It is permitted to scrape out [the manger on Shabbath] before an ox being fattened, [so that the sediment in the manger not become intermixed with the hay and barley that is placed before it and cause it to recoil from the feed], and it [the hay in front of the animal] may be moved aside [when there is an abundance of it, so that it not be trodden and sullied with excrement.] These are the words of R. Dossa; and the sages forbid it. [This refers to both, scraping out the manger and moving the hay aside. And R. Dossa and the sages differ only with a vessel-manger, but with a ground manger, they all agree that one may not scrape it out, for he might come to make holes. And the sages decree against a vessel-manger by reason of (his possibly coming to do so with) a ground manger. The halachah is in accordance with the sages.] (Food) may be taken from before one beast and placed before a different beast on Shabbath. [And we do not regard this as vain moving (on Shabbath). It is certainly not vain, for an animal does not reject food taken from another. This applies only if he takes it from before an ass and places it before an ox, and the like, but not vice versa. For the food of the ox is fouled with the spittle of its mouth, and the ass does not eat of it.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
גורפין – on the Sabbath, the feeding receptacle/manger that is in front of the ox, we fatten it so that it will not become combined with the sandy matter in the grain that is in the manger in the straw and barley that we place before him and he will cut himself in his food and we remove the straw that is before him to the sides when there is a lot of it so that the animal will not tread on it with his foot and become dirty from the excrement.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
Introduction
This mishnah discusses cleaning out a trough for an animal on Shabbat. The mishnah is placed here due to the end of yesterday’s mishnah which also discussed a trough.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
וחכמים אוסרים – it refers to both – cleaning out the manger and the straw that is in front of him (i.e., the animal), he should not sweep it to the sides but Rabbi Sosa and the Sages only argued with regard to the real manger (see Talmud Shabbat 140b in Rashi – as opposed to a piece of ground fenced in and used as a manger/אבוס של קרקע ). But a piece of ground that is fenced in and used as a manger, all agree that we do not clean it out, lest one make indentations/holes, , but the Rabbis decreed that a real manger is just like a piece of ground that is fenced in and used as a manger. But the Halakha is according to the Sages.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
One may rake out [the trough] for a stall ox, and move [the remnants] aside for the sake of a grazing [ox], the words of Rabbi Dosa. But the sages prohibit it. One may sweep out the trough of the remnants that are left over after the a previous feeding so that the old food the ox would not eat before doesn’t become mixed with the food given to it in the current feeding. A “stall ox” is one that is being fattened up by giving it high quality food. Since it is rather “fussy”, Rabbi Dosa allows its trough to be cleaned out on Shabbat. A “grazing” ox is less fussy and used to dirtier food and hence one may not completely rake out the trough on its behalf. However, one may move the remnants to the side so that they don’t get mixed up with the next feeding. The sages prohibit both of these things because of sweeping and raking on Shabbat. The problem is that by sweeping or raking one may come to fill up a hole, an activity prohibited on Shabbat.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
נוטלים מלפני בהמה זו ונותנין לפני זו – and we don’t say that it does not appear like carrying , because it really appears like it, because an animal is not set aside with food that is taken from its fellow [animal]. And specifically, from before a donkey and we place it (i.e., the food) before a ox, and similarly to it, but not something that is before the ox and placing it before the donkey, for the food of an ox is detestable with the spittle that comes out of its mouth, and the donkey will not eat of it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
One may take [food] from one animal and place it before another animal on Shabbat. One may move food from one trough to another on Shabbat. We might have thought that this is prohibited because it is carrying without purpose. However, since one animal will generally eat food which has already been put in front of another animal, this is not considered “carrying without a purpose” and it is permitted.
