פירוש על ביצה 2:11

יום טוב שחל להיות ערב שבת לא יבשל בתחילה – that is to say that the beginning of his cooking and its essence should not be for the Sabbath, but rather for the sake of Yom Tov/the Festival Day should be the beginning of his cooking and what remains should be for the Sabbath.

Introduction This mishnah deals with preparing food on Yom Tov to use on Shabbat which falls the day after. While cooking on Yom Tov is permitted, it is only permitted to cook on Yom Tov for that day. This mishnah discusses what is called “eruv tavshilin.” This is a type of “eruv” whereby one begins to cook a meal for Shabbat on the day before Yom Tov which falls before Shabbat. Beginning to cook this meal allows him to cook on Yom Tov for Shabbat. This halakhah is still observed to this day, and if you look in siddurim you will even find a blessing which one recites before setting aside the food.

ועושה תבשיל מערב יום טוב – for the sake of the “joining of cooked foods”/Eruv Tavshilin (preparing meals for the Sabbath on a Holy Day occurring on a Friday: a person prepares a dish on Thursday and lets it lie over until the end of the Sabbath which he does on the Holy Day – Friday – is merely a continuation of the preparation begun on Thursday). There are those who say that the reason that this dish from the eve of the Festival day/Yom Tov, is because of the honor of the Sabbath, for since from the eve of the Festival day he remembers the Sabbath, he will choose a nice portion for the Sabath, and not forget the Sabbath because of the preoccupation with the Festival Day. And there are those wohose say that is because of the honor of the Festival day, in order that they should see that they don’t bake from the Festival day for the Sabbath other than if he had begun while it was still daylight, for on the Festival day, he does nothing other than complete it, a fortiori (i.e., all the more so), from the Festival day to a weekday entirely, we do not back nor cook. And we make the blessing on Eruv Tavshilin/”joining of cooked foods” in the manner that we make the blessing on the Eruv in reference to the “joining of courtyards”/Eruv Hatzerot. But it is necessary to make assignment through another for all who wish afterwards to rely upon his Eruv/”joining,” and even without his knowledge, for one acts in a person’s interest in his absence.

Yom Tov which fell on the eve of Shabbat, one should not begin to cook on Yom Tov for Shabbat. Although one is allowed to cook on Yom Tov, one may not cook food on Yom Tov that will be eaten on the next day, even if the next day is Shabbat. We should note that this would have presented a bigger practical problem in the ancient world than it does today. They did not have preservatives or refrigeration (or those fantastic lock-top plastic containers) and hence it would not have been simple to prepare food for Shabbat on Thursday. Therefore, the remainder of the mishnah seems to present some ways of avoiding this problem.

אכלו או שאבד – that same dish that he cooked, from the eve of the Sabbath.

But he may cook for Yom Tov, and if any is left over it is left over for Shabbat. If he cooks on Yom Tov with the intention of eating some of the food on that very day, he may eat on Shabbat whatever food was left over. It would even seem possible to make a large meal on Yom Tov knowing that there would be leftovers and to eat those leftovers on Shabbat.

סומך עליו – to cook his dish on the Festival day for the needs of the Sabbath, But, from the outset, his “joining of dishes”/Eruv Tavshilin is not less than an olive’s bulk, whether for one [person] or for one hundred [people]. But if he began with his dough and his Eruv became lost, he completes it with what he has begun with.

And he may prepare a dish on the eve of Yom Tov and rely upon it [to prepare food] for Shabbat. This is the section that deals with “eruv tavshilin.” A person may begin to make a meal on the day before Yom Tov and then on Yom Tov “continue” to cook the meal. In this way he will not be starting to cook a meal on Yom Tov for Shabbat but rather just continuing a meal that he already began to cook the day before.

Bet Shammai says: two dishes. But Bet Hillel says: one dish. Yet they [both] agree that a fish and an egg upon it are [considered as] two dishes. The two houses debate how many different food items he needs to begin to prepare on the day before Yom Tov in order for it to count as an “eruv tavshilin.” According to Bet Shammai a meal consists of at least two dishes therefore he must begin to cook two dishes for it to count. Bet Hillel thinks that a meal need consist of only one dish and hence one dish is sufficient for eruv tavshilin. Bet Shammai however is lenient in what counts as two dishes even a fish with an egg on top of it counts as two dishes.

