Shabbat 12

Chapter 12

א הַבּוֹנֶה, כַּמָּה יִבְנֶה וִיהֵא חַיָּב, הַבּוֹנֶה כָּל שֶׁהוּא, וְהַמְסַתֵּת, וְהַמַּכֶּה בַפַּטִּישׁ וּבְמַעֲצָד, הַקּוֹדֵחַ כָּל שֶׁהוּא, חַיָּב. זֶה הַכְּלָל, כָּל הָעוֹשֶׂה מְלָאכָה וּמְלַאכְתּוֹ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת בְּשַׁבָּת, חַיָּב. רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, אַף הַמַּכֶּה בְקֻרְנָס עַל הַסַּדָּן בִּשְׁעַת מְלָאכָה, חַיָּב, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא כִמְתַקֵּן מְלָאכָה:

1 Building [one of the avoth melachoth] — How much must one build in order to be liable? Building, any amount. And mesateth [squaring the stone, or smoothing it and finishing it, all according to the custom of the place — a toldah of makeh bepatish,], and makeh bepatish (striking with the hammer) [the end labor of the stone quarrier. After he quarries and separates the stone from the mountain, he strikes a heavy blow upon it with the hammer and it falls apart. All end-labor on Shabbath is a toldah of makeh bepatish.], and (striking) with an adze (ma'atzad), and boring a hole (kodeach), any amount. [This refers to all of them: mesateth, makeh bepatish uvema'atzad, and hakodeach.] This is the rule: If one performs a labor and his labor "stands" on Shabbath, [requiring no addition], he is liable. R. Shimon b. Gamliel says: Also one who strikes on the anvil with the mallet while working is liable, for he thereby amends the work. [Even though he does not strike upon the work itself but upon the anvil, he amends the work. For thus did the flatteners of the foils of the tabernacle do. They would strike the foil three times and the anvil once to smooth the mallet so that it not split the thin foil. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Shimon b. Gamliel.]

ב הַחוֹרֵשׁ כָּל שֶׁהוּא, הַמְנַכֵּשׁ וְהַמְקַרְסֵם וְהַמְזָרֵד כָּל שֶׁהוּא, חַיָּב. הַמְלַקֵּט עֵצִים, אִם לְתַקֵּן, כָּל שֶׁהֵן, אִם לְהֶסֵּק, כְּדֵי לְבַשֵּׁל בֵּיצָה קַלָּה. הַמְלַקֵּט עֲשָׂבִים, אִם לְתַקֵּן, כָּל שֶׁהוּא, אִם לִבְהֵמָה, כִּמְלֹא פִי הַגְּדִי:

2 Plowing, any amount. Menakesh [Weeding; another interpretation, digging around the roots of plants, a labor similar to plowing], mekarsem [cutting dried branches from a tree to amend it], mezared [cutting off moist shoots of the current year. Sometimes they are profuse and weaken the tree, and so, are cut.] — he is liable for any amount. If one picks wood — if to amend [the tree or the ground (cutting it from what it is attached to)], any amount; if to burn, what suffices to cook "an easy egg" [the amount of a fig of a hen's egg, which cooks more easily than other eggs.] If one picks grass — if to amend, any amount; if to (feed) an animal, what suffices to fill the mouth of a kid.

ג הַכּוֹתֵב שְׁתֵּי אוֹתִיּוֹת, בֵּין בִּימִינוֹ בֵּין בִּשְׂמֹאלוֹ, בֵּין מִשֵּׁם אֶחָד בֵּין מִשְּׁנֵי שֵׁמוֹת, בֵּין מִשְּׁנֵי סַמְמָנִיּוֹת, בְּכָל לָשׁוֹן, חַיָּב. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, לֹא חִיְּבוּ שְׁתֵּי אוֹתִיּוֹת אֶלָּא מִשּׁוּם רֹשֶׁם, שֶׁכָּךְ הָיוּ כוֹתְבִין עַל קַרְשֵׁי הַמִּשְׁכָּן, לֵידַע אֵיזוֹ בֶן זוּגוֹ. אָמַר רַבִּי, מָצִינוּ שֵׁם קָטָן מִשֵּׁם גָּדוֹל, שֵׁם מִשִּׁמְעוֹן וּשְׁמוּאֵל, נֹחַ מִנָּחוֹר, דָּן מִדָּנִיֵּאל, גָּד מִגַּדִּיאֵל:

3 If one writes two letters, whether with his right hand or with his left hand, [if he is ambidextrous, (for with others, writing with the left hand is not considered writing)], whether of one variety [e.g., both aleph] or of two [e.g., aleph, beth], whether of two samemaniyoth [one in ink; the other in sikra (a red dye). Another version: "two simaniyoth," i.e., two signs (simanim), as when aleph is written to signify "one," and beth to signify "two."], in any tongue [or in the script of any nation], he is liable. R. Yossi said: They made him liable for two letters only by reason of "marking," for thus would they do with the boards of the tabernacle to know which their match was [after dismantling them, so that they not lose the order in setting them up again. R. Yossi comes to say that even if he did not write (any letters) but just made two marks as a sign he is liable. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Yossi.] Rebbi said: We find a small name in a big name: Shem in Shimon and Shmuel; Noach in Nachor; Dan in Daniel; Gad in Gadiel. [That is, even though the work was not completed, for he intended writing a large word and wrote just part of it — since that part is a word in itself and meaningful elsewhere, he is liable. And this is the halachah.]

