Pesachim 109

תנא קולי קולי קתני:

The Tanna teaches a series of leniences.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The whole series of 'there is no difference' etc. is taught by the same Tanna, and in each he merely wishes to intimate a point of leniency. Thus he first teaches that the Ninth of Ab is not more lenient than the Day of Atonement save that the doubt of the former is permitted. Then he states that the Ninth');">¹</span> AND IN ALL PLACES SCHOLARS etc. Shall we say that R'Simeon B'Gamaliel holds that we do not fear [the appearance of] conceit, while the Rabbis hold that we do fear [the appearance of] conceit?

ובכל מקום ת"ח וכו': למימרא דרשב"ג סבר לא חיישינן ליוהרא ורבנן סברי חיישינן ליוהרא והא איפכא שמעינן להו דתנן חתן אם ירצה לקרות קרית שמע לילה הראשון קורא רשב"ג אמר לא כל הרוצה ליטול את השם יטול

But we know them [to hold] the reverse! For we learned: A bridegroom, if he wishes to recite the reading of the shema'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'Hear' - the passage commencing 'Hear O Israel' etc. (Deut. VI, 4f) . This is recited every morning and evening, but a bridegroom is exempt on the evening of his marriage.');">²</span> on the first night, he may recite it.

אמר ר' יוחנן מוחלפת השיטה רב שישא בריה דרב אידי אמר לא תיפוך דרבנן אדרבנן לא קשיא הכא כיון דכולי עלמא עבדי מלאכה ואיהו לא עביד מיחזי כיוהרא אבל התם כיון דכולי עלמא קרי ואיהו נמי קרי לא מיחזי כיוהרא

R'Simeon B'Gamaliel said: Not everyone who wishes to assume<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'take'.');">³</span> the name [reputation] may assume it.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Unless he has a reputation for great piety, as otherwise it looks like an unwarrantable assumption of piety (Rashi in Ber. 17b) .');">⁴</span>

דר' שמעון בן גמליאל אדרשב"ג לא קשיא התם הוא דבעינן כוונה ואנן סהדי דלא מצי כווני דעתיה מיחזי כיוהרא אבל הכא לא מיחזי כיוהרא אמרי מלאכה היא דלית ליה פוק חזי כמה בטלני איכא בשוקא:

- Said R'Johanan: The discussion must be reversed. R'Shisha the son of R'Idi said, Do not reverse it.

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> וחכמים אומרים ביהודה היו עושין מלאכה בערבי פסחים עד חצות ובגליל לא היו עושין כל עיקר הלילה ב"ש אוסרים וב"ה מתירין עד הנץ החמה:

The Rabbis are not self-contradictory: here, since everybody works, while he [alone] does not work, it looks like conceit; but there, since everybody recites [the shema'] and he too recites [it], it does not look like conceit. R'Simeon B'Gamaliel too is not self-contradictory: There only, since devotion Is required, while we are witnesses that he cannot devote his mind,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' His feelings are obviously such that unless he is extremely pious he cannot recite the shema' with proper devotion.');">⁵</span>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> מעיקרא תנא מנהגא ולבסוף תנא איסורא

it looks like conceit. But here it does not look like conceit, [for] people will say, 'It is that he lacks: go out and see how many unemployed there are in the market place!'

אמר ר' יוחנן לא קשיא הא ר' מאיר הא ר' יהודה דתניא אמר ר' יהודה ביהודה היו עושין מלאכה בערבי פסחים עד חצות ובגליל אינן עושין כל עיקר אמר לו ר"מ מה ראייה יהודה וגליל לכאן אלא מקום שנהגו לעשות מלאכה עושין מקום שנהגו שלא לעשות אין עושין מדקאמר ר' מאיר מנהגא מכלל דרבי יהודה איסורא קאמר

<big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>BUT THE SAGES MAINTAIN,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is a continuation of the last MISHNAH:');">⁶</span> IN JUDEA THEY USED TO DO WORK ON THE EVE OF PASSOVER UNTIL MIDDAY, WHILE IN GALILEE THEY DID NOT WORK AT ALL.

וסבר ר' יהודה ארבעה עשר מותר בעשיית מלאכה והתניא ר' יהודה אומר המנכש בשלשה עשר ונעקרה בידו שותלה במקום הטיט ואין שותלה במקום הגריד

[AS FOR] THE NIGHT,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Following the thirteenth day of Nisan.');">⁷</span> - BETH SHAMMAI FORBID [WORK], WHILE BETH HILLEL PERMIT IT UNTIL DAYBREAK.

בשלשה עשר אין בארבעה עשר לא מכדי שמעינן ליה לר' יהודה דאמר כל הרכבה שאינה קולטת לשלשה ימים שוב אינה קולטת ואי ס"ד ארבעה עשר מותר בעשיית מלאכה למה לי שלשה עשר והאיכא ארביסר וחמיסר ומקצת שיתסר אמר רבא בגליל שנו

of Ab is not more lenient than public fasts save that work is permitted on the former. But he does not refer to the reverse cases where the Ninth of Ab is more stringent; hence you cannot deduce that they are alike in all other matters.

והאיכא ליליא אמר רב ששת כב"ש רב אשי אמר לעולם כב"ה לפי שאין דרכן של בני אדם לנכש בלילה

<big><b>GEMARA: </b></big>At first he [the Tanna] teaches custom,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The preceding Mishnah regards abstention from work a mere custom and in this Mishnah it is treated as a prohibition!');">⁸</span> and then he teaches a prohibition? - Said R'Johanan, There is no difficulty: one is according to R'Meir; the other, according to R'Judah.

