Shabbat 53 – Additional wear for the animals

A donkey may go into a public area on Shabbat with a saddle cloth, provided that it was tied onto it before Shabbat. Donkeys are always cold, and that is why they need the saddle cloth, which goes underneath the saddle. However, the saddle cloth needs to have been tied before Shabbat, for then it is a proof that the donkey indeed needs it, and that is it not for the needs of the owner. The reason that it has to be tied at all is this: if the saddle cloth falls off the donkey, the owner may come to carry it at least four steps himself, and thus violate the prohibition of carrying on Shabbat.

Rams may go attached (in pairs) – the same term is used in the Song of Songs, “You attached (captivated) my heart, my sister, my bride.” Ulla gives a different explanation: attached means with leather attached close to their hearts, next to the underbelly. When a wolf attacks, the ram gets up on its hind legs to fight the wolf, and the wolf then bites the underbelly. Do wolves then attack only male sheep, and not females? Females also need protection! – Rather, the males are attacked because they are fat. Are females then never fat? And furthermore, do wolves know the difference? – Rather, the male sheep are attacked because they hold their noses high and look from side to side when walking, so the wolves think that they are being attacked.

Art: Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski - Attack of Wolves

Shabbat 52 – What may an animal wear on Shabbat

The Torah prohibited one to work his animal on Shabbat, by saying “On Shabbat don’t do anything that constitutes work, you, your son, your daughter,… and your animal.“  Therefore, one cannot make his animal carry a load. If so, how can it graze, being that this is a prohibited labor of reaping? – The animal should be at ease, and restraining it would cause pain. Accordingly, the following rule tells us what constitutes not a burden, but normal animals’ wear and can therefore be worn by animals on Shabbat.

A camel may wear a halter – a rope that is used to control it. All animals that normally wear a collar may go into a public area on Shabbat while wearing.

Incidentally, if one needs to sprinkle the animal with the ashes of a red heifer, to remove the impurity of the dead, one needs not take the collar off. So too, if he needs to immerse the animal, he may keep the collar on.

However, we know that only humans can become ritually impure, and that the laws of ritual impurity do not apply to animals at all. – It is the collar that became impure and requires purification. But even so, it is an animal’s collar, not a utensil used by people, and the Torah talked about impurity only for utensils in people’s use!? – This collar was initially made for humans, and then re-used for an animal.

Art: Jean-Léon Gérôme - Camels at a Watering Trough

Shabbat 51 – Warm food on Shabbat

Earlier we saw that there is a prohibition to wrap, or insulate hot pot of food on Shabbat. Before it is night, one should not use materials that add heat, and on Shabbat itself – not even materials that don’t add heat.

However, that only applies if he did not wrap his pot while it was yet day. If he did, then even if the pot became uncovered, he can cover it again. Why? The whole reason for wrapping prohibition is so that he would not rake the coals and would not reheat the pot, if he finds that it has somewhat cooled off. If there is no such suspicion, accordingly, there is no prohibition.

Therefore, if he poured the food into another, different container, then he can wrap one. The logic here is that he already cooled the food off by pouring it into another container, so certainly he won’t reheat that new container.

In a similar vein, one may wrap cold food so that they stay cold, and even to take the chill off – again, for the reason that there is no prohibition to stop him from doing.

Art: Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin - Leeks, a casserole with a cloth, a copper pot and cover, an onion and eggs with a pestle and mortar, on a stone ledge

Shabbat 50 – Are branches prepared to sit on them on Shabbat?

It happened once that Rav Chanina ben Akiva came to a certain place and found branches of date palms that were harvested for firewood. He told his students, “Go and mentally designate these branches for us, so that we may sit on them tomorrow (on Shabbat)." Zeiri, who was retelling this episode, added, “And I don’t know if it was for the house of feasting (wedding) or for the house of mourning.”

From these words of Zeiri we see that only in such a place where people are preoccupied did Rav Chanina permit a mental designation, but in a normal situation he would require a physical action - tying the bundles - in order to sit on them on Shabbat. Otherwise they would be considered muktzeh, set aside from Shabbat use. However, although the Talmud goes into details elucidating it, the law does not follow this strict view.

Ameimar, mar Zutra and Rav Ashi were sitting together one Shabbat, and they brought them “barda,” a mix of aloe, myrtle, and violets. Ameimar and Rav Ashi washed their faces and hands with it, but Mar Zutra did not. They asked him, “Are you afraid that you will accidentally remove some hair from your skin on Shabbat, through the use of aloe? – But the law is like Rabbi Shimon, that it is permitted, since the hair is removed only accidentally!” However, his reason was different – a man should not beautify himself as a woman does. Then what was their reason? – Just the opposite, one should clean and beautify himself, since this brings glory to God. In fact, one must say a blessing on a seeing handsome creature.

