Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Reference for Shabbat 18:8

אמר אביי הני חברין בבלאי למאן דאמר תפלת ערבית רשות כיון דשרא ליה המייניה לא מטרחינן ליה ולמ"ד חובה מטרחינן ליה והא תפלת מנחה דלכולי עלמא חובה היא ותנן אם התחילו אין מפסיקין ואמר רבי חנינא משיתיר חגורו

What is the beginning of a hair-cut?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that it shall be unneccesary to break it off for the service. ');"><sup>14</sup></span> — Said R. Abin: When the barber's sheet is placed on one's knees. And when is the beginning of a bath? Said R. Abin: When one removes his cloak.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., when he starts undressing. ');"><sup>15</sup></span> And when is the beginning of tanning? When he ties [an apron] round his shoulders. And when is the beginning of eating? Rab said: When one washes his hands; R. Hanina said: When he loosens his girdle. But they do not differ: the one refers to ourselves [Babylonians]: the other to them [Palestinians].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi: the Babylonians were tightly belted, so they loosened the girdle before eating; but for the Palestinians this was unnecessary. R. Han. reverses it. ');"><sup>16</sup></span> Abaye said: These Babylonian scholars, on the view that the evening service is voluntary,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It is disputed in Ber. 27b whether the evening service is compulsory or voluntary. ');"><sup>17</sup></span> once they have undone their girdle [to eat], we do not trouble them;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To refrain from their meal until they have prayed. ');"><sup>18</sup></span> but on the view that it is obligatory, do we trouble them? But what of the <i>minhah</i> service, which all agree is obligatory, and still we learnt, YET IF THEY BEGAN, THEY NEED NOT BREAK OFF; whereon R. Hanina said, [That means] when he loosens his girdle?

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