[If] he ate it or it was lost, he may not begin to cook [relying] on it. But if he left over any [small] portion of it, he may rely on it [to cook] for Shabbat. If the eruv tavshilin is eaten or lost before he begins to cook for Shabbat, then he may not rely on it to begin cooking a meal for Shabbat. However, if even a little bit of the eruv still remains before he begins cooking he may rely on it to cook for Shabbat.

מטבילין את הכל – for a person is obligated to ritually purify himself on the Festival. And everything that requires ritual immersion, whether a person or utensils, we ritually immerse prior to the Sabbath.

Introduction In mishnaic times it was customary for people who observed the laws of purity to immerse vessels and for people to immerse before Yom Tov so that everything would be pure. In our mishnah Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel debate whether or not one can immerse on Shabbat in preparation for a Yom Tov which falls on Sunday.

כלים מלפני השבת – for since they are worthy after ritual immersion for things that they were not worthy for prior to the immersion, if one immerses them on Shabbat or on Yom Tov/the Festival day, it would be like repairing a matter an that is forbidden. And Shabbat was used here to inform you of the power of the School of Hillel, that even on the Sabbath, they permitted the ritual immersion of a person, because it appears like holding him dear and become cols cold and bathes for pleasure and not for the sake of ritual immersion.

If [Yom Tov] fell on the day after Shabbat:
Bet Shammai says: one must immerse everything [unclean] before Shabbat. According to Bet Shammai both vessels and people must be immersed before Shabbat. They hold that it is forbidden to immerse on Shabbat.

But Bet Hillel says: vessels [must be immersed] before Shabbat but people [may immerse] on Shabbat. Bet Hillel holds that it is permitted to immerse on Shabbat but that one should nevertheless immerse the vessels before Shabbat. The reason not to immerse the vessels on Shabbat is that by immersing the vessels he makes them usable. This is like “completing a vessel” which is forbidden on Shabbat. However, when a person immerses him/herself it might just look like she/he is washing, and hence it is permitted.

ושוין שמשקין את המים בכלי אבן – whomever has fine water for drinking that became ritually impure, one fills from them a stone utensil that is not susceptible to receive ritual impurity and place them in a Mikveh of salty or turbid waters until the waters come into close contact with each other, resulting that these which were sown and connected to the waters of the Mikveh/ritual bath were cancelled out on account of this and made ritually pure, but the purification in the Mikveh is not for any foodstuffs and liquids but only for water alone, and not for the law of ritual immersion, but for the law of sowing.

Introduction This mishnah continues to deal with immersing things on Yom Tov in order to purify them.

אבל לא מטבילין – we don’t put them (i.e., the waters) in a ritually impure wooden utensil that requires ritual immersion for the vessel, to cause contact [by dipping a vessel, filled with unclean liquid, so as to make its surface level with the surface of the water into which it is dipped, which is a ceremony of levital purification], in order to raise the ritual immersion to the utensil along with the contact with the water.

They agree that one may effect surface contact for [unclean] water in a stone vessel in order to purify it, but one may not immerse [it]; Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel agree that one may purify water on Shabbat that falls the day before Yom Tov. Drinking water was purified by putting it into a stone vessel (a stone vessel cannot become impure). The vessel was then immersed in a pure mikveh until the top of the vessel just touched the water from the mikveh. The reason that a stone vessel was used was to make sure that this was not done in order to purify the vessel, which as we learned yesterday, both Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel prohibit. They both agree that one should not fully immerse the vessel because that would be similar to immersing an unclean vessel in order to purify it. In other words, only the water may be purified but not the vessels. This is also taken to mean that one should not do this with a wooden vessel because wooden vessels become impure through the contact with the unclean water and then they would require immersion.

