Shabbat 39a — the Talmud in English

As we learned [145b]:

Every

cooked dish

that came into hot water before Shabbat,

and was cooked all that it needed, cannot have cooking after cooking; therefore,

it may be soaked in hot water on Shabbat,

even in a first vessel.

And every

cooked dish

that did not come into hot water before Shabbat,

and is not cooked at all, is forbidden to soak in a first vessel, since a first vessel cooks; rather, only

it may be rinsed with hot water on Shabbat,

because rinsing does not bring it to cooking.

Except for old salted food and the kolyas ha-ispanin,

which are salted fish and are very easy to cook; it is forbidden to rinse them with hot water, because

this rinsing is the completion of their labor.

For even through merely pouring hot water over them, they cook and thereby become prepared for eating.

Infer from it,

from what was stated concerning an old fish and the kolyas ha-ispanin, that “this is the completion of their labor”: even slight cooking is called cooking, and one is liable for it by Torah law.

We learned in the Mishna:

And one may not crack it

an egg

in cloths

that were heated in the sun, but Rabbi Yose permits it.

And the Gemara understands that according to the Rabbis it is forbidden to cook both in the sun and in something cooked through derivatives of the sun, while according to Rabbi Yose both are permitted.

And the Gemara asks:

But we learned: One may place a cooked dish into a pit

that has no water

so that it will be protected

in it from the heat and will not spoil [and they did not decree lest one come to level the ground].

And the clean water,

which is in a vessel, it is permitted to place it

in the inferior water,

inside a pool of dirty water,

so that they will cool [and they did not decree lest one come to insulate in ashes and come to stoke the coals].

the water becoming heated by the sun.

And the cold water

is permitted to place

in the sun, so that it will become warm

the water from the sun.

Shall we say

that this Mishna, which permits warming cold water in the sun,

is Rabbi Yose, and not the Rabbis!?

The Gemara rejects this:

Rav Naḥman said:

With regard to cooking

in the sun

itself,

everyone,

both the first tanna and Rabbi Yose,

agrees that it is permitted,

because there is no concern that people will err and permit cooking in a fire just as cooking in the sun was permitted.

And likewise, cooking

through derivatives of the fire,

an item heated by the fire,

everyone agrees that it is forbidden,

just as it is forbidden to cook on the fire itself, because this is its normal manner of cooking.

When they disagree,

the first tanna and Rabbi Yose, it is regarding cooking

through derivatives of the sun,

in cloths heated by the sun, which by law is permitted to cook in them just as it is permitted to cook in the sun itself.

One master,

the first tanna,

holds:

one may not cook through derivatives of the sun, because

we decree derivatives of the sun on account of derivatives of the fire,

since, with regard to a cloth heated by the sun, it is not apparent whether it was heated by the sun or by the fire, and one who sees him cooking in a cloth will think that it is permitted to cook through derivatives of the fire.

And one master,

Rabbi Yose,

holds: We do not decree.

And if so, the Mishna that permitted warming a cold item in the sun itself is also in accordance with the words of the first tanna.

We learned in the Mishna:

And one may not insulate it in sand

and in road dust, so that it will roast.

The Gemara assumed that the prohibition against insulating an egg in sand derives from the same law stated in the first clause, “and one may not crack it in cloths heated by the sun”: we decree derivatives of the sun on account of derivatives of the fire.

Therefore the Gemara wondered:

And let Rabbi Yose also disagree concerning this!

Just as Rabbi Yose permitted cracking an egg in cloths heated by the sun, so too he should permit insulating the egg in sand heated by the sun!?

The Gemara answers that the reason for the prohibition against insulating in sand and road dust is not the prohibition against cooking through derivatives of the sun, but another reason, with which Rabbi Yose agrees; and the amoraim disagree as to what its reason is.

Rabba said:

The fact that it is forbidden to insulate in sand and road dust on Shabbat is

a decree lest he insulate in ashes.

Since he does not roast the egg in its usual manner, but through insulation in sand, people may err and understand that cooking through insulation is not a manner of cooking, and they will also come to insulate in ashes on Shabbat.

Rav Yosef said:

What Rabbi Yose prohibited by insulating in sand and road dust is

because he moves earth from its place.

For if he does not have enough sand in which to bury the egg, there is concern that he will come to dig in the ground to remove sand from it, and making a cavity on Shabbat is forbidden because of building.

What is the difference between them,

what is the distinction between the reasons of the amoraim according to Rabbi Yose?

