One may drop fruit through the arubah (an aperture) on yom tov, but not on Shabbath. [They permitted one who had fruits or produce spread on his roof for drying, who saw rain coming, to exert himself and throw them to the ground (in his house) through the aperture in his roof, this not entailing great effort. And this, only with an aperture, where the fruit need merely be dropped, but with a window (as with a roof surrounded by a wall with a window in it), where he must lift the fruit to the window and then drop it — so much exertion was not permitted by the rabbis.] And fruits may be covered with vessels (to protect them) from a drip [in the roof. And we do not consider this an exertion not required for yom tov, the rabbis having permitted it because of the monetary loss involved.] The same applies to pitchers of wine and pitchers of oil [i.e., they may be covered (to protect them) from the drip.] And a vessel may be placed under a drip on Shabbath [to collect the water so that the house not be muddied. And if the vessel fills up, he need not hesitate to spill it out and repeat the process.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
משילין פירות דרך ארובה – whomever has fruit or produce spread out on his roof to dry out, and he saw rain coming slowly, they permitted him to go to the trouble and to cast them through an aperture in the roof, and they fall to the ground, for there is no excess trouble, and specifically an aperture, for every aperture is from above to below [in the ceiling of the roof] but a window, such as a roof that is surrounded by partitions and window I in the wall, and one must raise it up to the window to cast it, all of this the Rabbis did not permit and to be painstaking.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
Introduction
This mishnah continues to deal with laws concerning fruit set out to dry and things that one may and may not do with this fruit on Yom Tov.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
ומכסין את הפירות – but we don’t say that it is toil that is not for the needs of the Festival day, but because of the loss of money, the Rabbis permitted it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
One may let down fruit through a trap-door on Yom Tov but not on Shabbat. This section deals with a person who has put his fruit up onto his roof to dry out on Yom Tov and then he sees that it is going to rain. The mishnah allows him to drop the fruit down through a trap-door in the roof because this is not considered to be a lot of work. He would not be allowed to take them down through a window or through the door because this is a greater amount of work. Furthermore, they only allowed this on Yom Tov on Shabbat it was prohibited.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
דלף – rain that drips from the roof.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
And one may cover up fruit with vessels on account of the rain, and likewise jars of wine and jars of oil. One also may cover up fruit, jars of wine and jars of oil if rain is leaking down on them. Covering up fruit or bringing it into the house so it doesn’t get wet are activities done not in order to eat the fruit on Yom Tov, but they are nevertheless permitted in order to prevent the financial loss.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
וכן כדי יין וכדי שמן – that cover them because of the drippings [from the roof].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
And one may place a vessel beneath the drops of rain [even] on Shabbat. On Shabbat one can even put a vessel underneath drops of rain coming down from a leaky roof.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
תחת הדלף – to receive the water so that it should not soil the house. But if the utensil became filled, he pours it out and repeats it and is not prevented [from doing so].