ומטבילין מגב לגב – a person who immersed utensils with the intention that he would tread olives upon them in the building containing the tank [and all the implements] for the pressing of common (i.e., non-holy) olives, and he reconsidered to press in them grapes in the vat for wine pressing of Terumah, he mus immerse them a second time for the purpose of Terumah. And similarly, if he had immersed utensils for the sake of Terumah and reconsidered to make them holy, he requires a second ritual immersion for the sake of making it holy. And that ritual immersion can be done on the Festival day/Yom Tov, for there is no repair of the utensil for this ritual immersion is not for elevating them from ritual defilement, but rather for an additional purity.

And one may immerse [to change] from one intention to another or from one company to another. If a vessel is already pure it will still need to be immersed if it is going to be used for a “holier” purpose. For instance, if one immersed his vessels to purify them with the intent of using them for non-sacred things, such as regular oil, and then decided he wanted to use them to make terumah wine, he needs to immerse the vessels again. Our mishnah teaches that this is permitted on Shabbat before Yom Tov because the vessels were in any case pure before they were immersed. A person who is pure and is eating non-sacred food with one eating company and then wants to eat terumah with another company must first immerse. Again, this immersion is permitted on Yom Tov even according to Bet Shammai because the person was already pure.

ומחבורה לחבורה – if he immersed utensils in order to eat his Passover offering with one association/group and he reconsidered to be reckoned with another association and he came to ritually immerse his utensils a second time, this ritual immersion is permitted to be done on Yom Tov/the Festival day.

מביאין שלמים – on Yom Tov/the Festival day, holiday peace-offerings, because there’re is through them the need for consumption by a person.

Introduction This mishnah deals with bringing certain sacrifices on Yom Tov and laying one’s hands upon them (see Leviticus 3:2).

ואין סומכין עליהם – for laying of hands upon them is prohibited because of the rabbinic decree to enhance the character of the day as a day of rest, for he would lay his hands with all of his strength and he would be making use of animals, for he lays his hands on them on the Eve of the Festival day, for the School of Shammai does not hold by the rule that immediately after the lay of hands comes the slaughtering [of the animal] (see Mishnah Menahot, Chapter 9, Mishnah 8 at the conclusion).

Bet Shammai says: one may bring peace-offerings [on Yom Tov] but may not lay [hands] upon them, but one may not bring burnt-offerings [on Yom Tov]. One of the sacrifices which a person would bring on Yom Tov was a peace-offering. Part of the sacrifice would be offered on the altar, part would be eaten by the priests and part would be eaten by those who brought the sacrifice. Since this sacrifice is eaten, Bet Shammai allows one to offer it on Yom Tov. As we have learned before one is allowed to prepare food on Yom Tov, and this includes offering edible sacrifices. However, Bet Shammai holds that one cannot lay his hands on the sacrifice because leaning on an animal is considered using the animal and this is prohibited on Yom Tov. Bet Shammai holds that the laying of the hands must be done the day before. Furthermore, Bet Shammai does not allow the sacrifice of burnt-offerings on Yom Tov, because burnt offerings are completely consumed on the altar. Since they are not eaten they cannot be offered. One who wants to bring a burnt-offering would have to do so on Hol Hamoed, the intermediate days of the festival.

אבל לא עולות – outside of the daily whole-offerings and Musaf/additional offerings which are a community sacrifice at a fixed time. But one should not bring an individual whole burnt-offering which cannot be consumed by a commoner (i.e., non-Kohen). But even the burnt-offerings for appearing [during the Festival in the Temple]are offered on the other days of the Festival, but not on the Festival day/Yom Tov, for the All-Merciful stated (Numbers 29:35): “[On the eight day] you shall hold a solemn gathering,” for you, but not for Most-High.

Bet Hillel says: one may bring peace-offerings and burnt-offerings and also lay hands upon them. Bet Hillel allows the laying of the hands on the animal since this is part of the sacrificial process. The Talmud also explains that according to Bet Hillel the laying of the hands must be done right before it is offered, and therefore he could not do it before Yom Tov. Bet Hillel also allows burnt offerings to be brought even though they are not eaten, since they are brought in fulfillment of the commandments of the festival.

