Talking Talmud
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Shabbat 150: Going to the Circus on Shabbat
August 03, 2020 04:16 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBThe mishnah reflects two issues: what can we talk about and think about on Shabbat, and what can we plan to do after Shabbat? Tchum Shabbat - how far can one go on Shabbat in preparation to hire workers after Shabbat? The Gemara then applies the mishnah, to determine its specific case, including explanations why it can't mean the more general case. Also: when you cannot say something on Shabbat, but you can hint to it. And: Some of the things that appear on this daf as permitted are surprisin...
Shabbat 149: The Writing on the Wall
August 02, 2020 04:42 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MBToday, a halakhah section and an aggadah section. First, halakhah: no written lists for that which will appear at the table, lest one erase items off the list as they happen -- or lest one start dealing with business documents. The Gemara tracks through the different views, and the rationale and implications of each. Fundamentally, what it means to explore the "nafka minah," the practical difference between the two views. Also: being involved in punishing another person distances one from God...
Shabbat 148: Better That People Should Sin Less
August 01, 2020 18:03 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBFinancial dealings on Shabbat - or at least goods: borrowing without saying "borrow." If Erev Pesach (in Jerusalem in the time of the Temple) fells out on Shabbat, certain negotiations could be done for the sake of the korban pesach. Also: Several cases based on the mishnah's concern re the specific language of the loan, which leads to the difference between a larger, longer-term loan vs. spotting someone for a short time. But isn't the shorter-term loan at risk of getting written down? Durin...
Shabbat 147: Why We Don't Go Swimming on Shabbat
July 31, 2020 05:04 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBIf you shake crumbs or dust, etc., off your tallit, or garment, that's akin to laundering, and incurs a korban chatat, at least for a new garment. And yet, this was not a universal approach - as some people were not concerned about it, and for them, shaking off the dust, crumbs, etc. did not matter, and therefore did not incur a korban chatat. Ulla, the key personality here, does seem to like to get involved, as he fears that those who were not particular about their garments in this way were...
Shabbat 146: A Legacy from the Serpent
July 30, 2020 03:33 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MB(Recorded in advance of Tisha B'Av) The Gemara claims that non-Jews were considered contaminated - why? They never had the contamination from the Garden of Eden serpent removed, as Bnei Yisrael did. It's a difficult presumption in a world where we generally claim that people are born good, or at least innocent (which would mean not contaminated!). And what about converts? The implication is that they were always going to be part of the Jewish people. Also: Making a hole in a cask of dates - d...
Shabbat 145: Don't Yuck My Yum, or: There's No Accounting for Taste
July 29, 2020 05:26 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBMore on squeezing fruit on Shabbat, specifically over food, and not over an empty bowl - salad dressing! Also, hearsay testimony (one witness) is accepted only for allowing women to remarry, instead of leaving them agunot. Is there no other arena of halakhah where one witness's testimony would be sufficient? There is - when one claims that an animal is a first-born animal, and not available for the food of the kohanim. Plus: Certain unsavory foods that we're not considered tasty, yet some sti...
Shabbat 144: Pomegranate Juice
July 28, 2020 05:11 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBThat ongoing discussion about liquid that unintentionally comes out from fruit on Shabbat... Blood is also one of the liquids that can grant the food it comes in contact with (!) the capacity to become impure. R. Akiva is more stringent for the milk, over the blood. What do intentional and unintentional mean, in this context? What about other fruit (berries and pomegranates, for example)? And how do our expectations of what the fruit will be used for (to be squeezed for juice or not, for exam...
Shabbat 143: Toss the Date-Pits behind the Couch
July 27, 2020 04:14 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBMore on moving muktzah. Removing bones and husks from the table - or removing the board of the table altogether. Crumbs and left over pods are less problematic, as they can be eaten by animals, and thereby have a purpose on Shabbat. Also, using a sponge on Shabbat is tricky in that it may entail automatic squeezing, unless it has a strap as a handle. Note the implications for cleaning our own Shabbat tables are not necessarily clear from this. Plus: A barrel that breaks on Shabbat - taking th...
Shabbat 142: Put a Child on the Brick and Carry Them Both
July 26, 2020 04:33 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MBMore on moving muktzah, for the sake of needing its place or the item itself. Specifically, terumah, where some is pure and some is impure, in the same basket. Also, coins on a pillow. Notably, the Gemara's careful and close reading of the Mishnah. A side comment on "Gemara logic," and its associative nature, as compared to the linear approach of Greek logic, which underpins much of modern thinking. And: some more cases of moving muktzah: a stone at the mouth of the barrel. And more on the co...