ד הַכּוֹתֵב שְׁתֵּי אוֹתִיּוֹת בְּהֶעְלֵם אֶחָד, חַיָּב. כָּתַב בִּדְיוֹ, בְּסַם, בְּסִקְרָא, בְּקוֹמוֹס וּבְקַנְקַנְתּוֹם, וּבְכָל דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא רוֹשֵׁם, עַל שְׁנֵי כָתְלֵי זָוִיּוֹת וְעַל שְׁנֵי לוּחֵי פִנְקָס, וְהֵן נֶהְגִּין זֶה עִם זֶה, חַיָּב. הַכּוֹתֵב עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ, חַיָּב. הַמְסָרֵט עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר מְחַיֵּב חַטָּאת, וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ פּוֹטֵר:

4 If one writes two letters in one (period of) forgetfulness, he is liable. If he wrote with ink, with sam (a kind of pigment), with sikra (a red dye), with komos [a kind of black earth; another interpretation, tree resin], with kankantum (vitriol), or with anything that leaves an impression — (If he wrote) on two corner walls [one, east; the other, north, next to each other], or on two ledger tablets, [Even though they are not written on one tablet], if they are read together [as they are written, on the two adjoining edges of the tablets], he is liable. If one writes on his flesh [with ink], he is liable. If one tattoos his flesh [with iron], R. Eliezer rules "liable," and R. Yehoshua, "not liable" [even if he drew blood, for this is not the way of writing. The halachah is in accordance with R. Yehoshua.]

ה כָּתַב בְּמַשְׁקִין, בְּמֵי פֵרוֹת, בַּאֲבַק דְּרָכִים, בַּאֲבַק הַסּוֹפְרִים, וּבְכָל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִתְקַיֵּם, פָּטוּר. לְאַחַר יָדוֹ, בְּרַגְלוֹ, בְּפִיו וּבְמַרְפְּקוֹ, כָּתַב אוֹת אַחַת סָמוּךְ לִכְתָב, וּכְתָב עַל גַּבֵּי כְתָב, נִתְכַּוֵּן לִכְתֹּב חֵי"ת וְכָתַב שְׁנֵי זַיְ"נִין, אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ וְאֶחָד בַּקּוֹרָה, כָּתַב עַל שְׁנֵי כָתְלֵי הַבַּיִת, עַל שְׁנֵי דַפֵּי פִנְקָס וְאֵין נֶהְגִּין זֶה עִם זֶה, פָּטוּר. כָּתַב אוֹת אַחַת נוֹטָרִיקוֹן, רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן בְּתֵירָא מְחַיֵּב, וַחֲכָמִים פּוֹטְרִין:

5 If one wrote with liquids [that leave a dark impression, such as berry extract and the like], with fruit juice [of all other fruits], with the dust of the roads [If he traced letters with his fingers on the sand or dust of the roads], with the dust of scribes [the residue of the inkstand of the scribe], or with any other thing that does not last, he is not liable. (If he wrote) with the back of his hand [i.e., if he held the pen in his fingers and turned his hand over and wrote]; with his foot; with his mouth; with his elbow — (If he wrote) one letter near [a letter] which was (already) written, [i.e., if he paired it with one and completed it to two]; if he wrote on top of what was written [i.e., if he passed the pen over letters already written and "renewed" them]; if he intended to write a cheth and wrote two zaynin [(If the roof of the cheth is not seen, but only the two legs, it looks like two zaynin.)]; one on the ground and one on the ceiling; if he wrote on two [non-adjoining] walls of the house; on two tablets of a ledger so that they could not be read together, he is not liable. [That is, if he wrote one letter on one, and another on the other, so that they could not be placed together without cutting out what intervened. First we are taught about non-adjoining walls and then about the ledger tablets, viz.: "Not only (is there no liability for) the first, but even (for) the second."] If he wrote one letter notarikon [i.e., if he placed a dot over it so that all understand from that letter a complete word, e.g.: "kof" — "korban"; "mem" — "ma'aser"; "tav" — "terumah"], R. Yehoshua b. Betheira rules "liable" [Since all understand an entire word from that letter, it is as if he wrote all the letters of that word.], and the sages rule: "not liable," [for he did not write two letters. The halachah is in accordance with the sages.]

ו הַכּוֹתֵב שְׁתֵּי אוֹתִיּוֹת בִּשְׁנֵי הֶעְלֵמוֹת, אַחַת שַׁחֲרִית וְאַחַת בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם, רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל מְחַיֵּב, וַחֲכָמִים פּוֹטְרִין:

6 If one writes two letters in two (periods) of forgetfulness [After he wrote one letter unwittingly, it became known to him that he had transgressed. He then forgot again and he wrote a second letter unwittingly beside it], one in the morning and one towards evening [Since there was time in the middle for him to know, it is like two periods of forgetfulness] — R. Gamliel rules "liable," [holding that there is no "knowing" for half an amount (i.e., one letter) to divide (the writing) that the second half not be joined to it]; and the rabbis rule "not liable," [holding that the "knowing" between the two half amounts divides them, so that it is not considered as if there were two half-amounts in one period of forgetfulness. The halachah is in accordance with the sages.

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