Art: Francisco De Goya y Lucientes

Shabbat 49 – Elisha with the dove's wings

Continuing with the list of materials that may be used to wrap, or insulate hot food before Shabbat – one can use clothing, produce (such as wheat or beans), dove's feathers, carpenter's sawdust, and flax combings – because all these don't add heat, an thus there is no danger that using them one can also start using ashes and then even rake the coals.

Actually, any feathers can be used, but dove's feathers are mentioned because they were more common and because of a story that follows. What was Elisha's relationship with dove's wings? Once the Roman government passed an edict that anyone who dons tefillin will have his brain under tefillin taken out. Nevertheless, this person named Elisha was wearing them in the marketplace. A certain Roman quaestor saw him; Elisha fled from him, and the officer pursued. As the officer caught up, Elisha took the tefillin off and held them in his hand. “What is in your hand?” – asked the officer. Elisha answered, “Dove's wings”. He opened his hand, and indeed they were found to be dove's wings, and that is how Elisha got his nickname.

Why did Elisha refer specifically to a dove? – Because of its connection to the Jewish people, who is protected with good deeds just as the dove is protected with wings. Why was Elisha not required to sacrifice his life, and on the other hand, how was he allowed to put his life in danger in the first place – these questions are also discussed.

One may insulate the food with hides, and even move them, because even unprocessed hives can be used for reclining. However, there is still a question about the hides of a craftstman, who plans to sell them – perhaps they are not designated for use on Shabbat and may not be handled, as muktzeh.

Art: Franz Werner von Tamm - Doves

Shabbat 48 – Wrap the food

On Friday afternoon before Shabbat, when one takes hot food off the stove, he may want to wrap, or insulate it, in order to keep it warm. That is allowed, as long as the material he uses does not add heat on its own. The reason is that if he were allowed to put his pot into heating substance, he might come to put it into hot ash mixed with live coals, and that in turn could lead him to rake the coals.

Therefore, one should not put the hot pot into olive pulp, manure, salt, lime, or sand, whether wet or dry, because all these add heat. He also may not use straw or grape skins if they are moist, but the dry ones are safe. He may use dry flocking (tufts of unprocessed cotton or soft wool).

Rav Adda bar Matnah asked, “Granted that one may insulate his food with flocking, but can he then move that flocking? Is it not set aside, and not fit for Shabbat use?” Abaye answered with a question, “Just because he does not have a box of straw and uses expensive material, does he renounce his use if it for later? – Of course not, he will do something with it later, and therefore he should not move it on Shabbat!” The Talmud answers, “It could be that this logic only applies if he did not use flocking for insulation, and he is not going to lie down on it, so indeed it has no use on Shabbat, but if he used it as insulation, that's exactly its use!” The question thus remains not completely resolved.

Art: Gustave Caillebotte - Interior Of A Studio With Stove

Shabbat 47 – Ash

Rabbi Assi stated that Rabbi Yehudah the Prince permitted moving a censer on Shabbat, along with its ashes. Rabbi Zeira said to him, “How could this be? Granted that one may move a basket with a stone inside, but that is only because this basket also has fruit in it; censer has only ashes, and they are not fit for use on Shabbat, and therefore muktzeh!”

Rabbi Assi was confounded for a moment, and then said, “Here too we are dealing with a censer that has granules of unburned incense! They are not muktzeh, and the censer can be carried because of them.” However, Abaye rejected this explanation: “Granules are not considered as anything in the household of Rabbi Yehudah the Prince. Rather, Rabbi Yehudah wanted the unpleasant censer moved away.” Rava, in turn, rejected this: “Censer is not repugnant, and besides, the ashes in a censer are covered. Rather, the ashes themselves were planned to be used on Shabbat, for covering dirt, and that is why they were not muktzeh, in fact, they were the important part, even if the rest was muktzeh.”

We thus see the rule: a muktzeh object may be moved together with another, permitted object, if they are together in one container, and if the permitted object is the more important one.

Going back to the Shabbat lamp, one may put a vessel under it, to catch the falling sparks, but not place water in that vessel. How is this different from a plate to collect dripping oil, which was forbidden? – Sparks are insignificant. Then why not put water? – Because that would be too close to actively extinguishing them.