Shabbat 141: New Shoes!
July 25, 2020 18:05 - 23 minutes - 22 MBMoving muktzah - when and how can you manage that? When you need the space where the muktzah item is, or when you need the muktzah item for a non-muktzah use. Examples include straw and a press, depending on the rest of the circumstances. Also: Scraping mud off your shoes with a tool... as long as the shoes are new. Similarly, how one can use oil as a moisturizer without working the shoe leather, or the leather of a covering akin to tanning. Plus: Don't go out wearing shoes that are way too b...
Shabbat 140: The Advice of R. Hisda
July 24, 2020 05:02 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBA brief comment on the range of homegrown practices of amud alef. And then the wisdom of R. Hisda (Who's Who), including the general advice and then his personal experience, to Torah students: 1. Don't eat vegetables; 2. Don't share out your bread if you don't have enough; 3. Don't pass up barley bread or beer for wheat bread or wine, because of bal taschit (the Gemara recasts that). Plus his advice to his daughters: 1. Don't eat too much in front of your husband; 2. Don't have food/drink tha...
Shabbat 139: Leadership and Leniencies
July 23, 2020 04:53 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBCause and effect: If there are troubles in your world, look to what's wrong with the judges of Israel. The rebuke here is explicit, even if we are less comfortable with ascribing blame that directly in this day and age. And so we ask, punishment, or a natural consequence of the messy messiness? Also: 3 questions asked if Levi: spreading a canopy on Shabbat, planting hops in a vineyard, and burial on yom tov. But another rav needed to answer: there were ways to pasken with leniency, but he did...
Shabbat 138: Forgetting Torah
July 22, 2020 05:18 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MBHow straining wine for its sediment is a concern of making a tent. More, the range of opinions in the dispute about that wine is fodder for concern (on the daf) about how disparate they are (recall the Jerusalem of Gold ornament). Also: A promise, as it were, that the Torah will be forgotten by Israel (the people) in the future, with a prooftext from a verse in Amos. Which is, or course, of great concern. The daf tries to suss out what "word of God" will be forgotten, and the focus of that co...
Shabbat 137: Possible Confusions in Brit Milah
July 21, 2020 04:15 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBFinishing off this chapter on brit milah. What if you do a brit milah on Shabbat that wasn't supposed to happen until Sunday? Or Friday? Interestingly, the dispute here is rooted in a parallel of idolatry. And: Brit milah takes place on the 8th day of the baby's life, but it also can happen in the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th days, simply because of how the calendar works out. And of course the brit delayed for the sake of the health of the baby. Also: Precision on removing the foreskin. Plus: The b...
Shabbat 136: The Significance of 30 Days
July 20, 2020 04:13 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBWarning: Infant mortality. In the world of the Talmud, a baby was viable if carried to term at 9 months, and also viable at 7 months, but not those delivered at 8 months. Also, 2 stories of rabbis who mourned their babies, even though they seemed to have died within the first 30 days after birth. Both sages insist that the child was born to term, and they each mourn, despite those who raise questions on their doing so. And: The question of yibum in a case where a father died, and then his bab...
Shabbat 135: Born Circumcised
July 19, 2020 04:27 - 18 minutes - 17 MBMore on brit milah... When a child is born circumcised, what to do? You can take a drop of blood. Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai seem to disagree. R. Adda bar Ahava fathered a son who was born circumcised, and took that drop of blood, to his detriment. Also: If a baby is born to a woman who does not become impure in childbirth, what day should the brit milah be? Plus: Who's Who/What's What: Eved Kna'ani.
Shabbat 134: Talmudic Neonatalogy
July 18, 2020 18:00 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBDedicated by Lisa Droski, in memory of her parents Bertrand and Florence Sandweiss. || A story about Rabbi Meir not keeping the halakhah he himself had paskened - an object lesson of not doing something just because you can. Also, medical lessons taught to Abaye by his mother, specifically about newborns. Notable is the level of care, given the times of the Talmud, without molecular knowledge. And: Two stories of women whose infants had died and whose next babies, one for each of them, were s...
