Shabbat 47a — the Talmud in English

Therefore,

leave the lamp, the oil, and the wick

—for the prohibition against moving them is

since it became

the vessel at the time the lamp was burning

a base for the

flame, which is

a forbidden object

on Shabbat. And a base for muktzeh is forbidden to move, because the “base” is subordinate to the muktzeh object upon it, and therefore it is forbidden to move it in the same manner as that object. [And see the first note on page 44a as to why the flame is muktzeh].

Rabbi Zeira said that Rabbi Asi said that Rabbi Yohanan said that Rabbi Hanina said that Rabbi Romanus: Rabbi permitted me to move a censer

of frankincense

with

[together with]

its ashes!

For he permitted me to move the muktzeh ashes together with the censer, which is not muktzeh.

Rabbi Zeira said to Rabbi Asi:

But

did Rabbi Yohanan say this?

But we learned: A person may lift his child with a stone in his hand, or a basket

[a basket]

with a stone in it.

And he need not be concerned on account of moving muktzeh.

And he said

about this

Rabba bar bar Hana said that Rabbi Yohanan

: Here,

we are dealing with a basket full of produce.

For it is a base for a permitted and a forbidden object, and the principal object of the base is the produce, which is not muktzeh.

And now Rabbi Zeira analyzes:

The reason

that they move the bowl in which there is a stone is

that there is produce in it. If there is no produce in it

—

they do not move it, because the basket is a base for the stone.

And the Gemara adopts the wording of the verse in Daniel 4:

Rabbi Asi was astonished

for

one hour, and said: Here too

it does not mean that the censer was a base only for the ashes, but rather—

that there are pieces in it

, pieces of frankincense suitable for smelling, which are not muktzeh. Therefore he can move the censer, and along with it the ashes are also moved.

Abaye said: Pieces

in the house of Rabbi

, in the house of Rabbi, who was wealthy—

are they considered important?

And if so, it follows that the ashes are not subordinate, and the moving also applies to them.

And if you would say—

they are suitable

for the pieces

for the poor,

and therefore they are important even in Rabbi’s house, and it is well that they move the censer together with the ashes.

It is impossible to say so.

For

was it not taught: The garments of the poor

, such as small pieces of cloth measuring only three by three fingerbreadths, are considered a garment with regard to receiving impurity—only

for the poor!

The garments of the wealthy

, which measure three by three handbreadths, are considered a garment with regard to impurity also

for the wealthy.

But

garments

of the poor—

with

regard to

the wealthy, they are not

considered a garment, and when they are in their possession they do not receive impurity at all.

And the same applies to the law of muktzeh concerning the pieces: their importance is nullified when they are in the possession of the wealthy.

Rather, Abaye said:

It was permitted to move the censer,

just as

it was ruled in the halakha

concerning a rake

with regard to a vessel

for feces

, a vessel for excrement, which they permitted to move despite its being muktzeh.

Rava said: There are two answers

to distinguish

in the matter

between the censer with the ashes and the vessel for feces:

One: The vessel for feces—

it is repulsive, whereas this

censer—

is not repulsive.

And furthermore: The vessel for feces—

it is exposed,

it is open above, and therefore they permitted removing it.

And

if

this

censer containing ashes were concerned, even if we regard the dirt of the ashes as feces, one must distinguish between it and the vessel for feces, since it is

covered

, covered, and there is no need to remove it from before him.

Rather, Rava said: When we were in Rav Nahman’s house, we would move a kanuna

a censer containing broken pieces of wood, which are muktzeh,

along with the ashes

, the ashes that were designated before Shabbat for covering,

and even though there were broken pieces of wood upon it

, which are muktzeh, we do not care, just as they move a basket with a stone along with the produce in it.

He raised an objection: And Rabbi Judah and Rabbi Shimon agree

, who disputed the matter of an old, repulsive lamp,

that if there is in it

also

broken pieces of wick

—

it is forbidden to move it,

and they do not permit moving the broken pieces of wick, which are not important, along with the lamp.

Abaye said: They taught this in the Galilee, where linen garments are not available to them and even broken pieces of wicks are important to them; therefore, there is no permission to move them along with the lamp.

Levi bar Shemuel found Rabbi Abba and Rav Huna bar Hiyya standing at the entrance of Rav Huna’s house.

He said to them: What is the ruling regarding returning a bed

that is made to come apart

of the tarsiyyim

, copper-smiths who travel from place to place and carry the disassembled bed with them,

on Shabbat?

They said to him: It is properly permitted

and there is no violation here on account of the labor of striking with a hammer, through which every repair of a vessel is forbidden.

He came before Rav Judah, who said: This is [the opinion of] Rav and Shmuel, who both said: One who returns a bed of the tarsiyyim on Shabbat—

is liable for a sin-offering!

For they maintain that assembling the disassembled bed is considered the repair of a vessel.

He raised an objection: One who returns the shaft of a candelabrum

that is made to come apart

on Shabbat—

is liable for a sin-offering.

is liable to bring a sin-offering.

The shaft of the painters

, which is made of several parts—

he may not return it. And if he returned it—

he is exempt, but it is forbidden.

Since he regularly assembles and disassembles it.

Rabbi Simai says: A horn,

a musical instrument that is

round

, with flutes inserted into it, and to disassemble and assemble its flutes requires the work of a craftsman—the one who assembles it

is liable.

But

a simple horn

, whose flutes every person can assemble, and this is done regularly—

he is exempt

from assembling it.

But a bed of the tarsiyyim resembles the shaft of a candelabrum, for assembling which one is liable for a sin-offering; so how did Rabbi Abba and Rav Huna bar Hiyya permit assembling it on Shabbat? And we answer:

They followed the opinion of this tanna.

For it was taught: The frames of the bed,

small receptacles placed beneath the legs of the bed so that the legs would not rot,

and the legs

of

the bed, and

likewise

the boards of the skibos

, which are small pieces of wood placed in an arc across the center of the crossbow, in the place where the arrow is stretched, that were removed from their places—

he may not return them. And if he returned them—

he is exempt ...