Art: Wolfgang Heimbach - Young woman with an oil lamp

Shabbat 46 – Finer distinctions in muktzeh

Rav Yosef (who lived in Babylon) wanted to know the opinion of Rabbi Yochanan (who lived in Israel) on muktzeh – objects set aside and not used on Shabbat. When Rav Yitzhak arrived from Israel, he said, “Rabbi Yochanan agrees with the stricter, more inclusive prohibitions of Rabbi Yehudah on muktzeh.” At this, Rav Yosef exclaimed, “Now I understand the previous report!” For Rabbi Yochanan had said, “They (my colleagues) hold that the law agrees with the less strict opinion of Rabbi Shimon.” Now Rav Yosef understood that it meant, “They hold so, but I (Rabbi Yochanan) don't agree to it!”

At this, Abaye said to Rav Yosef, “How come you did not deduce this on your own!? For when Rabbi Assi, a choice student of Rabbi Yochanan, came to Rabbi Abba's house on Shabbat, a candelabra fell on his cloak, and he did not move it! That can only agree with the strict opinion on muktzeh, and surely Rabbi Assi behaved like his teacher, Rabbi Yochanan, would.” However, Rav Yosef replied, “You cannot deduce anything from this. For candelabra is different: if it is large and consists of part, one may come to assemble the parts, thus performing the forbidden labor of building, and other candelabras were prohibited on the account of this one.”

But Rabbi Shimon's opinion contradicts his other rulings. For while it is true that he permits to use the oil in the Shabbat lamp, after the light went out, he at the same time does not permit to slaughter a firstborn animal which developed a blemish on a holiday (Yom Tov), and says that the animal is muktzeh, not prepared for use on a Yom Tov! – Rabbi Shimon will answer that there is a big difference: a man sits and waits till his lamp goes out and he can use the oil; however, a blemish occurring in an animal is completely unforeseen, people do not sit and wait for it to develop, so the animal is indeed not prepared for slaughter on a Yom Tov.

Art: Georges Croegaert - A Gentleman Waiting in an Interior

Shabbat 45 – The right approach to muktzeh

We saw that objects set aside and not intended for use on Shabbat are considered muktzeh (set aside), and are forbidden to be handled on Shabbat. We also saw that Rabbi Yehudah extends this prohibition to many more situations than does Rabbi Shimon. How did this disagreement progress throughout the generations?

For example, Rav said that if someone designated a bed for storing money on, and then actually placed money there, then it becomes a “money bed,” and it should not be moved on Shabbat, even if he later removed that money. However, if he did not designate it for use with money, then if there is money on it on Shabbat, he should not move it, but if there is no money there, then he can move it – provided that there was no money there at twilight on Friday. That sounds very restrictive. The mere presence of money on the bed at twilight makes the bed muktzeh for the whole Shabbat!

On the other hand, we learned a rule about a wooden bed, in the laws of purity, and there it was allowed to drag a bed on wheels on Shabbat, as long as there was no money on it – even if money was there at twilight. So how could Rav say his rule, in view of this more lenient approach to the “money bed?” – The answer is that first rule of Rav follows the more stringent approach of Rabbi Yehudah, whereas the latter rule about a wooden bed follows the less restrictive view, belonging to Rabbi Shimon. We thus see that Rav inclined toward the stricter view of Rabbi Yehudah, with its broader muktzeh prohibitions.

Art: George Frederick Watts - Lady on a day-bed

Shabbat 44 – A new lamp, but not the old one

A new clean lamp may be handled on Shabbat. Since one can use it for something else, like storing objects, it is not considered, “muktzeh,” or set aside. However, once it has been used, it becomes dirty, and one cannot store anything in it. True, it is usable as a lamp, but kindling it is exactly what is prohibited on Shabbat. It follows then that a used lamp may not be handled on Shabbat.

The above is the opinion of Rabbi Yehudah, who takes the concept of muktzeh very expansively. Rabbi Shimon, however, permits all lamps to be moved on Shabbat,  except for the one that is actually burning on Shabbat – lest he extinguish the flame.

Rabbi Meir's is an in-between opinion: if the lamp was burning when Shabbat started on Friday night, it remains muktzeh even when the flame goes out, and should not be handled the whole day. Rabbi Elazar the son of Rabbi Shimon takes the opinion of his father further, and he permits carrying a lamp that is actually burning. One just have to be careful not to extinguish it.