Shabbat 133: "Metzitzah BaPeh"
July 17, 2020 05:49 - 30 minutes - 28.6 MB[With apologies for the audio issues at the beginning. They do diminish pretty quickly.] The Gemara asks why verses are needed when logic should be enough, in that the unintentional act is permitted. Rava and Abaye explain that the verses are necessary to make the point here to R. Yehuda and R. Shimon - as, when it comes to intent, they each take the less popular position. More on brit milah: You can do anything pertaining to the brit on Shabbat, including all ways of caring for the injury. P...
Shabbat 132: The Rock Paper Scissors of Overriding Shabbat
July 16, 2020 04:58 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBMore brit milah on Shabbat - everyone accepts that milah overrides Shabbat: it's Halakhah! From brit milah, we infer that saving a life also overrides Shabbat. What's What: Kal va-chomer. In the context of different approaches of rabbinic interpretation. Plus: The Rock Paper Scissors of what overrides Shabbat - meaning, when there's a conflict between mitzvot that compete for the time (namely, on Shabbat), which takes precedence: brit milah, the Temple service, tzara'at.
Shabbat 131: Overriding Shabbat
July 15, 2020 05:18 - 25 minutes - 24 MBGezerah shavah again. The Omer sacrifice and the Shtei HaLechem sacrifice - both of which involve grinding of flour to prepare. Not all gezerah shavahs are created equal. Also: Not all mitzvot override Shabbat, but the following do: lulav, sukkah, matzah, shofar, brit milah. These inferences do not arrive at modern day halakhah, because the overriding sometimes applied only in the Temple. And a brief reflection on the challenges of this kind of daf.
Shabbat 130: Peacock Parmesan
July 14, 2020 05:08 - 23 minutes - 22.2 MBA mohel who needs to perform a circumcision on Shabbat should make sure his tools are at the site of the brit from before Shabbat. If he has to bring the tools with him on Shabbat, he makes sure they're visible, so everyone know what he's carrying. But why visible? And what if the era involves oppression of Jews, where "visible" is not a good idea? Rabbi Akiva's rule: that which can be done before Shabbat cannot be done on Shabbat. Also: Eating poultry with milk. Including peacock. R. Yehudah...
Shabbat 129: Lenient about Shabbat, Strict about Health
July 13, 2020 04:48 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBTo be stringent or lenient when it comes to not quite a case of pikuach nefesh? Note that lenient with regard to Shabbat in this context means being stringent with regard to health - and that is the psak. Also: Bloodletting - seems to have been done frequently, for the sake of basic health, and even nourishment. Look at the extent to which Chazal were focused on health, even if their bloodletting approach does not align with current medical practice. Namely, a fully rounded sage is well-verse...
Shabbat 128: Ostriches and Elephants and Chickadees (Oh My!)
July 12, 2020 05:17 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBFood for ravens - muktzah or no? Food for deer? For doves? What about food for ostriches? Or elephants? Who knew?! Plus: All of Israel are the children of kings. Namely, even exotic pets area reasonable. Note the application to a debtor collecting from one of our princes. Back to the animals - chicks, chickens, calves, foals... and toddlers: help them to walk. How do we navigate the muktzah aspect of animals with the need to care for them too? What if the animal is stuck in the water? What if...
Shabbat 127: Giving Credit Even If It Isn't Due
July 11, 2020 18:15 - 24 minutes - 23.1 MBMuktzah does appear! R. Yehudah HaNasi cleared the baskets, but not actually himself - an example of what it meant to be the Nasi. Also: That passage about moving the baskets for the sake of the guests rolls into a discussion about hachnasat orchim - hospitality. Which rolls into the beraita that lists the mitzvot for which we real the real rewards in the World to Come, though they seem to focus on the here-and-now. As well as the interplay between bein adam la-chaveiro (human-focused mitzvot...
Shabbat 126: Hanging Doors, Container Covers, and Cleaning Up for Guests
July 10, 2020 04:47 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MBThe distinction on practice at the Temple vs. outside of it. In this case, door bolts that are not tied to the door - which is fundamentally the melakhah of building. So there's a work-around for places outside the Temple, but not within it. Also: window shutters, even if they aren't attached to the building.... are permitted. Note: What's What: Anonymous mishnayot are usually authoritative - but in this case, they supplement with knowledge of the practice, and that "ma'aseh rav" trumps. Also...
