Shabbat 53a (נג.) — the Talmud in English

Gemara: We learned in the Mishna:

A donkey may go out with a pack saddle, when it is tied to it.

Shmuel said: And

this ruling

is

specifically when the

pack saddle is tied to it

before

from the eve of Shabbat. But if it had not been wearing it before Shabbat, it may not go out with it. This is because one must reveal it to the donkey before Shabbat, since it is needed by the donkey. And if he did not reveal it before Shabbat, it is not considered clothing but merely a burden.

But if it was not worn on it before Shabbat, it does not go out with it. For one must have uncovered it before Shabbat, since it is for the donkey's need. And if he did not uncover it from Erev Shabbat, it is not regarded as a garment but only as a load.

Rav Naḥman said: The Mishna

below, 54b,

also indicates

this.

For

it

teaches

below:

“A donkey may not go out with a pack saddle when it is not tied to it.”

And we raised the following question about it:

What are the circumstances?

If you say that it is not tied to it at all, it is obvious

that it may not go out with it, because

perhaps it will fall from it, and the owner will come

to

to bring

it and carry it in the public domain.

Rather, is it not

the meaning of the Mishna that it may not go out with a pack saddle when

it is not tied

to it

from the eve of Shabbat?

By inference, the first clause,

which states, “A donkey may go out with a pack saddle when it is tied to it,” means

when it is tied to it from the eve of Shabbat.

And we conclude:

Infer from this!

It was taught likewise in a beraita: A donkey may go out with a pack saddle when

it

is tied to it from the eve of Shabbat.

But it may not

go out

with a saddle, even though

the saddle

was tied to it from the eve of Shabbat,

because this is not its usual manner, and it is a burden for it.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says:

The donkey may go out

even with a saddle, when

it

is tied to it from the eve of Shabbat.

This is because a saddle also helps to warm it, and it is not a burden.

Provided that he does not tie to it

the donkey

a masriken

[something like a comb],

and provided that he does not pass a strap beneath its tail.

The masriken is placed on it so that the burden will not fall onto its tail when it climbs mountains. The strap is placed on it so that the burden will not fall onto its neck when it descends into a valley. Therefore, he may not tie these to it on Shabbat, because it appears that he intends to load a burden onto it.

Rav Asi bar Natan asked Rav Hiyya bar Rav Ashi: What is the ruling with regard to placing

a pack saddle on a donkey on Shabbat?

Not in order for it to go out with it into the public domain, but in a courtyard, to protect it from the cold.

He said to him: It is permitted.

He said to him: And what is the difference between this and

a

saddle, which is prohibited?

which is prohibited?

He was silent,

Rav Hiyya bar Ashi.

Rav Asi bar Natan understood that he was silent because Rav Hiyya bar Ashi held that a saddle, too, may be placed on the donkey in a courtyard.

And therefore

he challenged him:

It was taught in a beraita:

A saddle that is on a donkey may not be moved by hand

in order to remove it from the donkey.

Rather, if he wishes to remove it, he unties its rope,

it

and leads it back and forth

[the donkey]

in the courtyard,

to and fro,

and it

[the saddle]

falls off by itself!

And he concludes his challenge:

Now, if with regard to removing

the saddle from the donkey

you said

that he may

not

remove it,

with regard to placing

the saddle on it

is it necessary to say that it is prohibited? After all, placing it is more stringent, because it appears as though he has come to load a burden onto it.

it

Rabbi Zeira said

to Rav Asi bar Natan:

Leave him alone,

Rav Hiyya bar Ashi, because he

holds like his master

[Rav]

holds this view.

For Rav Hiyya bar Ashi said in the name of Rav: One may hang a traskal

[a basket] filled with barley

for an animal

on its neck

on Shabbat. And it is a kal va-chomer that a pack saddle

may be placed on it.

For:

Just as there,

with regard to a traskal,

which is for the animal’s pleasure,

one hangs it so that the animal need not trouble itself to bend its neck down to the ground,

it is permitted;

here,

with regard to a pack saddle,

which is because of discomfort

from the cold that one places it on the animal,

is it not all the more so

permitted?!

And Shmuel said:

Only placing

a pack saddle

is permitted, because of discomfort. But hanging

for it

a traskal is prohibited, since it is only for pleasure.

because it is done only for pleasure.

Rav Hiyya bar Yosef went and related

this

teaching of Rav

[who permits both a pack saddle and a traskal]

before Shmuel.

He said to him,

Shmuel:

If so, Abba

[Rav]

did not know

anything

at all about the laws of Shabbat,

for surely a traskal is prohibited.

