Comentário sobre Shabat 17:9

כל הכלים – that have doors.

Introduction There are certain objects which it is forbidden to carry or move on Shabbat and they are called in Hebrew, “muktzeh” which literally means “set aside.” There are several reasons why the rabbis prohibited carrying certain types of vessels on Shabbat, but the most basic reason is to preserve the character of Shabbat as distinct from all other days. In other words, even though certain activities may be technically permitted, they are opposed to the “spirit” of Shabbat, and hence the sages did all that they could to keep a person away from such activities or even from the appearance of performing such activities. Another reason is that if one is allowed to touch a vessel which is used to perform prohibited work, one might come to perform the work itself. As a general rule, if a vessel is used for activities which are permitted on Shabbat, then one can carry the vessel on Shabbat. An example of such a vessel would be a cup or a plate. If the vessel is used for things prohibited on Shabbat, then it is still permissible to carry the vessel as long as the intention is not to use it to perform a prohibited labor. It can be carried to perform a permitted labor and it also may be carried because the person simply doesn’t want it to be where it currently is. This chapter will teach the details of the laws of muktzeh. A note on translation: the Hebrew word for vessel is “keli.” This word can be used to refer to things that we commonly call utensils, and it can also refer to clothes. It would include most anything made by people with the exception of things attached to the ground such as homes. The article also must be used as an instrument to do something else a book or a document is not a “keli.”

ניטלים בשבת ודלתותיהן עמהן – and even though the doors were detached from the utensils prior to the Sabbath, they are taken on the Sabbath with the utensils.

All utensils may be carried on Shabbat and their doors with them, even if they became detached on Shabbat, for they are not like the doors of a house, which are not set aside for use. All vessels that have doors and which are used for permitted activities on Shabbat, may be carried with their doors. An example would be a trunk which has a door on its top. Furthermore, one may carry the doors on Shabbat even if the doors become detached from their vessels. This is true even if the doors became detached before Shabbat. The mishnah compares these doors with those of a house. House doors may not be carried on Shabbat because they are not normally carried around; rather they are attached to the house which is attached to the ground. Something may be carried only if it is an item that is normally carried. This is true with regard to doors of a vessel which are in normal situations carried with as part of their vessels.

ואינן דומין לדלתות הבית – and even if they were detached on the Sabbath, they are not taken because the doors of the house are not fashioned as such, that is to say, they were not made to be carried.

קורנס – hammer

Introduction Our mishnah teaches that one may carry a vessel that is normally used to perform prohibited labor provided that the intent is to use it for something permitted on Shabbat.

הדבלה – for after it was made round, it is thick and hard and requires a hatchet to cut it.

A man may take a hammer to split nuts, an axe to cut a cake of pressed figs, a saw for sawing cheese, a rake to scoop up dried figs, a winnowing shovel and a pitchfork to place [food] upon it for a child, a reed or a shuttle to stick [food], a small needle to remove a thorn, and a sack [needle] to open a door. There are several types of utensils mentioned in this mishnah: a hammer, an axe, a saw, a rake, a shovel or pitchfork, a reed or shuttle (both used in sewing), a needle and a sack needle. All of these things are normally used to perform forbidden labors. However, this mishnah teaches that a person may use them for permitted labors on Shabbat. In all of these cases, the vessel listed is not the one normally used for such a labor. Nevertheless, since the vessel can be used for said purpose, it is permitted. For instance, if a person lost the key to a door, she may use a needle to try to pick a lock.

מגרה – a kind of long life which has many notches.

לגרר בו את הגבינה – to cut it and divide it into pieces through its notches, he quickly cuts the thick thing.

מגריפה – to grab with it the dried figs from the barrel.

רחת – a board that has a handle and two walls and they winnow the wheat with it.

ומזלג – a utensil that has three teeth and they turn over the straw in the granary.

פלך – a spindle that the women spins with.

כרכר – wood of weavers and it is similar to the needle of sack-makers.

לתחוב בו – to consume with it mulberries and all kinds of sft fruit.

מחט של יד – a small needle used to sew clothing with it.

ליטול בו את הקוץ – that entered into his skin, it is permitted to take it [out] on the Sabbath just like it is permissible to penetrate an abscess to remove its moistness, as long as he doesn’t intend to make of it a mouth.

ושל סקאים – a large needle that they sew sacks with.

לפתוח בו את הדלת – for whomever has lost his key.

קנה של זיתים – a reed that is made to check the olives that are in the pit or vat where olives are packed until they form a viscid mass, if their oil was gathered in them and that they were worthy of the olive press.

Introduction This mishnah discusses a “reed for olives.” This is a vessel used in the process of making olive oil. They would put the olives in a large container so that they would heat up, start to soften and the juice would flow out. The container would be flipped over by using the “reed for olives.” When they flipped the container they would check the reed to see if it was moist. If it was they would know that the olives were soft and that they could begin to press them. Our mishnah teaches two laws with regard to this reed: its susceptibility to impurity and whether it may be carried on Shabbat. Both laws depend on whether or not the reed is considered to be a “vessel.”