Shabbat 125: Leaving Muktzah
July 09, 2020 05:11 - 22 minutes - 20.9 MBWhat do you do with the broken shards of an item that was (or wasn't) designated before Shabbat? The daf follows the process of argumentation that emerges on this discussion. Side-point: A paradigm of impurity. Also: A contraption that involves filling it up on Shabbat -- and introducing the "basis" category of muktzah, depending on your intent. But how can you tell what happened how?! And the daf offers the same structure of argumentation as above, and that familiarity helps us understand th...
Shabbat 124: Turning Broken Vessels into Vessels
July 08, 2020 05:46 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MBThe term "muktzah." Shabbat vs. yom tov - when it comes to items with a permissible purpose on yom tov that is prohibited on Shabbat. But shouldn't all details of Shabbat and yom tov be the same outside of food prep? And yet, that's not necessarily the case. Also: the shards of broken vessels can be treated like the vessels themselves would have been, as long as they serve a purpose.... more of less specifically. Depending on when the vessel broke, in terms of determining its Shabbat use. Not...
Shabbat 123: The Extreme Origins of Muktzah
July 07, 2020 04:56 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MBThe mishnah on daf 122 explains that every item is permissible to move on Shabbat - and provides permitted activities to do that designate items that otherwise have a prohibited purpose on Shabbat for use on Shabbat. But what is this really all about? For that, we need today's daf. And the mishnah here says - you can move all items on Shabbat, except 2. But why? Again, what is this really all about? Which brings us to the decree against carrying *anything,* (except 3 small things for the tabl...
Shabbat 122: Light One Candle
July 06, 2020 04:23 - 27 minutes - 25 MBRabbi Yehudah HaNasi - a man of great wealth, and why that matters. Even the non-Jews wouldn't think of starting up with him; such was his power and influence. Which segues nicely into a mishnah from generations earlier on the relationships between Jews and non-Jews. Namely, when a non-Jew does melakhah on his own behalf vs. on behalf of a Jew. For example, one candle lights the way for 100. And a story about Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai disembarking from a ship, where the halakhah explains the ...
Shabbat 121: The 5 Dangerous Creatures
July 05, 2020 04:09 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBA footnote to the Who's Who on Rabbi Yosi ben Halafta. And: Amira le-Akum, and how Jews are not responsible for non-Jewish activities on Shabbat. But Jews are responsible for the activities of Jewish children on Shabbat. Also-ran: When a miracle put out a fire on Shabbat, and that's not the focus of the story of putting out a fire on Shabbat. Also: a focus on determining Halakhah based on real-life stories. And: overturning a bowl to do actions indirectly on Shabbat - including to protect aga...
Shabbat 120: (Not) Burning Down the House
July 04, 2020 18:00 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBGetting the community in on rescuing foods from the fire, and calculating who owns whom what. But are pious people going to take payment for this helping out on Shabbat? (Answer: quite possibly). Also: Smothering a flame on Shabbat, one-step removed - when is this allowed? Note that this Gemara reads a little nonchalant, given the context of fire in the home. Though their homes may have been less flammable.
Shabbat 119: Preparing for Shabbat
July 03, 2020 03:34 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBThe source for Kabbalat Shabbat is here - going out to greet the Sabbath - and the implicit honor to the day. And a list of rabbis attests to what each of them did special in preparation for Shabbat. It's a real lesson to our efforts today too. Plus: One of the most famous stories about Shabbat - Yosef Moker Shabbat - is next, with a special guest. This telling includes a detail that we think is left out of many renditions for kids. Its message - getting back from Shabbat what he'd invested. ...
Shabbat 118: The Five Sons of Rabbi Yosi
July 02, 2020 05:07 - 23 minutes - 22.1 MBEating the 3 meals of Shabbat protects you from 3 harsh periods of travail - inspirational fear, if you will. Also: What happens when people don't keep Shabbat? Even from the very beginning of the mitzvah of Shabbat! In some ways, this is disheartening; in others, the capacity for return is inspiring. Plus: A series of statements by Rabbi Yosi - and our Who's Who. And the story if his 5 sons, his reported yibum, and his apparent asceticism.
Shabbat 117: Literally, a Bun (or Several) in the Oven
July 01, 2020 04:05 - 20 minutes - 19.4 MBMore rescuing from a fire on Shabbat - this time, food: for the 3 meals of Shabbat (or maybe all food), and enough to feed your animals. Also: An example of needing to save your bread from the fire - in the event of forgetting your bread in the communal bakery (what you can do to salvage your bread). Note how the day is designed to cultivate the "sparkles" of Shabbat in us. Plus: Prooftexts from the Torah for getting up early on Friday to prepare for Shabbat, for having lechem mishnah (2 loav...