How could there be such a difference of opinions on the laws of muktzeh? When the law was formulated by the Sages, it was unambiguous! Even the eventual loss in the learning capacity over the generations could not explain such a variety?! – True, and when the law was initially formulated, it was the most strict version. However, it was not accepted by the majority of the people, and was later repealed, and the argument is how far did this process reach.

Art: Gerrit Dou - A young woman with a lamp

Shabbat 43 – Corpse in the sun

If one has an oil lamp that is leaking oil, he nevertheless may not put a plate next to the lamp, in order to collect the dripping oil. Why not? – The oil in the lamp is designated to be burned on Shabbat, and it is not designated for consumption. Therefore, the oil is considered “not prepared for use,” or “muktzeh”, and muktzeh objects cannot be handled or used on Shabbat. When one puts a plate to collect the oil, he effectively “cements” the plate to the floor: since the plate with the muktzeh oil may be not carried any longer, it is as if glued to the floor, and he has thus performed the prohibited labor of building on Shabbat.

Another possible explanation is that he would be moving a non-muktzeh object (plate) for the sake of a muktzeh object (oil), and that too would be prohibited. However, that question, can one move a non-muktzeh object for the sake of a muktzeh object, is itself a subject of disagreement. Let's look at a couple examples.

One may want to put a basket under a hen, so that its egg would not fall and break on Shabbat. That, however, is prohibited, just as putting a plate under dripping oil. However, one can put an overturned basket to cover the egg, even though this is using a permitted object for the sake of forbidden. Can we thus use permitted objects for the sake of muktzeh? – No, this is a special dispensation, to prevent a commonly occurring loss.

If a dead body is lying in the sun on Shabbat, two people can come and sit by its sides. When it gets hot for them, they bring mats and sit on them. This establishes that they care for the themselves, not for the dead. Then, if it is still hot, they can bring a tent and place it over themselves (and the dead). Then they can leave, and the dead is protected. Are we using a permitted object for the sake a muktzeh (corpse)? – No, they use it for themselves. Then do we see that moving a permitted object for the sake of a muktzeh is NOT allowed? – Really, it is, but the procedure with the corpse also became law.

Art: Baldassare De Caro - A Cockerel And Chickens In A Shed With An Earthenware Bowl And Baskets With Eggs

Shabbat 42 – From the frying pan into the fire

When one pours hot water into cold water, we have this question: does the hot water cook the cold water (which would be forbidden), or does the cold water cool the hot water (and it’s allowed). Here we apply the universal principle that “the lower one rules,” with the result that pouring into cold water is permitted, but not the other way around. The Talmud makes further distinctions regarding the relative amounts of water.

When one removes a boiling pan from fire (usually right before Shabbat), the pan is hot. Its heat is considered the extension of the fire itself, and the pan is called “the first degree from fire.” This pan can therefore cook the food put into it, as if it were still on the stove. Consequently, one should not put spices into it, because he would then be cooking spices on Shabbat. However, once he serves the food in a plate, the plate is only “second degree from fire,” and one can safely add any spices he wants.

Rav Yosef wanted to say that salt has the same law as spices, but Rav Nachman told him, “Salt needs as much cooking as the meat of an ox,” that is, salt can be cooked only the hottest of the pots, and it is thus no problem putting salt into a hot pan removed from fire.

Art: Pietro Falca - The Spice-vendor's shop

Shabbat 41 – Shabbat swim

Rav Zeira said, “I have observed Rabbi Abahu in a pool, but I still don’t know if he swam or not.” What was Rav Zeira’s problem? The Sages forbade swimming in lakes and rivers on Shabbat, lest one come to make a flotation device, and this refers even to pools!? Rav Zeira did not know if this refers to pools without embankments, which are more similar to lakes, or even to pools with embankments. The Talmud discusses two more instances of Rav Abbahu’s behavior about which Rav Zeira was not sure.

When Rav Zeira was planning to go live in Israel, he avoided Rav Yehudah, because Rav Yehudah forbade leaving the Diaspora and moving to Israel, until God makes it so. His reason was the phrase from prophet Jeremiah, “I will bring you to Babylon, and there you will stay”. However, as Rav Zeira craved the teachings of Rav Yehudah, he sneaked to listen from behind the bathhouse, where he heard Rav Yehudah say in Hebrew, “Please bring me soap and a brush,” and then continue in Aramaic, talking to his attendants, “Drink some of the hot water of the bathtub.” Rav Zeira deduced from here that one is permitted to talk about daily matters in Hebrew in a bathtub, and that it is beneficial to drink hot liquid while in a bathtub. Incidentally, one who leaves the bathtub and does not rinse himself in cold water is similar to metal that has been heated but not put into cold water for hardening. Rav Zeira then said, “Had I come to hear only these things, it would be enough.” Some say, he meant, “Had I only been born.”