אם יש קשר בראשו – a sort of stopper that is in the reed is susceptible for ritual impurity because it is stopped up at the knot, it is left over in it from the oil that flows from the olives and he checks it if it arrived to stopping and it is a receptacle for him.

A reed for olives, if it has a knot on its top, is susceptible to impurity; if not, it is not susceptible to impurity. Sometimes they would make a small knot on top of the reed. This knot would serve as a small receptacle for the olive oil and it would make it easier to check if the olives were ready. If the reed has such a knot then it is susceptible to impurity and if not, then it is not susceptible. Wooden vessels are generally only susceptible to impurity if they have a receptacle.

ואם לאו – if it has no knot, even though it is hollowed, he did not hollow it out to receive anything. Therefore, he has a flat wooden implement (see Talmud Shabbat 123b) and is not susceptible for ritual impurity.

In both cases it may be handled on Shabbat. Since this is a vessel, it is permitted to carry it on Shabbat either to use it to do something permitted, or to move it because she needs to use the space it occupies. In other words, with regard to receiving impurity, this is not a vessel unless it has a knot, but when it comes to Shabbat, it is considered a vessel with or without the knot. Had it not been considered a vessel, it would have been prohibited to carry it on Shabbat for any reason.

בין כך ובין כך ניטל בשבת – for it is an implement and it is used to turn over the olives.

מסר גדול - a large saw that we saw boards.

Introduction This mishnah provides some general rules concerning which vessels may be carried on Shabbat and when they may be carried.

ויתד של מחרישה – a large utensil made like a knife with which they make a incision of a turn of the plough/furrow’s length and they are strict with him and designated for them a place that is not worthy for any other labor.

Rabbi Yose says: all vessels may be carried, except a large saw and the pin of a plough. The reason that one may not carry a large saw or the pin of a plough is that people are very careful not to ruin these things. Since they are so careful with these things, they won’t use them for other purposes, and since the normal use of these things is prohibited on Shabbat, they may not be carried at all.

כל הכלים ניטלים לצורך ושלא לצורך – this is how it should be understood: All the utensils whose labor is for permitted things such as plates and cups which are removed [on the Sabbath] for the necessity of its own body as well as for the necessity of the place of the utensil, as well as that which is not necessary, even if he doesn’t need the implement nor the place of the utensil, other than to carry it on account of the shade or that thieves should not steal it, it is permitted with a utensil that whose labor is something permitted. But a utensil that is used for some kind of prohibited labor, such as mortars and millstone and similar things for its own necessity and for the needs of its place, it is permitted, but from the sun to the shade or because of thieves, it is prohibited.

All vessels may be carried whether required or not required. Rabbi Nehemiah says: they may be handled only for what is required. According to the first opinion in the mishnah, all vessels may be carried whether there is a need for them or not. In the Talmud there is a debate what it means when the mishnah says they are “not required.” According to one explanation, “not required” means that the person doesn’t want to use the vessel itself, but rather wants to move it away from its current place. For instance, I might want to move a knife not to use the knife to cut something but to keep it away from my child. According to this explanation, there must be some purpose to moving the knife. Another explanation is that “not required” means that the person is carrying it for no reason whatsoever. Our explanation of this clause will impact our explanation of Rabbi Nehemiah’s debate. According to the first explanation, Rabbi Nehemiah forbids carrying the object unless the object itself is needed. For instance, a knife may be carried only if one wants to use the knife itself. According to the second explanation, Rabbi Nehemiah would allow carrying the knife even if one only wants to move it to clear it from its current place. He would forbid moving the vessel only if there was truly no purpose to doing so.

רבי נחמיה אומר אין ניטלין אלא לצורך – It is explained in the Talmud (Talmud Shabbat 124b) for the needs of its unique use alone but not for the needs of something else, even for its own needs, such as a knife to cut with alone, it is permitted, and not to support with it the bowl. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Nehemiah.

מעין מלאכה – some kind of work that will be and even if it is not the kind of the first work.

Introduction This mishnah is concerned with carrying the fragments of vessels on Shabbat.

לצוק לתוכן מקפה – thick [porridge] that is similar to started dough that is mixed in water and they do not dispute other than if they were broken on Shabbat, but if they were broken on the Eve of the Sabbath, everyone agrees that they are removed, even if they don’t do a kind of the first kind of work. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.

All vessels which may be carried on Shabbat, their broken pieces may be carried with them, as long as they can perform something in the nature of work. [Thus]: the fragments of a kneading trough [can be used] to cover the mouth of a barrel, [and] the fragments of glass [can be used] to cover the mouth of a flask. Broken pieces of vessels may still be carried on Shabbat as long as the broken pieces can be used for some purpose. The mishnah illustrates what this means. According to the first opinion, the shard need no longer fill any function related to the purpose of the vessel from which it came. Rather it needs only to have some minimal amount of use.

