Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Talmud for Shabbat 57:9

ואזדא ר' אליעזר לטעמיה ור"ע לטעמיה דתנן פחות משלשה על שלשה שהתקינו לפקק בו את המרחץ ולנער בו את הקדירה ולקנח בו את הרחיים בין מן המוכן ובין שאין מן המוכן טמא דברי רבי אליעזר ורבי יהושע אומר בין מן המוכן ובין שלא מן המוכן טהור ר"ע אומר מן המוכן טמא ושלא מן המוכן טהור ואמר עולא ואיתימא רבה בר בר חנה א"ר יוחנן הכל מודים זרקו באשפה דברי הכל טהור

R. Samuel b. Bar Hanah said to R. Joseph: According to R. Judah who ruled, One may fire [an oven] with utensils, but not with broken utensils, — immediately one lights with it a little it becomes a broken utensil, and when he stirs [the fuel] he is stirring something that is forbidden? — He acts in accordance with R. Mattenah: For R. Mattenah said in Rab's name: if wood falls from a palm tree into a stove on a Festival, one adds more prepared wood and lights them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The timber that falls may not be handled by itself, since it was not destined for this before the Festival. Hence a greater quantity of wood set aside for fuel must be added, and both may be handled together. The same must be done here. ');"><sup>15</sup></span> R. Hamnuna said: The reference here [in our Mishnah] is to [a rag] less than three [handbreadths] square,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He holds that if it is three handbreadths square, it retains the character of a garment and is liable to defilement on all views. ');"><sup>16</sup></span> and they taught here some of the leniencies [relating to the law] of rags, both R. Eliezer and R. Akiba following their views. For we learnt: If [material] less than three [handbreadths] square is set aside for stopping a bath, pouring from a pot,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Using this material as a holder. ');"><sup>17</sup></span> or cleaning a mill therewith, whether it is of prepared (material] or not,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The meaning is discussed below. ');"><sup>18</sup></span> it is unclean:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., liable to uncleanness as a garment (beged), which connotes any material that may be put to a useful purpose. ');"><sup>19</sup></span> that is R. Eliezer's view; R. Joshua maintained: Whether it is of prepared [material] or not, it is clean; R. Akiba ruled: If of prepared [material], it is unclean; if of unprepared, it is clean. Now 'Ulla-others state, Rabbah b. Bar Hanah in R. Johanan's name-said: All admit that if it was thrown away on the refuse heap,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And then salved for one of these purposes. ');"><sup>20</sup></span> it is universally agreed that it is clean;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since it is less than three handbreadths square, and was also thrown away as worthless, it is certainly not a 'garment', even when salved. ');"><sup>21</sup></span>

Jerusalem Talmud Shabbat

There, we have stated115Mishnah Kelim 28:2. Babli 29a.: “A [cloth] less than three by three [fingerwidths] which he took to plug the bath or to pour a pot116To use it as a potholder. or to clean a millstone, whether it was prepared or not prepared can become impure117For him the rule that textiles of area less that 9 (fingerwidth)2 cannot become impure is an empirical one since such a small piece in general is of no use. If somebody finds a use, the piece becomes a regular piece of textile and is subject to all laws of impurity., the words of Rebbi Eliezer. Rebbi Joshua says, (also a new rag)118Probably the words in parenthesis should be deleted; they are not found in any Mishnah ms. and are copied here from the quote later of Mishnah 27:12. whether prepared or not prepared, is pure119For him the three-finger rule is a permanent rabbinic decree which cannot be changed.. Rebbi Aqiba says, prepared it may become impure, not prepared it is pure.” What is the difference between prepared and not prepared? Whether he made it ready in the house or threw it into the garbage120A single use does not bring on impurity. If the rag was used once and then thrown away it cannot become impure. But if it is prepared for re-use it becomes valuable and is susceptible to impurity.. But did we not state121Mishnah Kelim 27:12. תנן is Babylonian spelling.: “Rebbi Eliezer says, also a new rag follows the same rule.122The Mishnah states that an impure piece of (3 fingerwiths)2 which was torn loses its impurity only if it is thrown away, with the exception of purple strips which are valuable also in minute sizes and never lose their impurity. R. Eliezer extends the latter rule to unused textiles.” Nobody says “also”, “even”, unless he agree with the preceding; whether he prepared it to hang it up or did not prepare it to hang it up123For re-use.. This learns from the other and the other learns from this. This learns from the other; the words of Rebbi Eliezer if he folded it124For the first use; Babli 29b. If it never was intended for use he agrees that it is not susceptible to impurity.. And the other learns from this; if he did not prepare it to hang it up. But if he prepared it to hang it up it may become impure.
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