The fourth perek of Shabbat (47b–51b) discusses hatmanah, insulating hot food on Shabbat. Materials that add their own heat may not be used. Why not?
Rava establishes on Shabbat 34a–b that there are two rabbinic decrees against hatmanah. One decree applies to insulating materials that add heat, which may not even be used from Friday going into Shabbat. The other decree applies to materials that insulate without adding heat, which may be used on Friday but not once Shabbat starts. The fourth perek then defines which materials add heat and which don't.
Showing posts with label Shabbat 02. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shabbat 02. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
The safek of bein ha-shemashot
Shabbat 34–35 discusses the laws of bein ha-shemashot, the period of twilight between sunset and full darkness. This time has a status of safek, uncertainty, when it comes to laws that depend on the time being day or night. There was no way I was going to skip a sugya on uncertainty.
A berayta on 34b states:
Bein ha-shemashot is a three-sided safek: it might be fully day, it might be fully night, and it might be some combination of the two. In any question of halakhah we treat it stringently, as either one, or the other, or both of the days that it bridges.
There are two main shittot on understanding the side of the safek that bein ha-shemashot could be both days. Rabbeinu Tam understands the safek to be that any moment between sunset and nightfall could be the dividing line for when the previous day ends and the new day begins. The Ritva (as understood by some aharonim based on a comment on Yoma 47b) understands the safek to be that the entire period of bein ha-shemashot might be ruled as both days intertwined, just as an adroginus might be ruled both male and female.
In this post I discuss Rashi's shittah on how this safek works. It's a shittah whose meaning is, well...uncertain.
A berayta on 34b states:
תנו רבנן: בין השמשות ספק מן היום ומן הלילה, ספק כולו מן היום, ספק כולו מן הלילה - מטילין אותו לחומר שני ימים.
Bein ha-shemashot is a three-sided safek: it might be fully day, it might be fully night, and it might be some combination of the two. In any question of halakhah we treat it stringently, as either one, or the other, or both of the days that it bridges.
There are two main shittot on understanding the side of the safek that bein ha-shemashot could be both days. Rabbeinu Tam understands the safek to be that any moment between sunset and nightfall could be the dividing line for when the previous day ends and the new day begins. The Ritva (as understood by some aharonim based on a comment on Yoma 47b) understands the safek to be that the entire period of bein ha-shemashot might be ruled as both days intertwined, just as an adroginus might be ruled both male and female.
In this post I discuss Rashi's shittah on how this safek works. It's a shittah whose meaning is, well...uncertain.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Adjusting a timer on Shabbat
If you're looking for the laws of a timer on Shabbat, click right on through to the article by Rabbi Michael Broyde. This post discusses a related hava amina that caught my interest while learning today's daf.
The Mishnah on Shabbat 29b quotes a dispute about setting up a vessel to drip oil into your lamp:
The explanation of most commentators is that you may come to take the oil from the vessel, and thus violate the prohibition of extinguishing, mekhabbeh. Rashi here:
The Mishnah on Shabbat 29b quotes a dispute about setting up a vessel to drip oil into your lamp:
לֹא יִקֹּב אָדָם שְׁפוֹפֶרֶת שֶׁל בֵּיצָה וִימַלְאֶנָּה שֶׁמֶן וְיִתְּנֶנָּה עַל פִּי הַנֵּר בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁתְּהֵא מְנַטֶפֶת, אֲפִלּוּ הִיא שֶׁל חֶרֶס. וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה מַתִּיר. אֲבָל אִם חִבְּרָהּ הַיּוֹצֵר מִתְּחִלָּה, מֻתָּר, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא כֶלִי אֶחָד.