Rabbi Judah says: as long as they can perform something in the nature of their own work; [Thus:] the fragments of a kneading trough, to pour into them a thick mixture; and [the fragments] of a glass, to pour into them oil. Rabbi Judah says that the vessel must still have a use related to the function of the vessel of which it was originally a part. Thus a piece of a kneading trough must still be large enough to hold a thick mixture, a usage similar to its original usage. The Talmud explains that Rabbi Judah is referring to a case where the vessel broke on Shabbat itself. In such a case, since when Shabbat began the vessel was intended for a specific purpose (such as kneading) no part of it can be used for something else on Shabbat. By breaking on Shabbat and being used for something else it would be like a new vessel, one that was in essence made on Shabbat. However, if the vessel was broken before Shabbat its pieces can be carried for other purposes on Shabbat, because when Shabbat began they were already capable of fulfilling other purposes.

האבן שבקרויה – a dry gourd and we fill it with water and because it is light, it is not drawing water but rather it floats and we put a stone to make it heavy.

Introduction This mishnah deals with certain unusual contraptions used to draw water from a well.

אם ממלאין – the pumpkin-shell

A stone in a dried-out pumpkin: If one can draw [water] in it and it [the stone] does not fall out, one may draw [water] in it; if not, one may not draw water in it. They would use the dried-out pumpkin to draw water from a cistern or well. Because the pumpkin would float, they would place a stone in it to weigh the pumpkin down and submerge it in the water. If the stone was attached well to the pumpkin, such that the stone would not fall out when submerged, one can use this contraption to draw water on Shabbat. In such a case the stone is part of the vessel and it is not muktzeh. However, if the stone is not attached well then one can’t use it, just as one cannot pick up other non-useful stones on Shabbat. Such stones are muktzeh because they have no practical use.

ואין האבן נופלת - for the pounded stone fits well in the mouth of the pumpkin shell and it is a utensil.

A vine-branch tied to a pitcher: one may draw [water] with it on Shabbat. The pitcher was attached to a vine in order to lower it down into the well. The mishnah rules that one may use such a contraption on Shabbat and that the vine is not muktzeh. Were the vine not to have a practical use, it would be muktzeh.

ואם לאו – then it is like other stones, and we don’t carry the pumpkin shell that had become the base for the stone that carries it.

זמורה שהיא קשורה בטפיח – to a small pitcher that we draw from it water from the well or from the spring from which we fill it for this branch is considered a utensil.

פקק החלון – such as a tablet or a curtain or other things that they close a window with.

Introduction This mishnah discusses window-shutters. These shutters were not always attached to the frame of the house as they are today. Rather, they were sometimes attached and sometimes totally detached.

ותלוי – that is not dragged on the ground.

A window-shutter: Rabbi Eliezer says: when it is connected and suspended, one may close [the window] with it; if not, one may not close [the window] with it. But the sages say: in both cases one may close [the window] with it. According to Rabbi Eliezer, it is permitted to close the window with the shutter only if the shutter is already connected to the frame of the house. If it is not connected, then closing the window with it would be prohibited because it is similar to “building.” In essence by closing the window it is as if he is adding another plank to the structure of the house. However, if the shutter is attached and suspended from the house, then it is already part of the house and closing it is no different from closing the door of a house, which is of course permitted. The sages say that it is permitted to close the window whether or not the shutter is attached to the house. It is not considered “building” because the shutter is not permanently going to become part of the house.

ואם לאו אין פוקקין בו – for if it was dragged on the ground when it is loosened from the ground to close it, it appears like adding to the building, and Rabbi Eliezer holds that we don’t add to a temporary tent on Shabbat.

בין כך ובין כך – whether it is tied or not tied, we shutter it up with it, since it was prepared/ready from the day before, for this the Rabbis hold that we add on to a temporary tent on the Sabbath, and the Halakha is according to the Sages.

במה דברים אמורים – In the Talmud (Tractate Shabbat 126b), that regarding a lid of vessels, everyone agrees that it is permitted, even though it lacks a handle, and with ground openings, such as the covering for a pit and a cistern no one disputes that it is forbidden if it lacks a handle, but they argue with a handle of a utensil attached to the ground; one opinion holds that it is like the ground and the other opinion holds that is not like the ground; but the Halakha is according to the Sages that what is attached to the ground is like the ground.

Introduction This mishnah deals with carrying lids on Shabbat.

All lids of utensils which have a handle may be carried on Shabbat. Since the lids have handles, they may be carried on Shabbat independent of the vessels which they cover. Indeed, they themselves are considered vessels/utensils, since they have handles.

Rabbi Yose said: in reference to what is that said? In the case of lids which cover the ground, but lids of vessels may in any case be carried on Shabbat. Rabbi Yose limits the application of the rule stated above. That rule applies only to lids used to cover holes in the ground. These may only be carried on Shabbat if they have handles. If they don’t have handles, it looks like one is using them to permanently cover a hole in the ground, in which case this would be too similar to “building.” If they have handles, then it is clear that they will not be used to permanently cover the hole. However, lids of vessels (i.e. pots and pans) may be carried whether or not they have handles. It is clear that such lids are only temporary and that they are part of the vessel which they cover.