וב"ה אומרים – one brings festival peace offerings and whole burnt offerings for appearance [in the Temple], as it is written (Deuteronomy 16:8): “[After eating unleavened bread for six days,] you shall hold a solemn gathering for the LORD] your God on the seventh day…,” everything is for God. But vows and free-will donations, according to everyone are not offered on the Festival, neither whole burnt-offerings or peace-offerings.

לא יחם אדם חמין לרגליו – The Torah permitted the preparation of food [on Yom Tov, for that day], but not to start a fire for bathing.

Introduction It is permitted to make a fire on Yom Tov in order that one can cook food. Our mishnah discusses making a fire so that one can heat up water to wash one’s feet.

וב"ה מתירין – for such it [i.e., the Torah] permitted kindling a fire for the needs of eating, it permitted it also for things which are not for the needs of eating, when there is a need for some sort of benefit. And the Halakhic decision is that hot water that was warmed on the Festival day, a person can wash his face, hands and feet in it but not his entire body, for they decreed that the Festival day/Yom Tov is like Shabbat. But hot water that was warmed from the eve of the Festival, one can wash all of one’s body in it on Yom Tov.

Bet Shammai says: a man may not heat water for his feet unless it is also fit for drinking. Bet Shammai holds that labors that are permitted on Yom Tov because they are necessary for preparing food are permitted only if they are done in the preparation of food. One may not heat water just to wash one’s body. The only leniency for which Bet Shammai allows is that if one heats up water that is fit for drinking, one can also use it for other purposes. This is similar to cooking on Yom Tov for the day after. If one can eat some of the food cooked on Yom Tov, one is allowed to cook, knowing that there will be leftovers.

But Bet Hillel permits it. Bet Hillel generally holds that labors permitted in order to prepare food are permitted even if they are done not to prepare food. Hence, heating water is permitted whether one does so for drinking water or to wash one’s feet.

A man may make a fire and warm himself at it. The final clause in the mishnah seems to also go according to Bet Hillel. It is not only permitted to heat water in order to wash one’s feet, one may even make a fire just to keep warm. The reason we might have thought that Bet Hillel prohibits this is that in this case there is no water being heated, water which one could claim one might drink in time of great thirst. This section lets us know that Bet Hillel allows one to make a fire on Yom Tov even if there is no chance that it will lead to food preparation.

אין טומנין את החמין מיו"ט לשבת – for the School of Shammai holds that one does not bake other than if one made an Eruv with bread, and we don’t cook other than if he made an Eruv on the cooked dish, and we don’t put warm dishes in the chafing stove other than if he had warm dishes placed there from the eve of the Festival day. But the School of Hillel holds that we bake and cook and keep dishes warm for the Sabbath on the Eruv of the cooked dish alone. However, in the Gemara (Talmud Betzah 22a), it is proven that the School of Hillel also requires bread and meat and that is the Halakha.

Introduction Mishnah six contains three cases in which Rabban Gamaliel ruled like Beth Shammai in connection with the laws of Yom Tov. This mishnah is also found in its entirety in tractate Eduyot 3:10.

ואין זוקפין מנורה – [ put together a candlestick] when its pieces can be taken apart, and we don’t restore them for that is similar to [the prohibition of] “building,” for there is building for utensils. But the School of Hillel holds that there is no building with utensils.

This mishnah lists three cases in which Rabban Gamaliel ruled strictly, as had Bet Shammai. Although later Sages generally ruled like Beth Hillel, there were some exceptions, and some of those are listed in our mishnah.

גריצין – thick loaves

In three cases Rabban Gamaliel was strict like the words of Beth Shammai.
One may not cover up hot food on Yom Tov for Shabbat; As we learned above, it is forbidden to prepare food on Yom Tov for Shabbat, since that would be considered an insult to the honor of the festival. In our mishnah we learn that Bet Shammai and Rabban Gamaliel prohibit one from hiding food in a warm place to preserve its heat for Shabbat (see Shabbat 4:1). This is true even if he made an “eruv tavshilin” because in this case everyone can tell that he is putting food aside just for Shabbat. In contrast, when one cooks, one might be cooking to eat the food on Yom Tov. Bet Hillel would allow one to put food in something that preserves its warmth. For a somewhat different explanation see my commentary on Eduyou 3:10.

