Shabbat 314

וגיגית סדוקה מונחת על גבן ופקקו את המאור בטפיח וקשרו את המקידה בגמי לידע אם יש שם בגיגית פותח טפח אם לאו:

and a split barrel[-shaped defective roofing] rested over them, — then they closed the window with a pitcher and tied a fire pot with a reed rope to ascertain whether the barrel[-shaped roofing] had an opening of a handbreadth or not.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The 'unclean object' was a corpse, which lay in the passage beneath the roofing under its split. Before the person died the window was closed up with the pitcher, for fear that the split was less than a handbreadth in width, in which case the corpse would be lying under a covering which contained no opening through which the uncleanness could pass out, and so it would spread to the rooms on its side through the window opening into the passage. Hence it was closed with an earthen pitcher, the back of which faced the passage; it then bars the progress of defilement. In order to know whether the split was a handbreadth in width they tied a fire-shard of that width with a reed, to see whether it could enter the split (Rashi). Tosaf, explains it differently. ');">¹</span>

ומדבריהם למדנו שפוקקין ומודדין וקושרין בשבת: עולא איקלע לבי ריש גלותא חזייה לרבה בר רב הונא דיתיב באוונא דמיא וקא משח ליה אמר ליה אימר דאמרי רבנן מדידה דמצוה דלאו מצוה מי אמור אמר ליה מתעסק בעלמא אנא:

AND FROM THEIR WORDS WE LEARN THAT WE MAY STOP UP [A SKYLIGHT] AND MEASURE AND TIE ON THE SABBATH. 'Ulla visited the home of the Resh Galutha and saw Rabbah b. R. Huna Sitting in a bath-tub of water and measuring it. Said he to him: Say that the Rabbis spoke thus of measuring in connection with a precept;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc. the measuring of a mikweh. ');">²</span>

<br><br><big><strong>הדרן עלך מי שהחשיך וסליקא לה מסכת שבת</strong></big><br><br>

did they rule [thus] when it is not in connection with a precept? — I was merely occupying myself, he replied.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But had no intention of actually measuring. ');">³</span>