There is a difference between them

when there is much

loose earth,

which is not attached to the ground. According to Rabba, it is forbidden to insulate even in loose earth, lest he insulate in ashes; but according to Rav Yosef, Rabbi Yose permits insulating in loose earth, because there is no concern that he will uproot earth from the ground for the purpose of insulation, since the earth has already been uprooted and is not attached to the ground.

Meitivī to Rav Yosef, who explained that Rabbi Yosei forbids insulating in sand lest one insulate in hot ashes, from a beraita:

to Rav Yosef, who explained that Rabbi Yosei forbids covering an egg with sand lest one cover it with hot ashes, from a

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: One may roll

and roast

an egg on top of a roof

that is

hot

because of the sun, for a roof is a derivative of the sun, and in accordance with Rabbi Yosei, who holds that they did not decree concerning derivatives of the sun on account of derivatives of fire.

But one may not roll an egg on top of hot lime,

because lime is a derivative of fire.

Granted, according to the one who says

[Rabbah] that insulating an egg in sand and road dust is forbidden according to Rabbi Yosei because of

a decree lest one insulate in hot ashes,

it is well that one may roast an egg on a hot roof, for the decree applies only to something in which it is possible to insulate, such as sand and road dust, but with regard to a hot roof

there is no basis for decreeing,

because he cooks upon it and does not insulate in it.

And since Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel held like Rabbi Yosei, that they did not decree concerning derivatives of the sun on account of derivatives of fire, it is permitted to roast an egg on top of a hot roof.

But according to the one who says

[Rav Yosef] that it is forbidden to insulate an egg in sand

because one moves earth from its place,

if so,

let us decree

that it should be forbidden to roll an egg on a hot roof, lest he wish to cover it with earth, and he will uproot [earth] from the ground and make a pit? And the Gemara answers:

An ordinary roof—

there is no earth in it,

and since there is no earth in it, we do not decree lest he take earth from another place in order to make a pit. And therefore Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel permitted roasting an egg on top of the roof.

Ta shma:

a difficulty against Rav Yosef, who explains that Rabbi Yosei agrees that it is forbidden to insulate in sand that was heated by the sun, because of a decree lest one move earth from its place.

In the latter clause of the Mishna it is stated:

“An incident occurred involving the people of Tiberias, who brought a pipe of cold [water] into a channel of hot [water], etc.,”

and the Sages forbade the water that was heated on Shabbat both for drinking and for bathing.

Granted, according to the one who says

[Rabbah] that it is forbidden to insulate an egg in sand and road dust

because of a decree lest one insulate in hot ashes,

it may be explained that for this reason the Mishna brought in its latter clause the incident of the hot springs of Tiberias, for

this is analogous to insulating:

he insulates the pipe with the cold water inside the hot springs of Tiberias, and it is forbidden according to everyone, lest one insulate in hot ashes.

But according to the one who says

that Rabbi Yosei agrees that it is forbidden to insulate an egg

because one moves earth from its place, what is there to say?

For what purpose did the Mishna bring the incident of the waters of Tiberias, since there the concern lest one move earth does not exist?

And the Gemara answers:

“Do you think that the incident of Tiberias is stated with reference to the latter clause?!”

That the tanna brought it as a continuation of the prohibition of insulating an egg in sand and road dust, concerning which everyone agrees that it is forbidden?

The incident of the hot springs of Tiberias

is stated with reference to the first clause!

And thus the Mishna is to be understood:

“One may not remove it with cloths. And Rabbi Yosei permits.”

And the first tanna brought support for his words—that it is forbidden to heat with derivatives of the sun—from the incident of the hot springs of Tiberias.

And this is what the Rabbis said to him,

who forbade cooking with derivatives of the sun,

to Rabbi Yosei,

who permitted it:

“But this incident involving the people of Tiberias, which is a derivative of the sun,

for the hot springs of Tiberias are not heated by fire, and if so, the cold water in the pipe is heated by hot water that was heated not through derivatives of fire,

and the Rabbis forbade it to them;

it follows that derivatives of the sun are forbidden, for we decree [derivatives of] the sun on account of [derivatives of] fire.”

He said to them,

Rabbi Yosei: There is no proof from this incident that derivatives of the sun are forbidden, for

that one,

the hot springs of Tiberias,

is a derivative of fire,

for the water is heated by the fact

that it passes over the entrance to Gehinnom,

and derivatives of fire are forbidden by Torah law according to everyone.