אלא רקיקין – thin loaves, for the School of Shammai holds that one does make a great deal of bread on the Festival Day because of the effort involved. But the School of Hillel holds that we bake a great deal of bread on the Festival day, for at the time that the bread is plentiful, it bakes well.

And one may not join together a lamp on a festival; The Talmud explains that this is a case where a lamp made of several parts breaks on Yom Tov. Rabban Gamaliel forbids one to fix it, since this is a type of “building” which is forbidden on the Sabbath. Beth Hillel holds that there is no prohibition of “building” with regards to erecting vessels, and therefore this is permitted.

וחרי – a large piece of dough that is baked upon coals, because it requires a large flame where the coals are continuously dimming/quenching, and there is great effort. But the Halakha is not according to Rabban Gamaliel where he is stringent like the words of the School of Shammai.

And one may not bake [on Yom] thick loaves but only wafer-cakes. Rabban Gamaliel holds that it is forbidden to bake large loaves on Yom Tov, and that only thin loaves are permitted. This is meant to prevent one from making too much bread on the festival, lest he make some for after the festival. Beth Hillel holds that it is permitted to bake large loaves, since bread cooks better when the oven is full. Furthermore, Bet Hillel in general is far more lenient when it comes to cooking on Yom Tov.

Rabban Gamaliel said: “In all their days, my father’s house never baked large loaves but only wafer-cakes.” They said to him: “What can we do with regards to your father’s house, for they were strict in respect to themselves but were lenient towards Israel to let them bake both large loaves and even charcoal-roasted loaves.” The final section of the mishnah contains some interaction between Rabban Gamaliel and the other sages, who hold like Beth Hillel. Rabban Gamaliel testifies that his father’s house indeed acted in this manner, and only baked wafer-cakes on the festival. The other sages accept this testimony of Rabban Gamaliel as being an accurate description of what Rabban Gamaliel’s father’s house used to do, but they understand its significance differently. The sages say that Rabban Gamaliel’s father’s house was strict upon themselves, but allowed the rest of Israel to cook large loaves, even charcoal roasted loaves which are very difficult to make. The strict actions of Rabban Gamaliel’s father’s house were only meant for themselves and were not meant to set precedent for everyone else.

מכבדין את המטות – when the eat there (they sweep between the couches). For they normally recline to eat on top of beds and because it is such a small place, they are not suspect lest it make indentations, as we would fear regarding a large house and it is impossible that there wouldn’t be an indentation/hole.

Introduction In mishnah six we learned of three cases where Rabban Gamaliel was strict like Beth Shammai. In mishnah seven we learn three cases where he adopted a more lenient position than the other Sages.

מוגמר – frankincense on top of the coals to smell it, but to perfume the utensils, it is the words of everyone that it is prohibited.

Also he declared three decisions of a lenient character:
One may sweep up [on a festival] between the couches, In the time of the Mishnah, during formal meals people would recline on couches on the ground and eat off personal tables which were more like trays. According to Rabban Gamaliel one can sweep up between the couches after the meal on Yom Tov. The Sages forbid this for fear that one might fill in a hole that is in the floor, which could be considered a form of building, which is forbidden on the Sabbath and Yom Tov.

מקולס – its legs, and its innards are hanging outside of it [on its side] when they are roasting it, and they do this in memory of the Passover sacrifice, as it is written concerning it (Exodus 12:9): “[Do not eat any of it raw, or cooked in any way with water, but roasted-] head, legs and entrails – over the fire.” [The word] מקולס/an animal roasted in its entrails and legs on the head – is like this hero whose weaponry was with him (a reference to Goliath in I Samuel 17:5 who had a “bronze helmet/כובע נחשת ) and the Aramaic translation of “bronze helmet” is a bronze helmet (see also Rashi to Zebahim 88b). But Maimonides explained the word מקולס as meaning honorable, in the manner of praise.

