Shabbat 47b — the Talmud in English

But it is prohibited. And one may not drive them in

forcefully by means of pegs,

and if one drove them in—

he is liable to bring a sin-offering.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: If it was loose—

it is permitted.

In the house of Rav Ḥama there was a folding bed,

similar to a tarasyim bed, and

they would assemble

it

on a Festival.

A certain scholar said to Rava: What is your reasoning

for permitting it, because

it is construction “from the side,”

not construction in the usual manner?

But

although there is no Torah prohibition—

there is not

such a prohibition in construction from the side, nevertheless

there is at least a rabbinic prohibition!?

He said to him: I hold in accordance with Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel,

who says: If it was loose—

it is permitted.

Mishna:

One may place a vessel beneath a lamp to receive sparks.

But one may not put water into it—

because it extinguishes

The meaning of all the statements of the Mishna, the foundational compilation of the Oral Law, will be explained below in the Gemara, the Talmudic discussion of the Mishna.

Gemara:

And we inquire about this: How may he place the vessel beneath the sparks on Shabbat?

But does he not thereby render the vessel unusable for its designated purpose,

that is, for preparing it for use? Once the sparks are inside it, he can no longer move it or use it during the entire Shabbat, because the sparks inside it are muktze, objects set aside from use on Shabbat. And it is prohibited to render a vessel unusable for its designated purpose on Shabbat, as Rav Ḥisda explained above, on page 43a. Is this therefore a conclusive refutation of Rav Ḥisda!?

Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, said:

Because

sparks

are not muktze after they have gone out, since

they have no substance.

It is permitted to remove them, and consequently one may also remove the vessel into which the sparks fell and use it.

We learned in the Mishna:

“But one may not put water into it because it extinguishes.”

And we inquire about this:

Can we say that we learned

in our Mishna, which is

an unattributed

teaching, that one may not place a vessel containing water beneath sparks falling from a lamp, even though this is only “causing” the extinguishing,

in accordance with Rabbi Yosei?

As he said:

Rabbi Yosei says below that performing an act that

causes extinguishing—

is prohibited

to perform.

For example, one places jugs filled with water as a barrier against a fire; when the fire reaches the jugs, they burst from the heat of the water, the water flows out, and it extinguishes the fire.

And we reject this:

But can you understand it?

How can it be said that the reason for our Mishna, which prohibits placing water in the vessel beneath the sparks, is that it follows Rabbi Yosei, who prohibits causing extinguishing?

But

perhaps Rabbi Yosei said

that causing extinguishing is prohibited only when he performs the act that causes the extinguishing

on Shabbat.

But

on the eve of Shabbat—

who says

that Rabbi Yosei said that it is prohibited at that time to perform an act that will cause extinguishing on Shabbat?

And if it is said that the reason for our Mishna, which prohibits placing water in the vessel on the eve of Shabbat, is that it follows Rabbi Yosei, who prohibits causing extinguishing, this is difficult, since the prohibition against placing the water on the eve of Shabbat does not follow even according to Rabbi Yosei!?

And if you would say: Here, too,

the discussion is referring specifically to the prohibition against placing the vessel with water beneath the sparks of the fire

on Shabbat,

in accordance with the view of Rabbi Yosei, who prohibits causing extinguishing—

This cannot be said, because

it was taught in a beraita:

1.

One may place a vessel

that contains no water

beneath a lamp

in order

to receive

in it

sparks,

even

on Shabbat,

and this does not involve the prohibition of rendering a vessel unusable for its designated purpose.

2.

And it is unnecessary to say

that one may place it, when it is empty, beneath the lamp

on the eve of Shabbat.

3.

But one may not put into it

the vessel

water, because it extinguishes.

And even

on the eve of Shabbat

one may not put water into the vessel, since it is prohibited to cause extinguishing in this manner, which appears plainly as extinguishing, even on the eve of Shabbat.

4.

And it is unnecessary to say

that one may not put water in the vessel

on Shabbat

itself.

It is therefore explicit that it is prohibited to put water in the vessel even on the eve of Shabbat, and necessarily this is not because of the causing of extinguishing prohibited by Rabbi Yosei.