One can drink hot water from a samovar from which hot coals have been removed – if the coals are on the inside of the samovar. However, if its coals are in a large compartment on the outer sides of the samovar, then this compartment keeps adding heat throughout Shabbat, and drinking this water is forbidden.

Art: Petrov-Vodkin - "Still life with samovar"

Shabbat 40 – Shabbat bath

People living in Tiberius – a place known for its hot underground springs – invented the following device: they passed pipes through the hot water of the springs, and used these pipes to heat water on Shabbat. They reasoned that since the underground springs are naturally hot and are not heated by human effort, and additionally since they had constructed the pipes during weekday, they should be allowed to use the clean hot water. However, the Sages told them that if the water passed through the pipes on Shabbat, then it had the laws of water heated on Shabbat, and was prohibited for both washing and drinking; and if the water passed through the pipes on a festival (Yom Tov), when cooking is allowed, then the water was allowed for drinking, but still not for washing oneself.

What is the reason behind this prohibition? Initially taking a hot bath on Shabbat, using water heated before Shabbat, was completely allowed. However, the bathhouse owners started heating water on Shabbat and saying that they heated it before. The Sages then forbade washing in any hot water on Shabbat. People kept washing on Shabbat, claiming that they used Tiberius springs. The Sages forbade using Tiberius springs, but the populace could not abide by it, so the Sages reversed this decree, but kept the other ones in place.

What kind of bath is meant? Rav said – washing the whole body, but washing one limb at a time is allowed, and Shmuel said that even that is not allowed. They asked Rav quoting a well-known rule that “only washing one’s hands and feet is allowed,” but he answered that this rule really means any washing similar to hands and feet, and thus washing individual limbs is really allowed, just as he had said. But the law here follows Shmuel.

Art: Camille Pissarro - Woman Washing Her Feet in a Brook

Shabbat 39 – Cooking in the sun

Not only it is forbidden to cook on Shabbat, but even when one takes the kettle off the stove, he should not put an egg next to the kettle, in order that it should get slightly cooked.

On the other hand, if one spread out cloth in the sun, he may try to fry eggs there, and, being that this is not a normal way of cooking with fire, it should be allowed. Nevertheless, the author of this ruling (usually the anonymous author is Rabbi Meir) forbids it – and Rabbi Yose allows it. What are their reasons? Both agree that cooking with fire derivatives (kettle) is forbidden. Both also agree that cooking in the sun is allowed, since this is unusual, and one cannot derive any wrong lessons seeing that someone cooks food in the rays of sun on Shabbat. Where they disagree is cooking with the derivatives of the heat of the sun (cloth spread out in the sun). Rabbi Meir says that it is forbidden, so that one should not come to cook with the kettle taken off the fire, while Rabbi Yose says that no one will confuse it, and therefore the additional prohibitions are unneeded.

Theodule Augustine Ribot - Still Life With Jugs And Eggs

Shabbat 38 – Putting the food back

As we learned before, Beit Hillel allow not only to leave food on the stove at the advent of Shabbat (provided that one cannot accidentally stoke the fire), but even put it back on the stove. However, here appears another concern – that it may look as if he is cooking on Shabbat. Nevertheless, this is allowed not only on Friday night, but even on the morrow, on the Shabbat day itself – so taught Rav Sheshet.

However, there are a few provisos. The food must be still warm. Our returning it on the stove is a continuation of originally leaving it there, in order to keep it warm, and if it completely cooled off, then this reason does not work. Should the pot still be in his hands? Rav Dimi and Rav Shmuel bar Yehudah disagreed about that, and therefore it is better to keep it in one’s hands while serving the food. Should one have the intention to return it, when he takes the pot? Again, here we have different versions of the ruling, and therefore it is better to keep in mind that one will return the food to the stove.

Rav Yirmiyah asked the following questions: if he hung the pot on a peg, what is the law? Is it like holding it in one’s hand, or is it like putting it on the ground? If he put it down on the bed, what then? Rav Ashi asked, “If he transferred the hot water from one kettle to another, can he return it to the stove?” These questions remained unanswered.

Art: Emil Carlsen - Still Life with Kettle and Jug

Shabbat 37 – Shabbat stoves

There are three types of stoves that we will be dealing with, two-pot, and one-pot, and the trapezoidal one. The two-pot oven is called kirah, and it produces the least amount of heat of the three types. Our modern ovens are mostly comparable to this kirah.