The explanation of most commentators is that you may come to take the oil from the vessel, and thus violate the prohibition of extinguishing, mekhabbeh. Rashi here:
שתהא מנטפת — ויתקיים הנר, שתהא השמן מטפטף כל שעה לתוך הנר, וטעמא משום גזרה, שמא יסתפק הימנו, וכיון שהקצהו לנר - חייב משום מכבה, ואפילו אותה שפופרת של חרס דמאיסא ליה גזרינן.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Wool vs. cotton for your tallit katan
The Torah has several laws about beged, cloth. The most specific is about tsara'at, which affects cloth of wool or linen:
The Talmud on Shabbat 26b presents a binyan av from that verse to teach that all mentions of beged in the Torah refer specifically to wool and linen. This applies to three other verses about tum'ah on a beged, and another verse saying that tsitsit goes on a beged. They all mean a wool or linen beged.
Everyone agrees to this binyan av. But the halakhot in these verses can still affect other materials, like cotton, when ribbuyim come into play. The question of which materials of which sizes are mekabbel which types of tum'ah is a huge debate on 26a–27b. Here are some charts (PDF). There's an even better chart in the footnotes of Mesivta.
The most practical example for nowadays is that of tsitsit. Is cotton acceptible for the beged of a tallit kattan? Or should you insist on wool?
וְהַבֶּגֶד כִּי יִהְיֶה בוֹ נֶגַע צָרָעַת בְּבֶגֶד צֶמֶר אוֹ בְּבֶגֶד פִּשְׁתִּים: (ויקרא יג, מז)
The Talmud on Shabbat 26b presents a binyan av from that verse to teach that all mentions of beged in the Torah refer specifically to wool and linen. This applies to three other verses about tum'ah on a beged, and another verse saying that tsitsit goes on a beged. They all mean a wool or linen beged.
Everyone agrees to this binyan av. But the halakhot in these verses can still affect other materials, like cotton, when ribbuyim come into play. The question of which materials of which sizes are mekabbel which types of tum'ah is a huge debate on 26a–27b. Here are some charts (PDF). There's an even better chart in the footnotes of Mesivta.
The most practical example for nowadays is that of tsitsit. Is cotton acceptible for the beged of a tallit kattan? Or should you insist on wool?
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The extra Hanukkah candle
Hanukkah time! Now that it gets dark around 5pm, it feels like the holiday is just around the corner, even though it's over six weeks away. But if you learn Daf Yomi, it's already here! It starts on Shabbat 21!
This post is based on shi'urim that Rav Reuven Taragin gave at Camp Moshava IO during the summer of 2010.
Rava on 21b says that you need "another lamp" in addition to the Hanukkah nerot:
The continuation (by Rava himself?) discusses exceptions:
What is the purpose of this ner aheret?
This post is based on shi'urim that Rav Reuven Taragin gave at Camp Moshava IO during the summer of 2010.
Rava on 21b says that you need "another lamp" in addition to the Hanukkah nerot:
אמר רבא: צריך נר אחרת להשתמש לאורה.
The continuation (by Rava himself?) discusses exceptions:
ואי איכא מדורה - לא צריך, ואי אדם חשוב הוא, אף על גב דאיכא מדורה - צריך נר אחרת.
What is the purpose of this ner aheret?
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Beginning with Berakhot
The Talmud Bavli begins with an important question: תנא היכא קאי?
Literally, "where was the Tanna standing" when he started this discussion?
The question applies directly to the opening line of the Mishnah, about the times for keri'at Shema at night. The Gemara answers that the Tanna was coming from the verse in the Torah that requires keri'at Shema twice a day.
But the question also applies to the first perek, the first massekhet, and the first seder. Why do we begin the Talmud here? Why with Shema? Why with Massekhet Berakhot? Why with Seder Zera'im?
The question applies directly to the opening line of the Mishnah, about the times for keri'at Shema at night. The Gemara answers that the Tanna was coming from the verse in the Torah that requires keri'at Shema twice a day.
But the question also applies to the first perek, the first massekhet, and the first seder. Why do we begin the Talmud here? Why with Shema? Why with Massekhet Berakhot? Why with Seder Zera'im?
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