A man may count his guests and his portions verbally, but not from a memo. [If he wrote on Sabbath eve: "Such and such guests, etc." so that he not forget them, he may not read from that memo on Shabbath — a decree, lest he erase. Or else, because he might come to read "secular notes," and on Shabbath it is permitted to read only the written Law and the oral Law (after it was written down), and their commentaries. But other things, or books of wisdom which are not of words of prophecy or their exegeses are forbidden.] And one may cast lots at the table [(to determine who will get which portion)] with his children and family members, [who are "regulars" at his table and who are not overly particular; but not with others, for members of a group who are fastidious with each other, who are not forgiving and yielding with each other, transgress through measuring, weighing, numbering, lending, and paying, the rabbis having decreed against these lest he write.], so long as he not intend a large portion against a small portion, because of gambling. [Our Mishnah is wanting. This is what is meant: "One may cast lots with his children and with his household members at the table, even a large portion against a small portion — but only with his children and household members and not with others. And only if he not intend a large portion against a small portion." It is only then that it is forbidden on a festival and permitted on a weekday. But if he intends a large portion against a small portion, it is forbidden even on a weekday, because of gambling. For this is akin to theft, and asmachta ("reliance") does not effect acquisition. This instance is one of asmachta, for he "relies" on the lot's falling on the large portion, for which reason he acquiesces in the possibility of its falling on the small portion, too. But if he knew ab initio that this would occur, he would not acquiesce.] And it is permitted to cast lots (chalashim) on a festival [upon offerings that were slaughtered on the festival, for distribution among the Cohanim. ("chalashim":) lots, as in (Isaiah 14:12): "Cholesh ('He casts lots') upon the nations."], but not on the portions [of the offerings of the day before.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
פרפרותיו – kinds of dainties/sweets.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
Introduction
This mishnah has to do with reckoning certain types of accounts on Shabbat.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
אבל לא מן הכתב – if he wrote it from the Eve of the Sabbath (i.e., Friday): “so-and-so are guests” so that he would not forget, he should not read from the same document on the Sabbath, as a preventive measure lest he erase it; alternatively, lest he read private (not Hebrew) documents for it is prohibited to read anything on Shabbat other than the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, but other things or works of scholars that are not from the words of the prophets or their commentaries are forbidden (see Tractate Shabbat 149a).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
A man may count his guests and his appetizers/desserts by word, but not from writing. A host may want to count his guests or his food before or while the meal is being served. He may do so but he may not count them from a written list. The Tosefta explains that this is forbidden because it is acting on Shabbat the way one acts during the week. In the Talmud they explain that if he reads from a written list and sees that someone is not there or hears that they are not coming, he may erase their name from the list, a prohibited activity on Shabbat. Alternatively, he may grow accustomed to reading bills, lists and other types of business documents that a person should not read on Shabbat.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
A man may cast lots with his sons and the members of his household on the table, provided that he does not make a large portion against a small one, because of gambling. This section deals with casting lots for who will get to choose his portion of meat first and who will get the largest portion. We should note that this was an important issue in eating customs at the time and we hear a lot from contemporary sources about people complaining that they didn’t get a good portion. The head of the household or any other person may cast lots on Shabbat for who gets what portion, but he should not make the portions a disparate size to begin with, hoping that he will get the bigger portion, because this is a type of gambling. Gambling is always problematic according to Jewish law, but it certainly shouldn’t be done on Shabbat.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
עם בניו ועם בני ביתו – for they are dependent upon his table for there is no legal objection, but with others one cannot [do so], for members of the group that are strict with each other for they do not pardon and do not renounce each other, violate this because of the measurement and the weight and the number because they loan and collect and the Rabbis decreed on this lest they write it down.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
And [priests] may cast lots for sacrifices on festivals, but not for the portions. The priests could cast lots over who would get which sacrifice of the sacrifices offered on a festival. However, they may not cast lots on the festival over the sacrifices offered the day before, since they could have cast the lots then. As we have learned many times, anything that could be done before the holiday may not be done on the holiday itself.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
ובלבד שלא יתכוין וכו' – Our Mishnah is deficient, and should be read as follows: a person may conduct a lottery with his children and with the members of his household [dependent] upon his table and even a large portion corresponding to a small portion and specifically with his children and the members of his household, but not with others, provided that he does not intend to make a large portion correspond with a small portion, which is forbidden even on weekdays because dice-playing is theft and collateral security with the condition of forfeiture beyond the amount to be secured does not purchase/gives no title and this is a collateral security with the condition of forfeiture beyond the amount to be secured that is dependent upon the lottery if the lottery will fall to him on the large portion, he will be worthy of it, and therefore, he has left himself in doubt even for a lottery for a small portion through doubt , for had he known from the outset that this would be the case, he would not have accepted it.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
חלשים – lotteries such as (Isaiah 14:12): “A vanquisher of nations.”
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
על הקדשים ביום טוב – that were slaughtered on Yom Tov/the Festival Day to distribute/divide them among the Kohanim.
