Comentario sobre Shabbat 5:3

מטוטלת – a piece of strip/lining tied to its tail as a sign or for something else.

Introduction In the previous two mishnayoth we saw cases where t was permitted for an animal to carry certain things on Shabbat. In today’s mishnah and tomorrow’s we see examples where it is forbidden.

עקוד – they tie their hands and legs with chains so that they do not escape.

And with what may it not go out?
A camel may not go out with a pad The pad referred to her is put on top of its hump. Sometimes it was tied underneath its tail so that it wouldn’t scratch the camel’s skin. The reason that it is forbidden is that these often fall and we are concerned lest the pad falls off the camel and the owner carries the pad herself.

רגול – fold his hand over his arm and tie them.

Or with forelegs bound together or with hind legs bound together; And the same is true for other animals. One is not allowed to tie the animal’s legs together on Shabbat because this is considered overly cautious protection. While it is permitted to offer reasonable protection so that the animal doesn’t run away, tying its legs together is beyond normal and hence this is considered “carrying.” This prohibition applies not only to camels but to all animals.

לא יקשור גמלים זה בזה וימשוך – as one and they all go so that it would not appear as leading them to the market to sell them.

One should not tie camels together and pull [one of them]. But one may take the cords in his hand and pull [them] providing he does not twist them together. Tying camels together and pulling them together makes it look like they are going to market. To prevent this appearance it is forbidden to do so on Shabbat. However, if she just takes the cords of several camels together in her hand and leads them together it is permitted because it doesn’t look like they are going to the market.

אבל מכניס הוא חבלים בתוך ידו – so that the heads of the ropes would not be hanging and coming out from under his hands to the ground by a handbreadth or more in order that it would not appear like he is carrying the hanging ropes by his hand.

ובלבד שלא יכרוך – this is not in speaking in regard to the matter of the Sabbath here, but to the matter of mixed seeds and this is how it should be understood: He who gathers ropes in his hand, some of them of flax and some of them of wool, he should not twist one with the other for when he twists them, it is mixed seeds and his hand is warmed while holding them and this is forbidden.