If one heated the two-pot oven (kirah) with straw or stubble, usually there are no coals and little residual heat. Therefore, one may place cooked food upon it before Shabbat. That rule, however, if subject to further disagreements: does the word “place” means that one can leave the food there at the advent of Shabbat, or does it mean that he can even return it back after he has taken the food off on Shabbat itself? Furthermore, “cooked” does not mean that it is completely cooked, but only that a certain bandit called “Ben Drusai” who always ate his food one-third cooked, would eat it. However, there is another disagreement about food which is already cooked, but which further improves with additional cooking. The question here is can one leave this type of food on the oven, and which foods are of this type. If the oven was heated by wood, one needs to first shovel away the coals or cover them with ash. Otherwise there is a danger that he will stoke the fire.

Beit Shammai further argue with the circumstances of this rule. According to them, it is talking only about hot water but not cooked food, and it discusses only leaving the food on the stove but not returning it; Beit Hillel disagree on both counts.

Art: Philippe Lodowyck Jacob Sadee - Lighting The Stove

Shabbat 36 -- Announcing Shabbat

The communities in the time of Talmud would announce Shabbat with six blasts of the shofar. About an hour before Shabbat they would sound the first one, to top the people from performing their labor in the fields, giving them enough time to journey back to town before Shabbat. Those working in the nearby fields were not permitted to enter the town, until those who were farther away came as well. They would all enter at once, so that those working later were not suspected of working after the shofar blast. The store in the town would still be open.

At the second blast the storeowners would shutter the windows and lock the stores. At the third blast people would finish their hot food preparation and stared lighting the Shabbat candles. Then one blew another long note (tekiah), a series of short notes (teruah), and another long note. The sexton had hidden place on the top of his roof where he would leave the shofar, in order not to carry it on Shabbat.

Art: Camille Pissarro - Peasant Woman and Child Harvesting the Fields, Pontoise

Shabbat 35 – Twilight

Twilight on Friday afternoon might be still Friday, a weekday, or it might be Shabbat. At this time, one should not separate the tithes from his produce. Ordinarily, one is allowed snacks before he separates tithes, but not a complete sit-down meal. However, on Shabbat even snacks have a feeling of restful unhurried meals, and thus untithed produce cannot be eaten at all. Even though tithing is not really work, it is prohibited by the Sages because it is too similar to a repair: the food was not allowed to be eaten, and now – it is! Neither should one dip his dishes in a mikveh to purify them at this time – again, because it is similar to repairing them.

Those types of work that are only prohibited by the Sages and are too far removed from actual Shabbat violation can be done at twilight – such as, for example, wrapping the food to keep it warm. Why would wrapping not be allowed on Shabbat itself? Because one might find that the dish has cooled off somewhat, and warm it before wrapping, and that would be the prohibited labor of cooking. If so, we should not permit it even during twilight!? – No, during twilight all dishes are piping hot, so he will not warm them up.

How long is twilight? There are many possible definitions, ranging from the time it takes a person to walk 8,000 steps, all the way down to a moment so short that one cannot determine it.

If one has performed work at twilight both on Friday and on Saturday afternoons, he has to bring one sacrifice, regardless of how you look at it: if twilight is still day, he is liable for working during twilight on Shabbat, and if it is night, then he is liable for work done at twilight on Friday.

Art: Winslow Homer - Twilight at Leeds, New York

Shabbat 34 – Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai

Yehudah ben Geirim overheard a conversation between Sages, one of whom praised the Romans, another remained silent, while Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said that they made baths for harlots and bridges for collecting taxes. Shimon ben Geirim told this to a friend, and eventually his words reached the Romans, who dealt with each Sage according to his words. Rabbi Shimon was to be put to death, and he hid in a cave with his son Elazar. Miraculously a caper bush grew there to sustain them. After thirteen years of studying Torah in this cave they emerged, but they were so upset to see people running after material and not spiritual pursuits that everything they looked upon would burn, so they were commanded to go back. A year later they emerged again, and now whatever Rabbi Elazar was destroying his father was repairing. Finally, Rabbi Shimon told his son, “When you and I learn Torah, this is enough for the world, leave others at rest.”

