Shabbat 60b — the Talmud in English

And we challenge: If so,

on a Festival

it should be permitted to go out wearing a nail-studded sandal;

but did we not learn

but not

send on a Festival from one person to another a gift, except for things that are needed for the Festival. And therefore they do not send

a nail-studded sandal, nor an unsewn shoe,

because they are not fit for use on the Festival.

And we learn from here that the decree concerning a nail-studded sandal applies even on a Festival.

And we answer:

On Shabbat, what is the reason

they decreed? Because

there is a gathering,

when the people cease from work and gather in synagogues and houses of study. And just as the incident in which they killed one another took place when a crowd gathered together, so too it took place on Shabbat, when they gather; and therefore

on a Festival also

they decreed because

there is a gathering.

And we challenge: If so,

a public fast,

which also

has a gathering

for prayer,

should be prohibited

by the decree concerning the sandal?

And we answer: The

incident

of the killing with a sandal

was

at a gathering involving prohibition,

for it was at a time when labor was prohibited, whereas

here,

on a public fast,

it was a gathering involving permission,

and it is not similar to the incident that occurred.

And

the decree that they decreed also on a Festival applies

even according to Rabbi Hanina ben Akiva, who says

regarding the decree of the Sages that they decreed not to carry on a boat the water of the red heifer because of an incident that occurred [when the water of the red heifer was carried on a boat, and an olive-bulk of a corpse was found embedded in the bottom of the boat, and the water became impure], and Rabbi Hanina held that they

prohibited it only on the Jordan and on a boat, as in the incident that occurred.

Nevertheless, Rabbi Hanina agrees here, regarding the decree concerning the sandal, that they decreed also concerning a Festival.

Because one must distinguish:

this applies to the Jordan,

which they decreed specifically concerning it,

because it is different

in its width or depth from other rivers.

But a Festival and Shabbat—

they are alike.

For

this

we learned

in Tractate Megilla:

There is no difference between a Festival and Shabbat except

the permitting of labor for the sake of

food alone.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel:

Since the Sages decreed only in a manner resembling the event on account of which they came to decree, one must distinguish regarding the decree concerning the sandal:

They taught

in the Mishna that one may not go out

except

with a sandal whose nails are made

to strengthen

the heel, for that is how the incident occurred when they were killed by means of the sandal.

But

nails made

for adornment—

it is permitted

to go out with this sandal.

And how many

nails should there be in the sandal

for adornment,

so that it is permitted to go out with it? The amoraim disagreed about this:

Rabbi Yohanan said: Five in this one and five in this one,

in each sandal.

And Rabbi Hanina said: Seven in this one and seven in this one—

in each sandal.

Rabbi Yohanan said to Rav Shemen bar Abba: I will explain it to you:

As for me,

where are the five nails in the sandal placed?

Two on this side,

on the outer side—one beside the toes and one beside the heel.

And two on this side,

on the inner side, toward between the legs.

And one in its straps,

in the straps.

Whereas

according to Rabbi Hanina,

who holds that one may go out with a sandal containing seven nails in each sandal—

three on this side,

toward the outside,

and three on this side,

toward the inside,

and one in its straps,

in the straps.

MeitivI

to challenge Rabbi Yohanan.

It was taught in a

beraita:

A sandal that is inclined,

in which the thickness is not equal throughout the sandal and one must raise it so that it will be equal throughout—

make seven

according to the statement of Rabbi Natan.

And Rabbi permits thirteen

nails.

And the challenge is:

Granted, according to Rabbi Hanina, who says

seven nails

in accordance with Rabbi Natan.

But Rabbi Yohanan, who says

five nails—

in accordance with whom

does he rule?

And we answer:

He,

Rabbi Yohanan,

speaks in accordance with Rabbi Nehorai.

As it was taught: Rabbi Nehorai says: Five

nails

are permitted, and seven are forbidden.

Ife said

that was his name]

to Rabba bar bar Hana: You, the students of Rabbi Yohanan,

do

five

in accordance with Rabbi Yohanan. We—

shall do

seven

in accordance with Rabbi

Hanina.

Rav Huna asked Rav Ashi:

According to Rabbi Hanina,

five

nails in a sandal—

what is

the law concerning going out with it on Shabbat?

He said to him: Even seven

nails

are permitted,

and all the more so five.

He asked him further:

Nine

nails—

what

is the law concerning going out with it? He said to him:

Even eight are forbidden.

A certain shoemaker asked Rabbi Ami: If he sewed it

to the sandal

from the inside,

in a leather shoe—

what is

the law concerning putting nails in it?

He said to him:

I heard from Rabbi Yohanan that in such a manner it is

permitted.

But I do not know the reason

why he permitted it.

Rav Ashi said to him: And

why

does the Master not know the reason

why Rabbi Yohanan permitted it?

The reason for the permission is:

Since he sewed it

to the sandal

from the inside, it is a shoe.

And only

with regard to a sandal did the Sages decree

in resemblance to the incident that occurred, but

with regard to a shoe the Sages did not decree.

Rabbi Abba bar Zavda asked Rabbi Abba bar Avina: If he made

the nail

like a calbus,

whose two ends he bends and drives both of them into the sandal—

what is

the law concerning going out with it on Shabbat?

