Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Talmud for Shabbat 223:4

ורצועות מנעל וסנדל: איתמר התיר רצועות מנעל וסנדל תני חדא חייב חטאת ותניא אידך פטור אבל אסור ותניא אידך מותר לכתחילה קשיא מנעל אמנעל קשיא סנדל אסנדל

AND THE LACES OF HER SHOES OR SANDALS. It was stated: If one unties the laces of his shoes or sandals, — one [Baraitha] taught: He is liable to a sin-offering; another taught: He is not liable, yet it is forbidden; while a third taught: It is permitted in the first place. Thus [the rulings on] shoes are contradictory, and [those on] sandals are contradictory? [The rulings on] shoes are not contradictory: when it teaches, 'he is liable to a sin-offering', it refers to cobblers' [knots];<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi: when the cobbler inserts the lace in the shoe, he ties it there permanently. — Perhaps the shoes and its laces were so arranged that part of the lace was permanently fastened. ');"><sup>7</sup></span> 'he is not liable, but it is forbidden' — that refers to [a knot] of the Rabbis;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sometimes they tied it very loosely, so that the shoe could be removed and put on without untying. Thus whilst not actually permanent to involve a sin-offering, it is semi-permanent, hence forbidden. ');"><sup>8</sup></span> 'it is permitted in the first place', refers to [the knots] of the townspeople of Mahoza.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who were particular that all their garments should fit exactly. Hence their shoes too were tightly fastened and had to be untied every time they were put on or off. perhaps they are mentioned in particular because being well-to-do they thought more of dress; cf. Obermeyer, p. 173. ');"><sup>9</sup></span>

Jerusalem Talmud Shabbat

101This paragraph and the next are also in Yebamot 12:2 (Notes 62–80, א).“A sandal whose holes, edges, or loops102Explanation of Arukh, Arabic שראך “loop, net”. are torn or one of whose soles fell off is pure. If one of its holes, edges, or loops is torn or most of its soles fell of it is impure. Rebbi Jehudah says, on the inside it is impure, on the outside it is pure.”103Tosephta Kelim Baba Batra 4:5; Babli Šabbat 112a.
Ritual impurity biblically is restricted to Jewish persons, food, vessels and tools, and a leprous house. If a vessel or tool was damaged beyond repair, it becomes ritually pure. As usual, impure means “a possible candidate for impurity” and pure “unable to become impure.” Rebbi Jehudah holds that people will repair even serious damage to their shoes if it can be done so as not to be noticed in public. The rabbis hold that even in such cases, people will not repair severely damaged shoes.
R. Jehudah holds that a person will repair sandals when the repair is not immediately visible from the outside. Therefore, if a strap or hole for the shoelaces is torn at the instep, towards the other foot, the shoe remains usable. The majority holds that one torn strap or a partially torn sole can always be repaired.
Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa, Rebbi Tevele, Ḥanin bar Abba in the name of Rav: Practice follows Rebbi Jehuda as far as the Sabbath is concerned104The same statement in Babli, Šabbat 112b..
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Previous VerseFull ChapterNext Verse