R. Eliezer b. Yaakov says: Water may be routed from [under one] tree to [a different] tree, [for this does not entail too much exertion], so long as he does not water the entire field. [We are speaking of a beth haba'al field, which does not deteriorate (by not being watered), for the rains suffice for it; it is just that when it is watered, it is richer.] Seeds which were not watered before Chol Hamoed, [not perishing (by not being watered)] may not be watered on Chol Hamoed. The sages permit it in both instances, [i.e., even if they were not watered, and even with a beth haba'al, the sages permitting enrichment. The halachah is in accordance with R. Eliezer b. Yaakov, for the anonymous Mishnah (1:1) is in accordance with him. However, a moist field, whose soil is viscid, may be watered on Chol Hamoed even according to R. Eliezer b. Yaakov, being akin to "seeds that were watered before Chol Hamoed."]
Bartenura on Mishnah Moed Katan
מושכין את המים – that is underneath the tree, and this is for another tree, where there is no strenuous labor, but he should not water the entire field, and we are speaking of a field sufficiently watered by rain, which does not suffer loss, for the rain waters are sufficient for it, but when we water it, there is great and liberal provision.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Moed Katan
Introduction
This mishnah returns to the subject of irrigating during the festival. As an aside, the fact that the first three mishnayot of this tractate are dedicated to this subject testifies to how crucial irrigation was in Israel, especially during Sukkot and Pesah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Moed Katan
לא שתו – there was no loss
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English Explanation of Mishnah Moed Katan
Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: they may draw water from [one] tree to [another] tree, as long as they don’t water the whole field. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov holds that if a lot of water had collected around one tree, they were allowed to draw the water from that tree to another tree, because this is not a lot of work. However, one cannot use this way of watering to water the entire field, because that would be too much work.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Moed Katan
בזה ובזה – even if they had not drunk [water] and even a field that is sufficiently watered by rain, and because of the liberal provision the Sages permitted it. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov. And the anonymous Mishnah (i.e., Mishnah 1): We water the irrigated field that is above is according to him (i.e., Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov). However, a moist field whose ground is like plaster/clay/mud, it is permitted to water it during the Festival, and even according to Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov, for they are considered like seeds that drank [water] before the Festival.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Moed Katan
Seeds that have not had [any] drink before the festival, he may not water them during the festival. The sages however allow it in both cases. If he planted seeds before the festival but had not yet watered them, then he cannot water them during the festival, because they will do fine without being watered. The seeds don’t start to open until the first time they are watered. However, if he has watered them already, then he may continue to water them during the festival, because if he does not, they will die. This illustrates an important principle if something will be lost, it is usually permitted to do that given work on the festival. The sages allow the seeds to be watered even if they had not yet been watered before the festival. They allow this for one of two reasons: 1) they think the seeds will be lost; 2) they think that it is not a significant amount of work.
