Shabbat 36b (לו:) — the Talmud in English

What practical difference is there? -

With regard to bills of divorce.

The people of Babylonia were proficient in writing a bill of divorce for the woman being divorced. Therefore, one who brings a bill of divorce from Babylonia is not like one who brings a bill of divorce from overseas, and he does not need to say: “It was written in my presence, and it was signed in my presence.” But now the names of the people of Babylonia have changed, and they are called the people of Borsif, while the people of Borsif are called the people of Babylonia. The latter are among those who are not proficient in writing a bill of divorce. Therefore, one who brings a bill of divorce from those who are currently called the people of Babylonia must say: “It was written in my presence, and it was signed in my presence.”

We have completed the chapter “With What May One Kindle.”

Introduction to the chapter “Kira”

The cooking labor prohibited by the Torah is softening or hardening any object through the heat of fire, or making something fit for eating—for example, cooking, roasting, or baking it, and the like.

Cooking prohibited by the Torah includes both cooking directly in fire and cooking through the “derivatives of fire” [an object that became heated and absorbed the heat of the fire, such as iron heated in fire, which may not be placed into water in order to cook it].

The degree of heat suitable for cooking is: once the hand recoils from it.

The Sages also instituted several decrees concerning cooking. The first part of the chapter deals with these decrees:

A.

Insulation —

The Sages prohibited insulating a cooked dish on the eve of Shabbat in something that adds heat [such as hot ash], lest one insulate it in embers [coals containing fire] and come to stoke them on Shabbat, which is prohibited by the Torah.

The Sages further added a decree that on Shabbat itself a person may not insulate a pot even in something that does not add heat but merely preserves the heat of the pot, out of concern that he might see that the pot is not sufficiently hot and come to bring it to a boil on the fire, which is prohibited by the Torah.

B.

Leaving on the fire —

The Sages prohibited leaving a cooked dish on an uncovered fire on Shabbat, lest one stoke the coals in order to intensify the heat of the fire. Therefore, one must rake the coals out of the oven or cover them with ash, so that he will have a reminder and will not err by stoking the coals.

C.

Returning —

A cooked dish that was removed from the Kira on the eve of Shabbat: the Sages prohibited returning it to the Kira on Shabbat, even though it is fully cooked, because it appears as though he is cooking on Shabbat. Likewise, a cooked dish removed from the Kira on Shabbat itself may not be returned to the Kira unless the conditions explained below are fulfilled [38b].

There are three types of utensils customarily used for cooking, and concerning them the Sages instituted their decrees:

A.

Kira —

A utensil made of earthenware, shaped like a pot, narrow at the bottom and wide at the top, with a place on it [or inside it] for setting two pots, while the fire is below, beneath the pots.

B.

Kufah —

A utensil shaped like a Kira, except that it has room for setting one pot; consequently, its heat is greater than that of a Kira.

C.

Tanur —

A utensil that is wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, whose heat is greater than that of a Kira and a Kufah. The first Mishna deals with the laws of a Kira, and the following Mishna with the laws of a Kufah and a Tanur.

There are three stages in preparing a cooked dish:

A. The beginning of cooking, until “one-third of its cooking.”

B. The continuation of cooking, from “cooked one-third” [called “cooked as the food of Ben Derosai”] until it is completely cooked.

C. “Fully cooked,” which continues to cook in two ways. One is when this improves it, called “reducing and improving it,” and the other is a “fully cooked” dish whose continued cooking spoils it, called “reducing and harming it.”

Mishna:

A.

A Kira,

made of earthenware and shaped like a pot, narrow at its bottom and wide at the top, with room to place two pots upon it or inside it, while the fire is beneath the pots,

which they stoked with straw,

the ends of the grain stalks,

and stubble,

thin pieces of wood like straw that are gathered in the field.

One may place a cooked dish upon it

on the eve of Shabbat in order to leave it there on Shabbat, because straw and stubble do not add heat to the Kira, and the Sages did not fear that one might stoke the coals.

But if they stoked it

with peat [

the refuse of olives or sesame]

or with wood,

which cause the Kira to become hotter and add heat, the Sages decreed that

one may not place

a cooked dish upon it, lest he stoke the coals. Accordingly, it is prohibited to leave the cooked dish on the Kira on Shabbat

until he rakes it out,

removing the coals from the Kira,

or until he places ash there,

and through this the Kira will cool and will not give off heat. B. A Kira that has been raked out and covered with ash:

Beit Shammai say:

It is permitted to leave hot water upon it

but not a cooked dish.

And Beit Hillel say:

It is permitted to leave upon it

hot water and a cooked dish.

C.

Beit Shammai say:

Even though it is permitted to leave hot water on the eve of Shabbat on a Kira that has been raked out and covered with ash, on Shabbat itself one may only

remove

the pot from the fire,

but may not return

the pot to the fire.

And Beit Hillel say: One may also

return it.