And put spices [on the coals] on a festival; As we have learned many times already, cooking food is allowed on Yom Tov. Rabban Gamaliel allowed people to put spices on coals, which would make a pleasant scent. Even though this is not cooking food, it is permitted since it is still a bodily pleasure. The sages forbid doing so since not all people are equally accustomed to put spices on coals after a meal. Cooking food is permitted because everyone eats; putting spices on coals is prohibited because this is not a practice in which all classes of people engage.

וחכמים אוסרין – [The Sages forbid] all three. Sweeping because it makes indentations, and the spices put upon the coals/perfume because it is not necessary for every person, for it is not other than for those spoiled and those who indulge themselves in pleasures and to one who has a bad odor. The spices placed upon the coals – because it appears like one who is eating Holy objects outside [the Temple]. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.

And roast a kid whole on the night of Passover. But the sages forbid them. When there was a Temple in Jerusalem, people would roast kids (lambs, not the human kind) as Passover sacrifices on the day before Passover and eat them at night. When the Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E. sacrifices could no longer be offered. Nevertheless, Rabban Gamaliel permitted people to make roasted kids at their own seders. The other Sages forbid this, lest someone think that they were eating sacrificial meat outside of Jerusalem (for more on this topic see Pesahim 7:1).

פרתו יוצאה ברצועה שבין קרניה – for beauty/adornment. And the Sages stated that it is a burden and is not a decoration for it. And it was not the cow of Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah but that of his neighbor, and since they did not protest, it was called as associated with him.

Introduction Mishnah twelve contains three cases where Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah was more lenient than the other Sages. We should note that not all of these sections deal with the laws of Yom Tov.

ומקרדין ביו"ט – like a small bronze saw whose teeth are thin and which rubs and scratches the animal, and even though it makes a wound.

Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah allows three things and the Sages forbid them:
His cow used to go out with the strap which she had between her horns; It is forbidden to carry things in the public domain on Shabbat. This is true even for a person’s animal, since it is forbidden to make one’s animal perform work on the Sabbath. Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah allowed his cow to go out with a strap between its horns, since this strap was only an adornment and therefore he did not consider it “work”. In the same way a person can wear clothing in the public domain and that is not considered carrying. However, the Sages forbid cows from carrying anything, since most cows do not do so. Furthermore, if others were to see this they would think that it is permitted for an animal to work on the Sabbath. (See also Shabbat 5:4).

ברחים שלהן – small which are made for this.

One may curry cattle on a festival; Currying is a type of combing done with a sharp metal comb. Rabbi Eleazar permits a person to curry an animal on the festival, even though that might cause a wound. Rabbi Eleazar permits this since even if he does cause a wound he did not intend to do so and unintentionally performed work is permitted on Shabbat and Yom Tov.

מקרצפין – with a wooden saw whose teeth are thick. But they don’t make a wound.

And one may grind pepper in its own mill. Rabbi Elazar holds that grinding pepper is permitted on Yom Tov because it is done in preparation of food, even if the grinding is done in a large mill. The sages however allow the grinding of pepper only in a small mill, one which will produce less ground pepper and that is easier.

אף לא מקרצפין – for we decree that currying with a strigil leads to scratching (which causes a wound). But the Halakah is not according to Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah in these three matters, but rather, we scrape/curry the animal only, because in this we confirm the approach of Rabbi Shimon who said that a thing in which we don’t have an intention is permitted, and we hold according to him. But the Sages dispute this as they hold like Rabbi Yehuda who stated that a thing which was not intended is prohibited, but this is not the Halakha.

Rabbi Judah says: one may not curry cattle on a festival, because it may cause a wound, but one may comb them. Rabbi Judah states that currying is forbidden since it will cause a wound, but combing with a wooden comb is permitted since it will not cause a wound.

But the Sages say: one may not curry them, and one may not even comb them. The Sages rule even more strictly. Even combing is forbidden, lest by permitting combing one might assume that currying is also permitted.

משום שלשה כלים – for if he separated one of them they are not shards of utensils but rather all of them are considered a utensil of its own and is impure, even while they are still attached in the millstone and appear as one utensil.

Introduction This mishnah is brought here on account of section three in yesterday’s mishnah which dealt with using a pepper-mill on Yom Tov. As an aside, the mishnah teaches the susceptibility of a pepper-mill to impurities.