Then Rabbi Shimon said, “Since a miracle happened with me, let me do something for the community.” They told him that a large fields was impassable for the kohanim, because a grave was lost there. One elder told Rabbi Shimon that he remembered a place where Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai harvested beans in ritual purity. Rabbi Shimon did the same, and the corpse miraculously rose to the surface, after which Rabbi Shimon marked of this area as impure, and the rest as pure. The elder then mocked him. Rabbi Shimon said to him, “You were with us in this advice. Even harlots make braids for each other, and help their competitors (because collectively they can command a higher price), so the Sages should not bicker!” Rabbi Shimon set his eyes on the elder, and he died.

They then saw Yehudah ben Geirim in the marketplace. Rabbi Shimon asked in surprise, “He is still in the world?” Rabbi Shimon set his eyes on him, and he turned in a heap of bones.

Here are three things that a man should say in his household on Friday afternoon before dark: Have you tithed, to make our food permitted on Shabbat? Have you made an eruv (food placed at a distance, for one to be allowed to walk there)? Please – light the Shabbat candles!”

Art: David The Younger Teniers - Hermits in a Cave

Shabbat 33 – Rewards – and punishments

The Talmud lists various behaviors leading to beneficial results. While it is true that individual’s rewards may seem incomprehensible, because they are complicated by his previous lives’ acts, and by the idea that a reward may be given to a person in this world to repay him for the few good deeds he has done, good acts add to his balance, nation’s balance, and the world’s balance.

When one hates others for no reason, not because they have committed reprehensible acts, but just because he does not like them, he does not have peace in his own household. This is logical: since he does not want peace for others, he is deprived of it himself. Conversely, when he genuinely loves others, he is rewarded with peace and long life in his family.

If people are not charitable, if they withhold what is due the kohen’s and the poor, skies are withheld from giving due and rain, prices increase, and men run after their livelihood but fail to achieve it. Conversely, a charitable nation is blessed with wealth. The source for this is in Job: “The dry and the warm season steal the waters of the dry season.” What is the connection? – Because of things that are done in warm season, that is, separation of the kohen’s and poor people’s portions from the crop – if it is not done – the waters of snow will be stolen from you in winter, the time of beneficial rains in Israel. For charitable behavior, one is promised a blessing “without limit,” literally, “without enough”, which mean that his lips will tire of saying “enough.”

Other important practices include speedy and fair judgments, not being attracted to robbery and murder, faithfulness and trust.

Art: Charles Haigh-Wood - The Peace Offering

Shabbat 32 – Protective merits of a person

Being careful about three commandments protects a woman in labor: the laws of niddah (here  to here), challah (the first portion of the dough, given to a kohen), and kindling of the Shabbat candles. Why are these special? Niddah is naturally connected to childbirth; challah is connected to anything that is first, and Adam was the first; and human soul is called a candle.

In general, one goes through life unimpeded, but his merits are weighted in the time of danger. For a man this means going over a shaky bridge, or any similar dangerous circumstance. As an illustration, Rav would not pass over a bridge on which an idolater was sitting – Rav felt that his merits might be insufficient to save him, if the judgment was visited on the idolater. Shmuel, on the other hand, would not pass a bridge where an idolater was not sitting – his reasoning was that either idolater has bad luck or Shmuel, but not both at once. Rabbi Yannai would check a boat for leaks and then cross. His logic was that one should not rely on miracles. If he is then saved from danger, it looks as if it happened due to natural causes, and even if a miracle is performed, this is undesirable, because it deducts from his account of good deeds.

For the same reason, one should always pray to continue being healthy: maintaining the healthy status quo requires comparatively little merit, but being saved from serious illness is tantamount to a miracle. If one goes to a marketplace, it should appear in his eyes as if he goes to trial; if he has a minor headache, he should think that he is put in chains; if he is sick, he should think that he is judged; however, his powerful advocates are his good deeds, and even one good deed speaks up against a thousand bad ones.

Art: Frederick Childe Hassam - Bridge at Old Lyme

Shabbat 31 - Shammai and Hillel

One should always be humble and gentle like Hillel and not stern and unyielding like Shammai. Once two people made a bet if one of them could anger Hillel. The man came to Hillel on Friday afternoon when Hillel was washing his hair for Shabbat. He screamed, "Is there a Hillel there?" Hillel put on his cloak and said, "My son, what do you seek?" The man said, "I have a question, why are the heads of Babylonians oval?" Hillel answered, "This is a great question! Because they don't have skillful midwives." The man returned two more times with similar questions but could not anger Hillel. Finally, he confessed that he lost a large amount of money. Hillel told him, "One should always guard his temper. It is better to lose money, but Hillel will not take offense."

