Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Talmud for Shabbat 120:4

א"ר יהודה אמר שמואל לא שנו אלא לחזק אבל לנוי מותר וכמה לנוי ר' יוחנן אמר חמש בזה וחמש בזה ור' חנינא אמר שבע בזה ושבע בזה

let it be forbidden [then too]? — The incident happened on a day of assembly when there is an interdict [against work]; but here it is [a day of] assembly when it is permitted [to work]. And even according to R. Hanina b. Akiba who maintained, They enacted a prohibition only in respect of the Jordan and a ship, just as the incident that occurred:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Hag. 23a. It once happened that the purification water (v. Num. XIX, 9 Seq.) was carried in a boat over the Jordan, when a portion of a corpse was found in the bottom of the boat, whereby the water itself was defiled. The Rabbis maintain that it was then enacted that the water of lustration must not be carried over any river, whether in a boat or over a bridge. But R. Hanina disputes this, as quoted. It might therefore be thought that in the matter under discussion he maintains that there was no prohibition in respect to Festivals. ');"><sup>4</sup></span>

Jerusalem Talmud Shabbat

HALAKHAH: 87Similarly Babli 60a. It seems that originally nailed shoes were military equipment only and seeing men wearing nailed shoes was equivalent with seeing enemy soldiers bent on killing or raping women, or, in the case of the stampede, people hiding in a cave acting on a false rumor of an enemy attack. It is unknown when historically this emergency situation has to be placed, whether in Seleucid or Roman times. Why did they decree about a nailed shoe? Some say, because they saw the tips and had miscarriages. But some say, they heard its sound and had miscarriages. And some say, they were stampeding and killing one another. What is the difference between them? 88The word is unexplained. The best conjecture is by H. L. Fleischer to read הרוסטא and explain it as Persian روستايى “rural”, in this case “rural boots”.הדוסטא. Accordig to him who said, because they saw the tips and had miscarriages, it is permitted. But according to him who said, they heard its sound and had miscarriages or they were stampeding and killing one another, it is forbidden. But did they not decree this in an emergency? When the emergency passed it should have been permitted. There never rose a court which undid it. Then even on a weekday! People do not usually have two pairs of shoes, one for weekdays and one for the Sabbath89Therefore prohibition on the Sabbath implies prohibition on weekdays. The Babli, referring to more affluent Babylonian society, explains that the accident which caused the original prohibition happened on a Sabbath.. It was stated90Babli 60b.: If one put a patch under it it is permitted. Rebbi Yudan bar Ismael’s feet were scratched and they did this for him.
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