רבינא אמר לעולם ביהודה ובהשרשה חד מקצת היום ככולו אמרינן תרי מקצת היום ככולו לא אמרינן:

For it was taught, R'Judah said: In Judea they used to do work on the eve of Passover, until midday, while in Galilee they did not work at all. Said R'Meir to him: What proof is Judea and Galilee for the present [discussion]?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., why cite Judea and Galilee? the matter is everywhere determined by local custom.');">⁹</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> ר' מאיר אומר כל מלאכה שהתחיל בה קודם לארבעה עשר גומרה בארבעה עשר אבל לא יתחיל בה בתחלה בארבעה עשר אע"פ שיכול לגומרה וחכמים אומרים ג' אומניות עושין מלאכה בערבי פסחים עד חצות ואלו הן החייטין והספרים והכובסין ר' יוסי בר יהודה אומר אף רצענין:

But where they are accustomed to do work, one may do it, [while] where they are accustomed not to do [work], one may not do it. Now, since R'Meir states [that it is merely a matter of] custom, it follow that R'Judah states [that it is] a prohibition.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., that in Judea it is held to be permitted, while in Galilee it is held to be definitely prohibited, and not merely dependent on custom.');">¹⁰</span>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> איבעיא להו לצורך המועד תנן אבל שלא לצורך המועד אפילו מיגמר נמי לא או דילמא שלא לצורך המועד תנן אבל לצורך אתחולי מתחלינן או דילמא בין לצורך המועד בין שלא לצורך מיגמר אין אתחולי לא

Yet does R'Judah hold that work on the fourteenth is permitted?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' According to the views held in Judea.');">¹¹</span> Surely it was taught, R'Judah said: He who weeds on the thirteenth and [an ear of corn] is uprooted in his hand, must replant it in swampy [damp] soil, but must not replant it in a dry place.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It takes root in damp soil more quickly. Now the 'omer (v. Glos. and Lev. XXIII, 10-14) is effective in permitting everything which has taken root before it is waved; hence it is desirable that this should take root before the omer is waved on the sixteenth of the month.');">¹²</span>

ת"ש אבל לא יתחיל בתחילה בארבעה עשר אפילו צלצול קטן אפילו שבכה קטנה מאי אפילו לאו אפי' הני דלצורך המועד מיגמר אין אתחולי לא מכלל דשלא לצורך מיגמר נמי לא גמרינן

Thus, only on the thirteenth, but not on the fourteenth,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For it is obvious that the law is so stated as to give the latest possible time.');">¹³</span> Now consider: we know that R'Judah maintains: Any grafting which does not take root within three days will never take root.

לא לעולם דשלא לצורך מיגמר נמי גמרינן ומאי אפילו אפילו הני נמי דזוטרי נינהו דסלקא דעתך אמינא התחלתן זו היא גמר מלאכתן נתחיל בהו נמי לכתחילה קמשמע לן:

Then if you think that work may be done on the fourteenth, why [state] the thirteenth; surely there is the fourteenth, the fifteenth and part of the sixteenth?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And it is a principle that part of the day counts as the whole day; thus there is time for it to take root even if it is replanted on the fourteenth.');">¹⁴</span> - Said Raba: We learned [this] of Galilee.

תא שמע רבי מאיר אומר כל מלאכה שהיא לצורך המועד

But there is the night?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Following the thirteenth, when it is permissible even in Galilee.');">¹⁵</span> - Said R'Shesheth: This is according to Beth Shammai.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who in our Mishnah forbid the night.');">¹⁶</span> R'Ashi said: In truth it i as Beth Hillel, [yet the night of the fourteenth is not stated] because it is not the practice of people to weed night - Rabina said: After all it refers to Judea, but in respect to taking root we do say once that part of the day is as the whole of it, but we do not say twice that part of the day is as the whole of it.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For if he weeds some time on the fourteenth we would have to count the rest of the day as a complete day, and also the beginning of the sixteenth until the waving of the 'omer as another complete day.');">¹⁷</span> <big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>R'MEIR SAID: ANY WORK WHICH HE BEGAN BEFORE THE FOURTEENTH, HE MAY FINISH IT ON THE FOURTEENTH; BUT HE MAY NOT BEGIN IT AT THE OUTSET ON THE FOURTEENTH, EVEN IF HE CAN FINISH IT [ON THE SAME DAY]. BUT THE SAGES MAINTAIN: THREE CRAFTSMEN MAY WORK ON THE EVE OF PASSOVER UNTIL MIDDAY, AND THESE ARE THEY: TAILORS, HAIRDRESSERS, AND WASHERMEN. R'JOSE B. R'JUDAH SAID: SHOEMAKERS TOO.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' These may work everywhere.');">¹⁸</span> <big><b>GEMARA: </b></big>The scholars asked: Did we learn [that it may be finished] when required for the Festival, but when not required for the Festival he may not even finish it; or perhaps we learned [that he must not begin work] when it is not required for the Festival, but when it is required we may indeed begin it; or perhaps, whether it is needed for the Festival or it is not needed, he may finish but not start? - Come and hear: But he may not begin at the outset on the fourteenth even a small girdle, [or] even a small hair-net - What does 'even' imply? Surely, even these which are required for the Festival, he may only finish, but not begin; whence it follows that where it is not required [for the Festival], we may not even finish! - No: after all, even when it is not required we may indeed finish [the work], and yet what does 'even' connote? Even these too, which are small. For you might argue, their beginning, that is the end of their work;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., they require so little time.');">¹⁹</span> then we should even begin them at the very outset; therefore he informs us [that it is not so]. Come and hear: R'Meir said: Any work which is required for the Festival,