A prospective convert came to Shammai and asked him, "How many Torahs do you have?" Shammai answered, "Two, one in writing and one oral, transmitted from teacher to student." The man said, "I will accept only the written one," and Shammai drove him away. However, Hillel converted him and started teaching him the alphabet, aleph, bet, etc. The next day Hillel told him that bet was aleph and aleph was bet. The man said, "But yesterday you taught me otherwise!" Hillel told him, "You see, you rely on my words anyway, so accept the rest of my words."

Another time a man wanted Shammai to teach him the complete Torah while the man would stand on one foot. Shammai refused, but Hillel told him, "Don't do to others what would be hateful to you, and now go and learn the rest of the details."

Another man came to Shammai to be converted because he will be appointed High Priest, but Shammai drove him away. Hillel, however, converted him and said, "Now you need to know the laws of the ceremony." As the man was learning, he saw that any non-kohen, even King David, would be liable to death by the hand of Heaven if he served in the Temple. He told Shammai, "Why didn't you explain this to me?" and to Hillel, he said, "Let the blessing come upon you, for you brought me to the knowledge of God."

Later the three men met. They said, "The sternness of Shammai sought to drive us away from true devotion, but the humble and patient manner of Hillel brought us under the wings of divine presence."

Art: Vincent Van Gogh - The Midwife

Shabbat 30 – The book of Ecclesiastes

One should not fashion a Shabbat lamp with an additional supply of oil dripping from a perforated eggshell, since he could be tempted to use this oil, thus indirectly extinguishing the lamp. However, Rabbi Yehudah says that people will be careful and not draw oil from the eggshell, so the decree is not needed. Everybody agrees that if the eggshell is part of the lamp, putting oil in it is allowed, since people will then definitely know not to take oil from there.

If one fears bandits, he still may not extinguish the Shabbat lamp, but if he did so, he has not transgressed the Torah. The same is true if he needs to extinguish it so that a sick person would sleep. If he extinguishes the lamp to save the oil, he is liable. However, Rabbi Yose says that extinguishing is not a constructive labor to be liable for it on Shabbat, and that he is liable only if he wants to improve the wick by charring it for the next time.

They asked Rabbi Tanchum a related question: "Granted that one is not liable, but is one allowed to extinguish the lamp for a seriously ill person?" Since this happened in a public lecture, Rabbi Tanchum first spoke about the wisdom of king Solomon, who seemingly contradicted his father David and also himself. David said, “Dead don't praise God,” while Solomon said, “I praise the dead... more than the living,” but also “A live dog is better than a dead lion.” However, he explained.

“Dead don't praise God” – because they cannot study the Torah, pray, or do good deeds. However, “I praise dead” refers to the righteous having more power after they die than while they lived.

"A live dog is better than a dead lion” refers to the day when his father David (a lion) died. This happened on Shabbat, and a dead body on Shabbat is "muktzeh," "set aside," which cannot be handled. Besides, David's dogs were hungry, so Solomon asked the Sages what to do. They allowed Solomon to carry David's body in an unusual way, by placing on it a child or a loaf of bread. For the dogs, however, they allowed to cut the meat in the usual way.

As far as the question that he was asked initially, Rabbi Tanchum answered (based on Solomon's Proverbs): “A person's soul is also called a candle. Better extinguish the physical candle than the spiritual one, fashioned by God.”

Art: Edward Prentis - The Sick Bed

Shabbat 29 – A folded garment

If one took a small piece of clothing, the size of three by three finger-breadths, and folded it into a wick, but did not singe it as yet, then Rabbi Eliezer says that it is still a garment, and therefore can become ritually impure. According to Rabbi Eliezer, merely folding a garment into a wick does not change the fact that it is a garment; additional singeing would make it into a wick, and it would not accept ritual impurity any longer. Rabbi Akiva, however, says that folding a garment does make it into a complete wick, and it is not susceptible to impurity.

They further argue if one can actually light this wick for Shabbat, Rabbi Eliezer stating that one may not, and Rabbi Akiva – that one may. Why would one not be allowed to light it? We must say that they argue only in the case when Friday is a Yom Tov. Still, why we would not use the wick? – While it is still three by three finger-breadths, it is a “complete garment,” or at least usable for a patch. Once it starts burning, it becomes less than the minimal size, and thus it is something new that was created on a Yom Tov. According to Rabbi Eliezer, there is a prohibition to use broken pieces of utensils, because they are new entities, not designated initially for use. Such entities are called “set aside,” or “muktzeh” and that is why the wick cannot be used. The Talmud give two more possible explanations of their disagreement.

Art: Trophîme Bigot - Girl pouring oil into a lamp