Rather, Rav Ashi said: Even if you say

that our Mishna follows

the Rabbis,

who permit causing extinguishing on Shabbat: The placement of water-filled jugs that will burst is merely causing extinguishing, because the jugs burst only after some time as a result of the heat of the fire, and it is the fire that causes the water to spill and extinguish it. Therefore, the Rabbis permit placing such water-filled jugs even on Shabbat.

6.

Here it is different,

because it is prohibited to put water in the vessel beneath the lamp—

because this brings its extinguishing closer.

Since placing a vessel containing water beneath sparks, which normally fall downward into the water, is like direct extinguishing. On Shabbat itself, it is obviously prohibited even according to the Rabbis. Our Mishna comes to teach that it is prohibited to put water in the vessel even on the eve of Shabbat, because the Sages decreed on the eve of Shabbat on account of Shabbat, even according to the Rabbis.

We have completed the chapter “A Stove.”

Introduction to the chapter “With What One May Insulate”

Mishna:

When one removes the pot from upon the stove on the eve of Shabbat , it is forbidden to insulate it for the needs of Shabbat .

And two laws were stated concerning the prohibition of insulation.

A. The prohibition of insulating after nightfall, after the entry of Shabbat. At that time it is forbidden to insulate both in something that increases heat [warmth] and in something that does not increase heat.

And the reason for this prohibition is that we are concerned lest he find the pot cold and come to boil it on Shabbat.

B. The prohibition of insulating on the eve of Shabbat, while it is still day. At that time it is forbidden to insulate only in something that increases heat. But in something that does not increase heat, it is permitted to insulate until night.

And the reason for the prohibition is that the Sages were concerned that if they permitted him to insulate in something that increases heat, there would be concern lest he also come to insulate in ashes containing coals. And if he insulates in it, we are concerned lest he rake the coals on Shabbat , and become liable on account of kindling.

The first Mishna of this chapter deals with the law of insulating while it is still day, when insulation was prohibited only in something that increases heat.

Mishna:

With what may one insulate

while it is still day,

and with what may one not insulate?

One may not insulate: neither in olive waste [the waste of olives after they have been pressed in the olive press],

[the waste of olives after they have been pressed in an olive press],

nor in manure, nor in salt, nor in lime, nor in sand —

in all these one may not insulate,

whether

they are

moist

or whether they are

dry, because they increase heat.

because they increase heat.

And

likewise one may not insulate,

neither in straw, nor in grape refuse [the waste of grapes after they have been pressed for wine],

[the waste of grapes after they have been pressed for wine],

nor in soft fibers [anything soft, such as cotton, soft tufts of animal wool, and worn garments that have been pulled apart],

[anything soft, such as cotton, loose soft wool from an animal, or worn-out garments that have been pulled apart],

nor in grasses —

when they are moist,

because when they are moist they increase heat.

But one may insulate in them

in all these [in straw, grape refuse, soft fibers, and grasses],

when they are dry,

because then they do not increase heat.

Gemara:

They raised a dilemma before them: This olive waste

that we learned in the Mishna that one may not insulate in it — perhaps

we learned this concerning olive waste,

because its heat is abundant,

but

waste

of sesame

does not increase heat,

and it is well and proper

to insulate in it.

Or perhaps,

even in waste

of sesame we learned

that it is forbidden to insulate in it, because it too increases heat.

And all the more so

it is forbidden to insulate in waste

of olives.

And we resolve it:

Come and hear, for Rabbi Zeira said in the name of one of the house of Rabbi Yannai: A basket

full of dry soft fibers

in which he insulated

a pot —

it is forbidden to place it upon olive waste.

And although the soft fibers themselves do not increase heat and there is no prohibition of insulation in them, nevertheless, through the olive waste located beneath it, the heat rises upward and boils the pot in the basket.

And the prohibition is on account of “insulation”: it is forbidden to place a pot, insulated in something that does not increase heat, in a place that increases heat, even though the source of the heat is not an offspring of fire [and by itself it would be permitted to place upon it a pot that is not insulated!], since by doing this there is created a combination of insulation in something that does not increase heat with a source that increases heat.

Learn from it

that the waste

of olives we learned.

For specifically it increases heat, but not sesame waste.

And we reject this:

I will always say to you

that

concerning insulation

in the olive waste itself, even in waste

of sesame it is also forbidden,

because it too increases heat.