משום כלי קבול – the bottom one that receives dust from the pounding of the peppers through the holes of the basket used as a sieve is ritually impure because it is a receptacle, for it is a wooden utensil that has a receptacle.

A pepper-mill is susceptible to impurity on account of [it consisting of] three [separate] utensils; on account of a receptacle, on account of a metal utensil and on account of a sifting utensil. A pepper-mill has three separate parts. Our mishnah teaches that each part is itself considered a “vessel” and therefore each part on its own can receive impurities. If one of the parts should break, while it can no longer become impure, because broken vessels are not receptive to impurities, the other two parts can still become impure. The bottom part of the pepper-mill is a wooden receptacle for the ground pepper. All vessels which have a receptacle are susceptible to impurity. The top part is made of metal. This is the part that grinds the pepper. It is susceptible to impurity because it is metal and all metal vessels are susceptible to impurity, even if they don’t have a receptacle. The middle part of the pepper-mill sifts the ground pepper. Some commentators explain that since some of the pepper gets stuck here, this part is also considered to be a receptacle and hence susceptible to impurity.

ומשם כלי מתכות – the upper one where we pound and grind in it the peppers, is ritually impure because it is a metal utensil, and because a wooden utensil cannot be made impure, for its flat surfaces are ritually pure, but because its lower covering is made of metal.

ומשום כלי כברה – its middle which surround the basket used as a sieve. Because of the wood utensil it is not defiled and its receptacle is not a receptacle, but the Sages decreed defilement upon the basket used as a sieve because it is a woven utensil, and even if the metal basket used as a sieve does not defile because it is the utensil of the basket used as a sieve.

עגלה – made for a child to play with, and it is special for him to sit upon it.

Introduction This mishnah is here because of its connection with the previous mishnah, and not because of any connection with the laws of Yom Tov. It continues to deal with the impurity of vessels.

טמאה מדרס – if the small child had a flux, the wagon becomes a primary source of ritual impurity.

A child’s cart is susceptible to the impurity of midras, and it may be handled on Shabbat, and it is dragged along only on matting. A child’s cart is one that a small child would push around while learning how to walk (today these make sounds and have spinning things to keep your child entertained while you fold the laundry). Since the cart is made to lean upon, it can receive a type of impurity called “midras.” “Midras” means pressure. A zav or a zavah (a man or woman with an abnormal genital discharge) who steps, sits, lies or leans upon this cart, in other words applies bodily pressure to the cart, will render it impure. This type of impurity is derived from Leviticus 15:4. The cart may be handled on Shabbat and on Yom Tov. It is not muktzeh. However, it is forbidden to drag it along the ground because it will make grooves in the ground. This is a forbidden labor on Shabbat and on Yom Tov which is derived from the forbidden labor of plowing. The only way to use it is to drag it on some type of matting.

ונטלת בשבת – because it has the status of a utensil upon it.

Rabbi Judah says: no vessels may be dragged along [the ground] except a wagon because it [only] presses [the earth] down. Rabbi Judah holds that the cart is the one type of vessel that may be dragged on the ground on Shabbat. All other vessels when dragged will create grooves in the ground. The cart when dragged will only press down the ground, without creating grooves. Hence, your little toddler can push his little cart knowing that he is not violating Shabbat.

ואינה נגררת – [but may not be dragged] on the Sabbath.

אלא ע"ג כלים – on top of clothing, because it makes a ditch in the ground and someone who furrows is liable because of [the prohibition of] plowing.

רבי יהודה אומר כו' – there are two Tannaim and according to Rabbi Yehuda, for the first Tanna is also Rabbi Yehuda who said that something that is not intended is prohibited, and this other Tanna comes and states that Rabbi Yehuda did not prohibit a child’s wagon because it does not make a ditch while walking through the digging, but presses upon the earth and threshes underneath it and makes its dirt lower but does not move the dirt from its place. But already, the law has been decided according to Rabbi Shimon who stated that a person may drag a bed, chair and a bench, so long as he doesn’t intend to make a ditch.