When Rabbi Zeira went up

to Eretz Yisrael,

he found

Rav Binyamin bar Yefet, who was sitting and saying to him in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan:

One may place a pack saddle on a donkey on Shabbat!

He said to him: Well said!

You are correct.

And so

also

“Ariokh” interpreted it in Babylonia,

for he permitted placing a pack saddle on a donkey.

“Ariokh” —

who is it,

who was he? He is

Shmuel!

He was called this because he was expert in laws and judged like a king who judges the land.

“Rikha” is an expression of royalty.

But Rav also said it,

that it is permitted; why, then, did he specifically mention Shmuel’s name?

And we answer:

Rather, he heard

Rabbi Zeira from Rav Binyamin

who would conclude it: “But one may not hang a traskal on Shabbat.”

And

regarding this

he said to him: “Well said! And so Ariokh interpreted it in Babylonia.”

But Rav disagrees and says that even a traskal is permitted.

We raise the following question:

Does everyone

agree

at least

that placing

a pack saddle

on the donkey

is permitted? And how is this different from a saddle,

about which we learned above, “He may not move it by hand,” and certainly placing it on a donkey is prohibited.

And we answer:

There, it is different, because it is possible

to lead the donkey until

the saddle falls

off

by itself.

But when it is impossible for the matter to occur by itself, as in placing the pack saddle, it is permitted to place it even by hand.

Rav Pappa said: Here,

with regard to placing the pack saddle, it is permitted because one places it

to warm

the animal. But

here,

with regard to removing the saddle, it is prohibited because one removes it

to cool it.

Therefore:

To warm it

is permitted, because

it suffers discomfort

in the cold. But

to cool it

is prohibited because

it does not suffer discomfort

from the heat.

And this is what people say: “A donkey, even during the season of Tammuz,”

when the sun

is cool for it!”

An objection was raised: A horse may not go out with a fox tail

that is hung between its eyes so that the evil eye will not affect it,

nor with a strip of crimson wool

[a strip of crimson wool made for adornment]

that is between its eyes!

Anything made for adornment or as a charm, and which is not the animal’s usual manner, is considered a burden.

A zav may not go out

into the public domain

with his pouch,

which is hung from his organ so that the discharge will fall into it, enabling him to determine the number of his sightings [after two sightings he is still not a complete zav and is not liable to bring an offering. Only after three sightings does he bring an offering, after counting seven clean days and immersing for his purification]. This is because he does not wear it as an adornment, and it is therefore a burden.

Nor

may

go out goats with a pouch on their udders,

in order to receive the milk dripping from them, or so that their udders will not be scratched by thorns.

Nor

may

a cow go out with a muzzle on its mouth,

which is placed on it so that it will not graze in other fields; when it reaches its grazing place, the muzzle is removed from its mouth. It may not go out with it because it is a burden for it.

Nor

may

young donkeys go out into the public domain with traskalin in their mouths.

Nor

may

an animal go out with a sandal on its foot

[which is made for it so that stones will not injure it], because we are concerned that it might slip off, and its owner might come to carry it in the public domain.

And

likewise,

it may not

go out

with an amulet

[a written charm made for healing].

Even though it is

[the amulet]

proven,

meaning that it has already healed the wearer three times.

And this —

is a stringency with regard to an animal over a person.

The Gemara understood that the stringency concerns the amulet. We learned below that “a person may go out with a proven amulet.” But with regard to an animal, the amulet is not considered protection for its body. Therefore, it is a burden.

But it may go out with a bandage over a wound and with splints over a fracture

[when an animal’s bone is broken, boards are tied to it on either side, fixing the bone so that it will not move until it reunites], because these protect its body and are not burdens. There is also no concern that they will fall off and the owner will carry them.

And

the animal may likewise go out

with a placenta

that has partially emerged and

is dangling from it.

And one may stop up

a bell for it

[a bell]

around its neck, and

it

may stroll with it in the courtyard,

because the bell is filled with wool or rags so that its clapper will not rattle and make a sound. This is permitted specifically in a courtyard. But it may not go out with it into the public domain, as we learned below [54b].

And we raise a difficulty:

In any event, it teaches: “And neither foals with basket-muzzles in their mouths into the public domain.”

This indicates that only

into the public domain are they not

to go out, because of the burden.

But in a courtyard it is entirely permissible .

Is it not referring to

foals that are

large,

with long necks, which can bend down and eat from the ground?

And

he hangs the basket-muzzle on their necks only

for pleasure,

so that they will not have to exert themselves. This is difficult for Shmuel, who prohibited it even in a courtyard.

And we answer:

No,

it is not referring to large ones, but rather

to small ones!

Because their knees are high and their necks are short, bending down to the ground and eating causes them distress.

And

anything done

because of distress

is permitted.