Shabbat 116: Fighting Evangelism
June 30, 2020 03:50 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBNOTE: Something went wonky with the audio for the first few minutes - then it clears up. Apologies! Now: What about breaking Shabbat to save blank folios that will become kitvei kodesh once they are written on? No dice. What about breaking Shabbat to save heretical scrolls from destruction? Even worse. Notable is the way this daf addresses the question of heresy head-on, here, from both the halakhic perspective and with a narrative recounting the activities of Chazal. Who's Who: Ima Shalom. T...
Shabbat 115: Holy Letters
June 29, 2020 04:12 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBA new chapter: If holy writings are threatened by a fire, save them on Shabbat, no matter what language they're written in. Also: A story to Rabban Gamliel about Rabban Gamliel, his grandfather, who hadn't allowed the same policy re texts - and then the accuracy of that story is disputed. And: The essential value of scrolls in translation. Plus: the parameters of the texts that are holy enough or texts enough to count as worthy of breaking Shabbat to save. Also: what's the shortest text worth...
Shabbat 114: Torah Scholars Who Build the World
June 28, 2020 04:01 - 23 minutes - 22 MBHonoring the Torah scholar, the talmid chacham. In the context of defining "Derekh Eretz" - the Torah teaches us manners, etiquette, and how to be a mentsch. Changing clothes, not wearing patched shoes, oil-stained garments as matters of respect. Note the higher standard for the talmid chacham, presumably given what he represents. The significance of presentability goes beyond what we often recognize in our casual era. Also: Stains on a donkey's saddle - when is it a barrier? A comparable cas...
Shabbat 113: The Spirit of Shabbat
June 27, 2020 18:21 - 23 minutes - 22 MBWhen there's no dispute... really. Also: A new topic: folding your garments and bedclothes in Shabbat, as long as you're not preparing for Saturday night. Including from Yom Kippur (before the calendar was set and rigged against that possibility). What is permitted to be folded depends on how many changes of clothes one has - to allow the treatment of Shabbat as special. That different treatment is sourced in Isaiah/the haftara for Yom Kippur, and applies to clothes, the way of going, what yo...
Shabbat 112: The Donkeys Who Kept Kosher
June 26, 2020 03:50 - 22 minutes - 21 MBTying knots: professional, unprofessional, and knots that won't last. The Gemara says: well, obviously (!) a woman is permitted to knot her robe, and goes on to explain why it's a specified case. Especially because of knots that are not permanent, yet remain in place... permanently. Also: Halitzah. Plus: Rabbi Yochanan, Rabbi Yehudah, and Hizkiah on the impurity of vessels and how repairs change the original. A bit of Who's Who, including the generational shift from Tannaim to Amoraim, and th...
Shabbat 111: All of Bnei Yisrael Are Princes
June 25, 2020 04:25 - 23 minutes - 22 MBAre people permitted to castrate themselves (with a potion)? What about indirect castration? What about drinking such a potion if you're already sterile? What if the person drinking the potion is an old woman? The mishnah seems to be a far broader statement than the cases that whittle down its meaning. Also: Vinegar for medicinal purposes vs. as a condiment at a meal. Or rose water. To what extent do economic advantages dictate what substances are limited to medicinal use? Rabbi Shimon's impl...
Shabbat 110: A Snake Who Desires a Woman
June 24, 2020 03:59 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBIs the Gemara talking in code? For part of this daf, it seems so. Beginning with remedies to cure someone who was bitten by a snake - presented as an event that happened, even Abaye relates to the case as going beyond its physical example. Which leads into other cases including snakes like you've never seen before, including a woman and a sexually promiscuous snake (is it code? We explore this question with the help of Dr. Shai Secunda and his excellent treatise that includes discussion of th...
Shabbat 109: A Cornucopia of Talmudic Pharmaceuticals
June 23, 2020 04:21 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBTalmudic medicinal treatments, on Shabbat - some of them sound quite in line with practices today. Also, the first-thing-in-the-body spirit that we wash out of ourselves every morning, and the different reasons (elsewhere) for this take. Also, using wine on Shabbat, when vinegar is the real cure (and a bigger issue on Shabbat, unless wine itself will cure). And: a story of Chazal's practice with regard to these substances... and when is the injury so bad that the need is for vinegar's healing...
