sail long before Shabbat, he has a recognizable indication and will not come to make a swimmer’s barrel [Beit Yosef].

When are these words said,

when he sets sail

for an optional matter. But

when he sets sail

for a matter of mitzva, it is perfectly well.

And

he may set sail by means of

stipulating with him

[with the gentile]

on condition that he rest

on Shabbat. And if the gentile ultimately does not fulfill the condition, even the Israelite

does not rest,

but continues to sail with him,

the words of Rabbi.

Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says: He need not

stipulate with him. Rather, even without stipulating with him concerning resting on Shabbat, it is permitted for him to set sail for a matter of mitzva on Friday.

And from Tyre to Sidon

which is only a one-day journey,

it is permitted even on Friday,

since he will reach his destination before Shabbat.

The Sages taught: One may not besiege gentile towns fewer than three days before Shabbat,

because through the distraction and fear of the heart, the mitzva of Shabbat enjoyment is nullified, and he does not enjoy eating and drinking [Rambam].

And if they began

before this,

they do not stop

on Shabbat, because after three days the fear passes, and they properly fulfill the mitzva of Shabbat enjoyment.

And so Shammai used to say:

It is written, “And you shall build a siege against the city that is waging war with you,

until its downfall.”

And it implies that they do not stop besieging

even on Shabbat.

We learned in the Mishna:

Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel said: It was the practice

of my father’s household that they would give white garments to a gentile launderer three days before Shabbat.

It was taught: Rabbi Zadok said: This was the practice of the house of Rabban Gamliel, that they would give white garments to a gentile launderer three days before Shabbat. And

garments

colored

they gave

even on Friday. And from their words we learned that white garments are more difficult to launder than colored garments.

Because the laundering of white garments lasts three days. And because they were stringent like Beit Shammai, who prohibited giving a gentile labor to perform on Shabbat even when he fixes a price for him, they gave white garments to the launderer only three days before Shabbat, so that he would finish laundering them before Shabbat. Abaye would give that dyed garment to the launderer

[to the launderer].

He said to him

to the launderer:

How much do you want for it

to launder it?

He said to him: Like a white garment

[like a white garment].

He said to him

Abaye:

The Sages preceded you

and taught us that white garments are more difficult to launder than colored ones, and it is impossible that the payment for laundering them should be equal.

Abaye said: One who gives a garment to a launderer

[to the launderer]—

by measure

[by measure]

he should give it to him, and by measure he should take it from him.

He should measure it for the garment when giving it and when taking it, to check that its measure has remained as it was.

For if

it is greater [it expanded],

he damaged it

through laundering by

means of

stretching it.

And if

it is less [it shrank],

he damaged it

through

shrinking it

in its laundering.

We learned in the Mishna:

And these and those agree

[Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel]

that they load

the beam of the olive press and the round stones of the winepress.

And we raised an objection to this:

What is different about all of them

the labors at the beginning,

that they decreed concerning them

not to begin them on Friday, so that he would not come to perform them on Shabbat,

and what is different about the beams of the olive press and the round stones of the winepress, concerning which they did not decree

thus?

And we answer:

Those

at the beginning,

which

are Torah labors, and

if he performs them on Shabbat he is liable

for them

a sin-offering—

Beit Shammai decreed concerning them

on

Friday at twilight.

But

the beams of the olive press and the round stones

of the winepress, which

are forbidden only rabbinically, and even

if he performs them on Shabbat

itself

he is not liable for a sin-offering—

they did not decree

concerning them on Friday. And there is no liability for a sin-offering concerning them, because before placing them beneath the beam and the round stones of the winepress, they crush and tread them somewhat, and even without the beam the liquids emerge by themselves. And they load them only so that more will flow out.

And we raise a question:

Who

is the

tan­ na

who holds

that everything that comes

from which liquids emerge

by itself—

is perfectly well

and they did not decree concerning it, and the Mishna follows his view?

Rav Yose bar Rabbi Ḥanina said: It is Rabbi Ishmael.

As we learned: Garlic, and unripe grapes

[grapes before they ripened],

and unripe ears of grain

[ears that did not ripen completely],

which he crushed

on Friday

while it was still day,

and afterward he loads them beneath stones so that the liquid will continue to flow from them—

Rabbi Ishmael says: He may finish when it grows dark,

leaving them beneath the stones and completing the extraction of the liquid from them on Shabbat.