פירוש על מועד קטן 1:10

ולמפרסת – a walk before the attic that those who live above walk in it and go down through a ladder to the courtyard.

Introduction The final mishnah of this chapter introduces two more categories relevant to the laws of the festival. While some work may be done during the festival, one should not leave work for the festival that could have been done beforehand. Second, one should not use the festival as a time to prepare things for after the festival.

ושפין את הסדקין – of the roofs that are not slanted, we grind them with plaster and when there are cracks in the plaster and the leaks in the roof go down in the house and there is loss, we smooth them, plaster them.

They may put up a railing around a roof or a gallery porch, in the style of an ordinary person but not in the style of a professional. It is permitted to put up a railing on a roof or a second-floor porch, but only if it is done in a non-professional manner. For instance, putting up a rough stone fence would be permitted, but a nicely finished iron fence would not.

מעגלה – a round piece of wood whereby we smooth out the roofs.

They may put plaster on crevices [on the roof] and flatten them down with a roller, by hand or foot, but not using professional tools. This refers to fixing a roof. It is permitted to fill in the crevices and to flatten the plaster, but not with professional tools. The central idea is that work that needs to be done should be done differently during the festival.

במלחצים – a wide artisan’s implement of copper like a spoon, which has a handle.

A hinge, a socket, a beam, a lock, a key which broke they may repair them during the festival, as long as he doesn’t intend to do this work during the festival. If a part of a door broke (these are all parts of a door), it may be fixed on the festival, and in the normal way. There doesn’t seem to be any “non-professional” way of fixing the door and hence all ways of fixing the door are okay. The mishnah does, however, offer one reservation. He may not delay fixing the door until the festival, saving his work for when he has more time. The door should only be fixed if it actually broke on the festival, an unforeseen problem.

הציר – the foot of the door that surrounds in the cavity of the threshold/lower door-sill of he opening.

And all the pickled food that he may eat during the festival, he may pickle. He can pickle food on the festival, but only if he is going to actually be able to eat the food during the festival. He may not use the festival as a time to prepare for the future. Note how this section is the mirror image of section three. There we learned that a person may not save for the festival work that should have been done before the festival. In this section we learn that a person may not do work on the festival for after the festival.

צינור – the cavity that is in the threshold/lower door-sill.

והקורה – the actual beams of the house that were broken even prior to Yom Tov.

ובלבד שלא יכוין מלאכתו במועד – that he should not say, “I will wait until the Festival when I don’t have other work and I will do this.”

כבשים – such as fish and vegetables that are pickled with salt and vinegar.

שיכול לאכלן במועד – that they pickle quickly and are appropriate to eat immediately.