Clothes may be sent (on yom tov), whether sewn [and fit to be worn] or not sewn [and fit for covering], even if they contain kilayim (a forbidden admixture of materials) [When they are stiff and do not add warmth, it is permitted to lie upon them], so long as they be for the need of the festival. But one may not send a nailed sandal [a sandal of wood covered with nails, the sages having decreed against its being worn on Shabbath and yom tov because of a particular occurrence in which it brought about the death of Jewish martyrs (Shabbath 6b)], nor a sandal which is not sewn, [even if it is held together with wooden pegs or the like]. R. Yehudah says: Nor (may he send) a white shoe, for it requires a craftsman (to blacken it)]. This is the rule: Whatever can be enjoyed may be sent on yom tov. [This is what is meant: Whatever can be enjoyed on a weekday, as it is, without requiring further work, even though it cannot be enjoyed on yom tov (such as tefillin, which can be worn during the week as they are, but which are not worn on yom tov) may be sent on yom tov.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
משלחין כלים תפורין – that are appropriate for clothing, and which are not sewn are appropriate for covering.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
Introduction
The final mishnah of chapter one discusses sending clothing as a gift on Yom Tov.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
כלאים – when they are hard and they don’t make warm, it is permissible to lie on them.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
One may send clothes, whether they are sewn up or not sewn up, and even though there is kil'ayim (mixed wool and in them, provided they are necessary for the festival. On Yom Tov one may send even unfinished clothing which hasn’t been fully sewn because it can be used as a covering, such as a blanket. One can even send clothing that is forbidden to wear because it has a mixture of wool and linen (kilayim, also called shatnez). Although it is forbidden to wear such clothing, it is permitted to hang it up as a decoration and in certain cases to lie on top of it. In other words, as long as there is some potential use to the clothing, he may use it on Yom Tov.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
סנדל מסומר – of wood covered with nails. For the Sages decreed concerning it that one should not wear it on the Sabbath and the Festival Day, because of an event that occurred where those killed by the [Roman] Kingdom were killed by it, as it is explained in Tractate Shabbat 60a – in the chapter “How a woman goes out” (chapter 6).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
But [one may] not [send] nailed sandals nor unfinished shoes. Sandals that have nails in them were not worn on Yom Tov. These seem to have been some sort of work shoe and since one doesn’t work on Yom Tov, one can’t wear them. Since they cannot be worn, they cannot be sent to friends either.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
ולא מנעל שאינו תפור – and one that was attached by pegs made of wood and similar kinds of things.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
Rabbi Judah says: not even white shoes because they [still] require an artisan [to blacken them]. Rabbi Judah says even shoes that are only missing the “finishing touches”, such as white shoes that need to be blackened, cannot be sent on Yom Tov because they are not generally worn.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
אף לא מנעל לבן – in the place of Rabbi Yehuda, they would not wear white shoes until they blacken it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
This is the general rule: whatever may be used on Yom Tov may [also] be sent [on Yom Tov]. This is the general rule that summarizes the entire mishnah. If the object could be used as is on Yom Tov, then it can’t be sent. But if it is missing some step in its preparation then it may not be sent because it is not generally used.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
שצריך אומן – to blacken it.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
כל שנאותין – this is how it should be understood: All that is permitted to be used on weekdays like it is and does not require other work [done to it], even though they are not permitted to be used on Festival Days, such as Tefillin, which on weekdays one wears as they are and on Festival Days, one does not wear them, we send them on the Festival Day (see Talmud Betzah 15a).
