It is permitted to break a jug (on Shabbath), [this being "mekalkel" (damaging)] in order to eat figs from it, so long as he not intend to make a vessel [i.e., to make a nice opening for it]. And it is forbidden to puncture a stopper of a (wine jug) [i.e., the stopper which is sealed onto the mouth of the jug; but he removes it all, for puncturing the stopper is (considered) fashioning an opening.] These are the words of R. Yehudah. R. Yossi permits it, [this not being the conventional opening. The halachah is in accordance with R. Yossi.] And he may not puncture it from its side. [That is, R. Yossi permits puncturing it only from the top, at the head of the stopper, it not being customary to fashion an opening there, but rather to remove the entire stopper. But, on the side, sometimes one does puncture the side of the stopper to make an opening (not wanting to open it on top so that pebbles or sand not fall into the wine.)] And if it were punctured, he is not permitted to place wax upon it, this being memareach ("smearing") [forbidden by reason of memachek ("erasing")]. R. Yehudah said: Such an instance [placing wax, etc.] came before R. Yochanan b. Zakkai in Arav, and he said: "I fear that he might be liable for a sin-offering" [if he smeared wax to fasten it to the walls of the vessel around the hole.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
שובר אדם את החבית – because it is damaged.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
Introduction
This mishnah teaches that one may break open a container to get food out of it, but one may not break open the container in such a way that the container becomes a vessel. Making a vessel is prohibited on Shabbat but ruining vessels is permitted, so long as there is a purpose to ruining them, like getting the food out.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
ובלבד שלא יתכוין לעשותה כלי – to make for it a nice spout.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
A man may break open a cask in order to eat dried figs from it, provided that he does not intend to make the cask into a vessel. Since breaking the ceramic cask ruins it, she may break it open in order to get out the figs (or whatever else may be inside). However, she may not break it open and leave a nice opening in such a way that the cask becomes a vessel.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
אין נוקבים מגופה – that is attached to the mouth of the barrel, for if he were to pierce it, he would he is repairing the opening.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
And one may not perforate the stopper of a cask, the words of Rabbi Judah. But the sages permit it. Rabbi Judah holds that one may not perforate the ceramic stopper which is on the top of a cask because that is considered making a vessel. What she should do is remove the stopper altogether. The sages allow it because this is not a normal way of making a vessel.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
ר' יוסי מתיר – for it is not the manner for the opening of the barrel with this, and the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yosi.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
And one may not pierce it at its side; All agree that one cannot pierce it at its side. In the Talmud there is a debate whether this refers to the side of the cask or the side of the stopper.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
ולא יקבנה מצדה – that is to say, that which Rabbi Yosi permits to pierce the bung/stopper, is nor permitted other than above at the top of the stopper, for it is not the manner to make an opening there, but rather, he takes the entire bung/stopper, but from its side, as sometimes when he makes a perforation in the side of the bung, because he does not want to open it above so that stones or dirt will not fall into the wine.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
And if it is already perforated one may not place wax upon it, because he smoothes it out. Rabbi Judah said: a case came before Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai in Arav and he said, “I fear [that he may be liable] to a sin-offering.” If the cask/stopper is already perforated she may not spread wax upon it in order to close it up. The problem is that when she pours wax she will also need to smooth it out. The rabbis thought that smoothing out wax was like “erasing” which is prohibited. Rabbi Judah relates a case where a person who perforated a cask/stopper at its side came in front of R. Yohanan ben Zakai and R. Yohanan said that he might be obligated to bring a sin-offering for having unwittingly transgressed Shabbat.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
ממרח – and there is here because of erasing/blotting out.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
בערב – the name of a place.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
חוששני לו מחטאת – if the wax is smoothed over to cleave to the walls of the utensil around the perforation/hole.
