Rosh Hashanah 65

ואין חותכין אותו בין בדבר שהוא משום שבות ובין בדבר שהוא משום לא תעשה: משום שבות מגלא לא תעשה סכינא

IT MUST NOT BE SHAPED EITHER WITH AN IMPLEMENT THE USE OF WHICH IS FORBIDDEN ON ACCOUNT OF SHEBUTH OR WITH ONE THE USE OF WHICH IS FORBIDDEN BY EXPRESS PROHIBITION.' An instrument the use of which is forbidden on account of shebuth' - as for instance, a sickle.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To cut ordinary articles with a scythe or sickle on Sabbath is not regarded legally as 'work' because the implement is not being used for its proper purpose. The Rabbis, however, forbade it on account of shebuth.');">¹</span>

השתא משום שבות אמרת לא לא תעשה מיבעיא זו ואין צריך לומר זו קתני:

'An implement which is forbidden by express prohibition' - as for instance, a knife. Seeing that you disallow an implement prohibited on account of shebuth, need you mention one disallowed by express prohibition?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The sanction for which is Pentateuchal and not merely Rabbinical.');">²</span>

אבל אם רצה ליתן לתוכו מים או יין יתן: מים או יין אין מי רגלים לא

- The Mishnah adopts the style of 'A and needless to say B'. IF ONE, HOWEVER, DESIRES TO POUR WINE OR WATER INTO IT HE MAY DO SO.

מתני' מני אבא שאול היא דתניא אבא שאול אומר מים או יין מותר כדי לצחצחו מי רגלים אסור מפני הכבוד:

Wine or water he may, but urine he may not. Which authority does our Mishnah follow? - That of Abba Saul, as it has been taught: 'Abba Saul says, Wine or water is permissible, these serving to clean it, but urine is forbidden, as showing disrespect'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'because of respect'.');">³</span>

אין מעכבין את התינוקות מלתקוע: הא נשים מעכבין והתניא אין מעכבין לא את הנשים ולא את התינוקות מלתקוע ביום טוב אמר אביי ל"ק הא רבי יהודה הא רבי יוסי ורבי שמעון

CHILDREN NEED NOT BE STOPPED FROM BLOWING. This would imply that women are stopped.

דתניא (ויקרא א, ב) דבר אל בני ישראל בני ישראל סומכין ואין בנות ישראל סומכות דברי רבי יהודה רבי יוסי ורבי שמעון אומרים נשים סומכות רשות:

[But how can this be], seeing that it has been taught: 'Neither children nor women need be stopped from blowing the shofar on the Festival'? - Abaye replied: There is no discrepancy; the one statement follows R'Judah, the other R'Jose and R'Simeon, as it has been taught: 'Speak unto the children [bene] of Israel:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. I, 2, introducing the regulations of the sacrifice.');">⁴</span> [this indicates that] the "sons" [bene] of Israel lay on hands but not the "daughters" of Israel.

אבל מתעסקין בהם עד שילמדו: אמר רבי אלעזר אפילו בשבת תנ"ה מתעסקין בהן עד שילמדו אפילו בשבת ואין מעכבין התינוקות מלתקוע בשבת ואין צריך לומר ביום טוב

So R'Judah, R'Jose and R'Simeon say that women also have the option of laying on hands'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Similarly R. Jose and R. Simeon hold that although women are not commanded to blow the shofar (this being a precept for which a definite time is fixed) , they have the option of doing so, and therefore may practise.');">⁵</span> ON THE CONTRARY, THEY MAY BE HELPED UNTIL THEY LEARN HOW TO BLOW.

הא גופא קשיא אמרת מתעסקין בהן עד שילמדו ואפילו בשבת אלמא לכתחלה אמרינן תקעו והדר תנא אין מעכבין עכובא הוא דלא מעכבין הא לכתחלה לא אמרינן תקעו

R'Eleazar said: Even on Sabbath. it has been taught to the same effect: 'They may be helped till they learn how to blow even on Sabbath, and children are not stopped from blowing on Sabbath, and needless to say on a [weekday] holyday'.

לא קשיא כאן

This statement itself involves a contradiction. You say first, 'They may be helped till they learn how to blow, even on Sabbath', from which I should infer that we may actually tell them in the first instance to blow. Then it states, 'They are not stopped', which would indicate that we do not go so far as to stop them, but we do not tell them in the first instance to blow! - There is no contradiction: In the one case we speak of