He said to him: It is permitted,

since it has been changed from other nails, it does not resemble the incident that occurred, and they did not decree concerning it.

It was likewise stated: Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Hanina said: If he made it like a calbus, it is permitted.

Rav Sheshet said: If he covered it

the sandal

entirely

from below

with nails so that the ground would not consume it,

the sandal—

it is permitted.

It was taught in accordance with Rav Sheshet: A man may not go out in a nail-studded sandal, and he may not stroll

in the sandal

from house to house.

Moreover,

even from bed to bed

within the house it is forbidden to put on this sandal.

But one may move it to cover a vessel with it and to support the legs of a bed,

and there is no prohibition of muktzeh concerning it, because it is a “vessel.”

And Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Shimon prohibits

moving it for any use whatsoever—a decree lest one come to put it on.

If most of its nails fell out, and four or five remained in it,

nails—

it is permitted. [This will be explained below.]

And

And Rabbi permits

even if

as many as seven remained.

If he covered it with leather from below and fixed nails in it from above—

it is permitted,

for it is not like that sandal which was involved in the incident on account of which the Sages decreed the decree concerning a sandal.

If he made it like a calbus, or like a plate, or like

a peg, or if he covered it entirely with nails so that the ground would not consume it—

it is permitted.

And we consider the matter:

This itself

of the

beraita

is difficult.

You said: If most of its nails fell out,

it is permitted, implying that in every case in which only a “minority” of the nails remained, it is permitted,

even though many

nails

remained in it,

more than four or five.

And then it teaches

that specifically if

four or five remained it is permitted, implying that if

remain, implying that if

more, it is not

the case that the Sages permitted it.

Rav Sheshet said: It is not difficult:

Here,

where they permitted it if most of the nails fell out—

when they were blunted—

the majority of the nail was broken off at its upper part, and they permitted it because the nails did not remain in their original form.

Here—

where they prohibited it if more than five nails remained—when

they were uprooted,

the nails having been removed from their places, so that it is now not recognizable that there had previously been additional nails; and whenever the change is not recognizable, its law is like that of a sandal in which nails were initially made, and they did not permit more than five.

We learned in a

beraita: If

four or five

nails remained in it—

it is permitted.

And we consider the matter:

Now, five

nails

are permitted; is four a question?

And what is the novelty in the

Tosafot noted that in many places there is such wording, with two numbers stated to emphasize the novelty, and the Gemara does not ask why they mentioned the number that contains less novelty than the other? And they answered that ordinarily such wording means even these two numbers and even more than them; but here, since it is impossible to explain that the intention is even more than five, the Gemara asks why the

beraita wrote four.

Rav Hisda said: If four

nails remained,

from a small sandal—

and five from a large sandal.

We learned in a

beraita:

And Rabbi permits up to seven.

And it is difficult:

But was it not taught

in the earlier

beraita concerning an inclined sandal:

Rabbi permits up to thirteen? And we answer: An inclined sandal,

inclined, in which the nails are made to straighten it and not to strengthen it—

is different—

is different.

Now that you have come to this,

that there is a distinction between an ordinary sandal and an inclined sandal,

there is no difficulty for Rabbi Yohanan either—

the earlier question of the

Gemara: In accordance with whom is Rabbi Yohanan? Not in accordance with Rabbi and not in accordance with Rabbi Natan. And now it can be resolved that Rabbi Yohanan, who said that permission was given only with five nails, was speaking about an ordinary sandal, and

an inclined one is different,

for Rabbi Natan permitted up to seven in it.

Rav Mattana said, and some say that Rav Aḥadvoi bar Mattana said in the name of Rav Mattana: The halakha does not follow Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Shimon,

who decreed a prohibition against moving a nail-studded sandal lest one come to put it on.

And we consider the matter:

Obviously,

the halakha does not follow him, for the Sages disagreed with him, and it is an obvious rule that

when an individual and the majority disagree, the halakha follows the majority!?

And we answer:

It might have been said

that here, since

the reasoning of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Shimon is persuasive,

in this matter

the halakha follows him.

It teaches us

that here too the halakha follows the majority.

Rabbi Hiyya said: If they had not called me

the people of the Land of Israel by the nickname

“Babylonian, permitter of prohibitions”,

because Rabbi Hiyya was from Babylonia,

I would permit it

in the sandal—

many

nails.

And how many

would Rabbi Hiyya permit? When he was

in Pumbedita—

they said: twenty-four

nails—it is permitted.

When he was

in Sura,

on the way to the Land of Israel—

they said: twenty-two

nails are permitted.

Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak said: And your mnemonic

for the number of nails that Rabbi Hiyya permitted is:

By the time he came from Pumbedita to Sura,

two were missing.

For on his way to the Land of Israel, between Pumbedita and Sura, two nails fell out of his sandal.

We learned in the Mishna:

And he may not

go out

in a

sandal

alone when there is no wound on his foot.

Two reasons were stated for the prohibition against going out in a single shoe on Shabbat:

A.

So that his companions should not suspect him that his other sandal is in his hand and that he is violating the prohibition of carrying out.

B.

Lest his companions laugh at him for going out in a single sandal, and he come to remove the single sandal and carry it out in his hands [Rashi above in the Mishna, page 60a].