Shabbat 108: When Rav Curses Shmuel and It Works
June 22, 2020 04:21 - 26 minutes - 24.9 MBShmuel and Karna, and Rav. Sniffing a keg to make sure it's doing well. The word of God should be "in your mouth," so kashrut. Similarly, fruit trees and orlah have a literal meaning and a symbolic one. All of which leads to drama between Rav and Karna. Rav's curse (of Shmuel) comes to pass... Do Chazal have powers? Also: A new mishnah, prohibiting making brine on Shabbat (vs. salt water, which seems to be a difference in quantity of product and/or salt). How much you can or cannot your food ...
Shabbat 107: Would You Rather Be a Camel or a Louse? (with apologies to Dr. Seuss)
June 21, 2020 03:52 - 21 minutes - 20.1 MBThe 3 cases where "exempt" means not "no korban, but don't do it," but "no korban, and it's even allowed." Also: The new chapter of "8 crawling animals" - including discussion of what these creatures are, and the fact that wounding them leaves you exempt... Some significant disputes are these animals - what has separate skin? Plus: Killing a louse on Shabbat... How differently Chazal related to live, as compared to other animals, specifically with regard to their procreation (which we know to...
Shabbat 106: Fly High, Free Bird
June 20, 2020 18:16 - 18 minutes - 17 MBWhen a destructive act can actually constitute "melekhet machshevet," even though it's not constructive in the least. Also: Trapping, which can depend on the size of the place used to capture the animal. And a discussion about a free bird... that does not accept authority (!). Plus: Another animated discussion among Chazal. And: Deer! What happens if the deer you're trapping can't run away? Well, it depends why it can't run. And what about grasshoppers and hornets and so on?!
Shabbat 105: When You Rend, in Anguish or Anger
June 19, 2020 06:08 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBAbbreviations - in the Torah itself?! Apparently so, and with the claim that it's part and parcel of the Torah itself. Then: moving on to "sewing 2 stitches," and "tearing in order to sew 2 stitches." That is, constructive tearing for the purpose of sewing. Also, tearing keriyah - as a sign of mourning, in anguish. Or one who tears in anger. Mourning obligates tearing keriyah! One who is present at the moment that a person dies is also obligated to tear keriyah - according to this Gemara at l...
Shabbat 104: Writing (and Not-Writing) the Name of God
June 18, 2020 05:28 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBFrom the melakhah of writing to the Hebrew alphabet. Discussion about the letters themselves, and letter-play, apparently in the hands of the young students. "At-Bash" and other midrashim about the letters. And: Back to the halakhot about writing... All kinds of inks and other substances that are visible and lasting if you write with them. And where you write is pretty flexible too, wherein the two letters don't necessarily have to be next to each other, if they are legible and combine to mak...
Shabbat 103: A Chicken without Its Head May Run Around, But Then It Surely Dies
June 17, 2020 04:47 - 22 minutes - 21.3 MBA closing general note that emerges from the discussion on the previous daf. And: plowing, etc. In any amount incurs a korban -- because it is inevitable that all of these cases are beneficial to the the land and its growth potential. Which means it doesn't matter if you intend to enhance the land - you're doing it anyway. Inevitability removes the excuse of "unintentional" melakhah. [What's What: Psik Reisheih] And then what matters is how beneficial it is to you, how much do you care about ...
Shabbat 102: Sticking the Landing
June 16, 2020 04:41 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBFinishing off HaZorek, the chapter, and our (current) discussion of carrying on Shabbat. A reminder of the two-part requirement for "carrying" to take place, and what it means to be obligated to offer the korban. Namely, if you throw an object on Shabbat, to be required to bring a korban, you must have forgotten that it is Shabbat, or that the action is prohibition on Shabbat, for the entire time of transfer of domains, from when you throw it to when it lands. Thus, we are reminded of the com...
Shabbat 101: Boats and Little Goats
June 15, 2020 03:37 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MBCan walls extend into the empty space near them to establish a private domain? The answer lies in the little goats who can run around in that space. Also: Ships that are tied together - carrying from ship to ship. And a challenge regarding the language of the mishnah - can it mean carrying from a large ship to another large ship, with a small one attached between them? Can these ships join together to make an eruv? Love and behold, boats can combine for this purpose. But can you do so on Shab...