An egg that was hatched on yom tov [after Shabbath] — Beth Shammai say: It may be eaten; Beth Hillel say: It may not be eaten. [The rationale of Beth Hillel: Every egg that is hatched today is completed the day before, so that Shabbath is found to have "prepared" for yom tov; but Scripture states (Exodus 16:5): "And it shall be on the sixth day, that they shall prepare (for Shabbath) what they shall bring" — and the sixth day is generally chol (mundane, not a holy day) — whence: Chol prepares for Shabbath, and chol prepares for yom tov (which is also called "Shabbath"), but yom tov does not prepare for Shabbath and Shabbath does not prepare for yom tov. And preparation of the type of the egg, even though it is in the hands of Heaven, is, nonetheless, called "preparation." However, since Shabbath and yom tov are distinctive, their meal requires preparation in chol, and one of them may not prepare for the other, even preparation in the hands of Heaven — but a meal of chol is not distinctive and does not require preparation, so that on a Sunday in general, which is not a yom tov, an egg hatched on it is not to be forbidden because it was prepared on Shabbath, for the Torah does not require preparation for a meal of chol from the day before. And they forbade an egg hatched on any yom tov, even not after Shabbath — a decree by reason of yom tov after Shabbath. Likewise, they forbade sucking raw an egg hatched on any Shabbath — a decree by reason of Shabbath after yom tov. And with Shabbath and yom tov, one following the other, an egg hatched on the first is forbidden on the second. And the same holds with the two days of Rosh Hashanah. But with the two yom tov days of exile, where, perforce, one of them is chol, an egg hatched on the first is permitted on the second.] Beth Shammai say: Se'or (leavening) (is forbidden) with the size of an olive, and chametz (leavened food), with the size of a date. [In respect to eating, all agree that both are forbidden with an olive size, Scripture beginning with se'or and concluding with chametz, viz. (Exodus 12:19): "Se'or shall not be found in your houses, for all who eat chametz, etc." — to apprise us that (in respect to eating) se'or and chametz are one and the same. Where do they differ? In respect to removal. Beth Shammai hold that since (in respect to removal) Scripture wrote of both, se'or and chametz (Ibid. 13:7) rather than writing that chametz, the lesser "leavening," must be removed, whereby we could infer a fortiori that se'or, the greater "leavening," must of a certainty be removed — it must be that the (forbidden) size of one is not the same as that of the other, (the halachah of) removal not being derived from (that of) eating. And Beth Hillel hold that both (are forbidden) with an olive size, removal being derived from eating. And because these (first) three things are among the lenient rulings of Beth Shammai and the stringent rulings of Beth Hillel in respect to yom tov, they are adduced together.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
ביצה שנולדה ביו"ט – [on Yom Tov] which is after Shabbat is what we are dealing with. And the reason of the School of Hillel which states “it may not be eaten,” because an egg laid today was fully developed yesterday (Talmud Betzah 2b), and it results that Shabbat would prepare for Yom Tov, and the Torah states (Exodus 16:5): “But on the sixth day, when they apportion [what they have brought in, it shall prove to be double the amount they gather each day],” for a regular Friday is a weekday, on a weekday one prepares for Shabbat, and on a weekday one prepares for a Yom Tov/Festival, for a Festival is also called Shabbat, one does not prepare on a Yom Tov for Shabbat nor does one prepare on Shabbat for a Yom Tov. And preparation like this of the egg, even though it is in the hands of heaven, it is called preparation. However, Shabbat and Yom Tov are important, as they require that their meals have preparation/designation on a weekday, and on one of them, one can prepare for its fellow, even with preparation at the hands of heaven, but the meal of a weekday is not considered important nor does it require preparation. Therefore, on a mere Sunday which is not a Holy Day, we don’t forbid an egg that was laid on that day because it was completed on Shabbat, but the meal of a weekday, the all-Merciful does not require preparation while it is still daylight. But they (i.e., the Rabbis) an egg that was laid on any Holy Day/Yom Tov, and even though it is not after the Shabbat, as a decree because of a Holy Day that comes after the Sabbath. And similarly, they forbade an egg that was laid on every Sabbath to quaff/swallow a living animal, as a decree because of a Shabbat that comes after a Yom Tov. For a Sabbath and a Holy Day that are juxtaposed one to the other, an egg that is laid on this one is forbidden [to be eaten] on that one. And similarly, the two days Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah, but the second Holy Days of the Diaspora that whatever be your opinion one of them is a weekday, and an egg that is laid on this one is permitted on that one.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
Introduction
The first part of the first mishnah of Betzah is about its namesake, an egg born on Yom Tov. The second part is associated with the first part because both contain debates between Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel, and in both Bet Hillel rules strictly.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
שאור בכזית – as regarding eating, everyone does not dispute that both this (leaven) and that (leavened bread) are [forbidden] with an olive’s bulk, for since the Biblical verse begins with שאור/leaven and concludes with חמץ/leavened bread. “No leaven shall be found in your houses [for seven days]. For whoever eats what is leavened, [that person shall be cut off from the community of Israel],” to tell you that this is “leaven” and that is which is leavened, as is the case with the one is also the case with the other. But they (i.e., the Schools of Hillel and Shammai) argue regarding removal, as the School of Shammai holds that since the All-Merciful has written for both leaven and that which is leavened, and to write [the word] Hametz/leavened product, for its that which is a strong leavening agent (see Talmud Betzah 7b), and despite this, one is obligated to remove it, and it is an a fortiori for leaven which is a strong leavening agent, but we learn from this that the measurement for the one is not like the measurement of the other, and we don’t derive removal [of Hametz] from eating. But the School of Hillel holds that both (i.e. שאור וחמץ) [are forbidden] by an olive’s bulk, as we derive removal from eating. But because that these three things are of the liberal opinions of the School of Shammai and the of the stringencies of the School of Hillel regarding the Yom Tov, they are taught together.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
An egg laid on Yom Tov: Bet Shammai say: it may be eaten [on the same day]; But Bet Hillel say: it may not be eaten [until the day is over]. According to Bet Shammai, just as it is permitted to slaughter a chicken on Yom Tov, it is also permitted to eat an egg that is laid on Yom Tov. In other words, the chicken and everything in it is permitted on Yom Tov. In contrast, Bet Hillel hold that while the chicken itself is permitted, the egg that is laid is prohibited. The egg is what is called “nolad” it is born, or new, something that was not there when Yom Tov began and hence was not set aside for use at the beginning of Yom Tov. This prohibition is similar to muktzeh the idea that something that was not set aside before Yom Tov to be used on Yom Tov may not be used on Yom Tov.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
בכותבת – date palm.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
Bet Shammai say: [the quantity of] leaven is of the size of an olive and leavened bread is of the size of a date; But Bet Hillel say: both are of the size of an olive. Exodus 13:7 says, “No leavened bread shall be seen with you and no leaven shall be found in all your territory.” The verse mentions two things: the leavening agent (starter dough) and the leavened bread, both of which are prohibited. According to Bet Shammai the point of the verse is to teach that the two prohibitions are different. Leaven is prohibited at the size of an olive, whereas leavened bread is prohibited at a larger amount, the size of a date. Beth Hillel hold that in both cases an olive’s worth is prohibited. Note that smaller amounts are not permitted either. A smaller amount is still forbidden but one who consumes a smaller amount has not transgressed the Biblical prohibition of leaven or leavened bread on Passover.
