R. Meir dit: Tous les travaux [nécessaires pour le festival], que l'on a commencé avant le quatorze, peuvent être achevés le quatorze [même dans un endroit où il était de coutume de ne pas travailler. Mais le travail non nécessaire pour le festival peut être effectué dans un endroit où il était d'usage de travailler. Et dans un endroit où il était de coutume de ne pas travailler, même s'il a commencé un tel travail avant le quatorze, il ne peut pas l'achever.] Mais il ne peut pas le commencer au début du quatorze, même s'il peut le terminer. Et les sages disent: Trois artisans peuvent suivre leur métier la veille de Pessa'h jusqu'à midi: les tailleurs [Ils sont autorisés à travailler le quatorze en tous lieux, car nous trouvons une indulgence en ce qui concerne la couture sur le chol hamoed (les jours intermédiaires de le festival) que l'on ne retrouve pas par rapport aux autres métiers—que celui qui n'y est pas expert peut coudre comme il le fait régulièrement, raison pour laquelle le quatorze, ce qui est d'une moindre sainteté que chol hamoed, même un professionnel (tailleur) peut travailler.], barbiers et blanchisseurs. [Car celui qui vient de l'étranger et celui qui est libéré de prison peut se couper les cheveux et laver ses vêtements avec du chol hamoed. Et puisque nous trouvons une clémence sur le chol hamoed, le quatorze, qui est de moindre sainteté, elle est permise à tous.] R. Yossi b. Yehudah dit: Même les cordonniers. [Pour le festival, les pèlerins réparent leurs chaussures pendant le festival. Et les sages soutiennent que nous ne tirons pas le début du travail des cordonniers— la fabrication de nouvelles chaussures —de sa fin, la réparation de chaussures pour les pèlerins du festival. La halakha est conforme aux sages.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
כל מלאכה – [all work] which is for the needs of he Festival/Holiday and he began it prior to the fourteenth [of Nisan] may complete it on the fourteenth. And even in a place where they had the practice of not doing work. But work that is not for needs of he Festival, in a place where it was the practice to do work, they may do it, but I n a place where it was the practice not to do it, even if he began it prior to the fourteenth, he may not complete it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
Introduction
According to some commentators, this mishnah teaches that even in places where they did do work on the fourteenth of Nisan, the eve of Pesah, not all types of work were permitted. According to this understanding, the mishnah restricts that which we previously thought was permitted. Others understand this mishnah to refer to places in which work is generally not done. Our mishnah would then teach that in such places while most work is not done, some work may indeed be done. This mishnah then would be allowing that which we thought was prohibited.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
חייטים – are permitted on the fourteenth [of Nisan] in every place, for we found regarding them a leniency even greater than other artisans on the Intermediate Days of the Festival for the commoner who is not an artisan in this sews/mends in the normal manner. Therefore, on the fourteenth [of Nisan] which is more lenient than the Intermediate Days of the Festival, even an artisan is also permitted.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
Rabbi Meir says: any work which he began before the fourteenth, he may finish it on the fourteenth; but he may not begin [new work] on the fourteenth, even if he can finish it [on the same day]. According to Rabbi Meir one may complete already-begun work on the fourteenth of Nisan, the eve of Pesah, but one may not start new work. Starting new work is prohibited even if he will be able to finish it before the day is over, or more specifically before midday, at which point all work is prohibited.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
והספרים והכובסים – and similarly one who comes from abroad and one who leaves from prison takes haircuts and does laundry on the Intermediate Days of the Festival, and since we find for them an indirect legal permission on the Intermediate Days of the Festival, on the fourteenth [of Nisan] which is lenient, we permit for the entire world.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
The sages say: three craftsmen may work on the eve of Pesah until midday, and these are they: tailors, hairdressers, and laundrymen. Rabbi Yose bar Judah says: shoemakers too. The sages say that only three types of craftsmen can do work. All other types of craftsmen may not work, even if they can complete their work before midday. All three of these types of work are considered to be essential for the full appreciation of the holiday. Furthermore, these types of work are sometimes allowed even during the intermediate days of the holidays, if they could not have been done before the holiday (we will learn more about this when we learn Moed Katan). Therefore it is allowed on the day before Pesah as well. Rabbi Yose bar Judah adds that shoemakers are allowed to work on the fourteenth because the sages allowed pilgrims to Jerusalem to have their shoes fixed, if they had worn out on their travels to Jerusalem. In any case, even these types of craftsmen can only work until midday.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
אף הרצענים – for similarly those who come up [to Jerusalem] for the Festival repair their shoes on the Intermediate Days of the Festival. And the Sages hold that we don’t learn beginning the work of shoemakers who make new shoes first from the end of work the repair of shoes of those who go up [to Jerusalem] for the Festival. And the Halakha is according to the Sages (see Pesahim 55b).