Gemara:

They raised a dilemma: This

which we say, “With peat and wood,

one may not place

until he rakes it out or until he places ash”—does this mean

“one may not return it”?

That is, only returning the pot [to a Kira that has not been raked out and covered with ash] is prohibited on Shabbat,

but leaving it,

leaving the pot there from the eve of Shabbat,

one may leave it even though it has not been raked out

of the coals

and has not been covered with ash,

meaning that he did not place ash on the coals.

And from where

is this Mishna? —

It is the opinion of Hanania,

who permits leaving a pot on a stove that has not been raked clear.

As it is taught in a beraita: Hanania says: Any

food

that is

already cooked

to the extent of the food of ben Drusai, —

named after a bandit called ben Drusai, who was content with partial cooking —

may be left

from the eve of Shabbat

on a stove, even though it has neither been raked clear nor

covered.

Or perhaps

what we learned, “He may not place it until he rakes [the coals] clear,” means that he may not even leave the dish on the fire from the eve of Shabbat. Accordingly, our Mishna teaches the law of

leaving food, and

with regard to leaving food the Mishna states:

If it has been raked clear or covered, yes,

it is permitted to leave a pot on the stove.

If not, no.

And all the more so

is it forbidden

to return

a pot to a stove that has neither been raked clear nor covered.

The Gemara brings proof from our Mishna:

Come and hear: Since the Mishna teaches two clauses,

meaning that it presents two matters concerning which Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagree.

In the first clause it states:

Beit Shammai say: Hot water, but not a dish; and Beit Hillel say: Hot water and a dish.

In the second clause it states:

Beit Shammai say: One may remove the pot, but may not return it; and Beit Hillel say: One may also return it.

This proves the intention of the Mishna:

For

granted, if you say

that it is forbidden to leave food on a stove that has not been raked clear, in accordance with the Sages who disagree with Hanania, and that our Mishna teaches the law of

“leaving food,”

then

this is what it teaches:

the Mishna is to be understood literally:

With regard to a stove that they kindled with straw or rakings, one may leave a dish on it

from the eve of Shabbat

because

there is no concern that one will stoke the coals produced by burning straw and rakings.

But if they kindled it

with peat or wood, he may not leave

the pot on the stove

until he rakes the coals clear or until he places ashes over them.

The Gemara now explains the two disputes between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel concerning a stove that has been raked clear and covered:

A. With regard to leaving food.

And what may they leave

on a stove that has been raked clear?

Beit Shammai say:

It is permitted to leave only water,

hot water, but not a dish. And Beit Hillel say: Hot water and a dish.

B. With regard to returning the pot.

And just as they disagree with regard to leaving food,

they likewise disagree with regard to returning it.

That is,

Beit Shammai say: One may remove

the pot from the stove that has been raked clear and covered,

but may not return it

to it.

And Beit Hillel say: One may also return it.

It follows that if we explain that the Mishna requires raking and covering even for leaving food [“the Mishna teaches the law of leaving”], it is clear that Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagree concerning two different laws.

But if you say that the Mishna teaches the law of “returning,”

the statement in the Mishna, “He may not place it until he rakes [the coals] clear,” means that one may not return a pot to the stove on Shabbat until he rakes the coals clear. But leaving food on a stove that has not been raked clear is permitted, in accordance with Hanania.

According to this, the law of leaving food is not mentioned in the Mishna at all, and Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel do not disagree concerning it, but only concerning returning the pot.

If so, it is difficult to explain the two disputes between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel in the Mishna, since the entire Mishna speaks only of returning. Necessarily,

this is what it teaches:

With regard to a stove that they kindled with straw or rakings,

and placed a pot upon it from the eve of Shabbat,

one may return it,

it is permitted to return the pot

to it

on Shabbat itself, whether hot water or

a dish,

and all the more so one may place a dish on it from the eve of Shabbat, so that it will remain there on Shabbat.

But if they kindled it

with peat or wood,

which are materials that increase the heat, the Sages decreed that if one removed the pot from the stove on Shabbat,

he may not return it

to the stove

until he rakes

the coals clear from the eve of Shabbat

or until he places ashes,

because it appears as though he is cooking. But leaving a dish on it from the eve of Shabbat is permitted.

And Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagree concerning returning the pot:

And what may they return

to the stove that has been raked clear on Shabbat?

Beit Shammai say:

One may return

hot water but not a dish,

because returning a dish appears as though one has come to cook on Shabbat, whereas when one returns hot water he does not appear to be cooking.

And Beit Hillel say:

One may return

hot water and a dish.

And again, in the final clause of the Mishna, it states:

Beit Shammai say: One may remove the pot

from the stove on Shabbat,

but may not return it; and Beit Hillel say: One may also return it.

And one may object:

Why do I need this additional statement?

Why did the Mishna repeat and restate the dispute concerning returning the pot? Rather, it must be that the Mishna teaches the law of “leaving.”