Un uomo non può assumere lavoratori su Shabbath, [scritto (Isaia 58:13): "... dal fare i tuoi affari o pronunciare parole".] E un uomo non può dire al suo vicino di assumere lavoratori per lui. [Questo è dichiarato per il bene delle implicazioni, vale a dire: potrebbe non dirgli di assumere lavoratori, ma potrebbe dire: "Ti vedremo in piedi per me di notte?" cioè, "Ora vedremo se verrai da me quando farà buio." E anche se entrambi sanno che in tal modo si rende conto che intende assumerlo, dal momento che non menziona l'assunzione in modo esplicito, è permesso, l'essere al potere: "parlare" è proibito; è consentito deliberare.] Non si può aspettare l'oscurità del tchum per assumere lavoratori o portare frutti [cioè, su Shabbath, non si può avvicinarsi alla fine del tchum (limite del Sabbath) e attendere che ci sia buio vicino al posto dei lavoratori o ad un frutteto per portare frutti. Per qualsiasi cosa che sia vietato fare su Shabbath, è vietato aspettare su Shabbath fino al buio], ma può aspettare che l'oscurità [essere vicino per uscire] per custodire (i suoi frutti) [perché è permesso custodire i suoi frutti su Shabbath], e potrebbe portarli in mano (dopo Shabbath), [poiché questo non era il suo intento principale]. Abba Shaul ha dichiarato una regola: qualunque cosa mi sia permesso di parlare (su Shabbath) mi è permesso aspettare (al tchum) per il buio. [Abba Shaul qui differisce dal primo tanna, che proibisce a tutti di aspettare l'oscurità, senza fare alcuna distinzione tra farlo per una mitzvah o un'attività banale. Viene a dirci che è permesso aspettare l'oscurità per una mitzvah. Proprio come è permesso dire a qualcuno su Shabbath: "Siate pronti (dopo Shabbath) ad andare per portare una bara e sudari per chi è morto", così è permesso aspettare l'oscurità al tchum per fallo dopo il tramonto. E ciò che segue, vale a dire: "È permesso aspettare il buio al tchum per vedere i bisogni della sposa e i bisogni di chi è morto, ecc." è il punto di vista di Abba Shaul. L'halachah è in accordo con lui.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
לא ישכור אדם פועלים – as it is written (Isaiah 58:13): “Nor look to your affairs, nor strike bargains.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
Introduction
The first section of the mishnah deals with hiring laborers on Shabbat.
The remaining portions of the mishnah deal with going out to the Shabbat border in order to perform an activity after Shabbat that may not be performed on Shabbat itself. The “Shabbat border” is the limit which a person is allowed to walk out of town on Shabbat. This border is two thousand cubits outside of the city.
The commonality between these two subjects (hiring workers and going out to the border) is that both are connected to Isaiah 58:13, “If you honor [the Sabbath] and do not do your business, nor look to your affairs, nor make statements [then you can seek the favor of the Lord]”. This translation tries to capture the spirit of how the rabbis understand the verse. Isaiah speaks of activities that are not necessarily forbidden by the Torah but nevertheless are activities which turn Shabbat into an ordinary day. As an aside, I should mention my belief that preserving the spirit of Shabbat is as important as observing the halakhic details. Shabbat must be a day set aside from work and from many normal daily activities, even if the performance of such work is not a technical violation of Shabbat.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
ולא יאמר אדם לחבירו וכו' – it was taken for an implied opinion/deduction that he should not say to his fellow: “hire for us workers,” but he says to him: “that it appears that you will stand with me this eening, that is to say, now it appears that if you come to me when it gets dark, and even though that both of them know that on the condition of hiring him for his work he warns him, since he does not spell out his salary explicitly, it is permitted, for we hold that loud recitation is prohibited, but thinking/fantasizing is permitted (on the Sabbath).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
One may not hire laborers on Shabbat, nor say to his fellow to hire laborers for him. Hiring laborers on Shabbat to do work after Shabbat is not technically a violation of one of the 39 prohibited labors. However, it is clearly against the “spirit of Shabbat” as is described in the verse from Isaiah above. One shouldn’t even say to one’s friend to hire laborers.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
אין מחשיכין על התחם – to draw himself close on the Sabbath to the place within which is it is permitted to move (i.e., the Sabbath limits) until the end of the limit and to make preparations to be ready for work on the exit of the Sabbath there that he will be close to the place of the workers or to the orchard to bring fruit, for everything that is prohibited to do on the Sabbath, it is prohibited to make preparations to be ready for work on the exit of the Sabbath but he can make preparations to be close to go out and guard his fruits for this is something that is permitted to do on the Sabbath to guard/watch his fruits.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
One may not go to the Shabbat border to await nightfall in order to hire laborers or bring in produce; but one may do so in order to watch [his field] and [then] he can bring produce [back] with him. One is allowed to go on Shabbat up until the Shabbat border, 2000 cubits outside the city. However, one should not do so in order to get a jump start on performing an activity prohibited on Shabbat. This is again a violation of the spirit of Shabbat and it is using time on Shabbat to prepare for the performance of work after Shabbat. However, one may go out to the Shabbat border before Shabbat is over to perform an activity, such as guarding produce, which is permitted on Shabbat. In such a case, the only thing preventing her from guarding her fields is that they lie outside of the Shabbat border (as fields usually do). If she goes out to guard her fields (a permitted activity), she may also bring back produce with her when she returns (an activity permitted on Shabbat). What is prohibited is going to wait at the border specifically to perform a prohibited activity.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
ומביא פירות בידו – since the essence of this thinking was not for this.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
Abba Shaul stated a general principle: whatever I have a right to say [that it be done], I am permitted to go to await nightfall, for it [at the border]. Abba Shaul does not disagree with the previous opinion, but rather summarizes that opinion using a general principle. Anything that a person may ask another person to do on Shabbat, such as guard fruit, one may also go out to the Shabbat border in order to perform the activity at nightfall. This would include watching fruit and also those activities which will be listed in the following mishnah. Put in other words, if the activity is not prohibited on Shabbat, nor in violation of the spirit of Shabbat, one may go out to the border in order to perform the activity right after Shabbat.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
כלל אמר אבא שאול – He disputes the First Teacher [of our Mishnah] that prohibited all preparations to be ready for work on the exit of the Sabbath, but he doesn’t make a distinction between preparations to be ready for work on the exit of the Sabbath of a commandment and something that is optional, and he comes and states that preparations to be ready for work on the exit of the Sabbath is permitted for just as it is permitted to tell his fellow on the Sabbath that he should be designated to go after dark to bring a coffin and shrouds for the dead person, so too, it is permitted to be make preparations to be ready for work on the exit of the Sabbath in order that he will be designated after dark to bring the coffin and shrouds – and at the end of the Mishnah as it is taught: we can make preparations to be ready for work on the exit of the Sabbath to watch over the affairs of a bride and on the affairs of the dead. This is the opinion of Abba Shaul and the Halakha is according to him.
