Shabbat 33

אקפח את בני שזו הלכה מקופחת ששמע השומע וטעה האיכר עובר ומרדעו על כתפו ואיהל צדו אחת על הקבר טימאו אותו משום כלים המאהילים על המת

May I bury my children,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'may I cut off my children that this halachah is cut off'. ');">¹</span> if this is not an erroneous <i>halachah</i>, for the hearer heard [a ruling] and erred [therein]. [Viz.,] a peasant was passing with an ox-goad on his shoulder and one end thereof overshadowed a grave, and he was declared unclean in virtue of [the law of] utensils which overshadowed the dead.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e. any utensil which overshadows the dead becomes itself unclean, whatever its width, and the peasant was declared unclean for the same day till the evening because he was actually carrying and in direct contact with this ox-goad. But one of the disciples who heard this ruling erroneously imagined that he was unclean in virtue of the law stated in n. 7. involving an uncleanness of seven days, and thus drew a false conclusion. ');">²</span>

א"ר עקיבא אני אתקן שיהו דברי חכמים קיימים שיהו כל המטלטלים מביאין את הטומאה על האדם שנושא אותן בעובי המרדע ועל עצמן בכל שהן ועל שאר אדם וכלים בפותח טפח

R. Akiba said, I will rectify [it] so that the words of the Sages<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who said that all movable objects induce uncleanness by the thickness of an ox-goad. ');">³</span> may be fulfilled. [Viz.,] all movable objects induce uncleanness in their bearers by the thickness of an ox-goad; [and induce uncleanness] in themselves, by any thickness; and in other people or utensils, by the width<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'aperture'. ');">⁴</span>

וא"ר ינאי ומרדע שאמרו אין בעביו טפח ויש בהיקפו טפח וגזרו על היקפו משום עביו

of a handbreadth. And R. Jannai observed: and the ox-goad of which they spoke is not a handbreadth in thickness but in circumference, and they enacted [this law] concerning its circumference on account of its thickness.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If its thickness is a handbreadth, it induces uncleanness of seven days by Biblical law, and therefore the Sages extended this to the former case too, to prevent confusion. This is one of the eighteen enactments. V. Oh. XVI, 1. ');">⁵</span> But according to R. Tarfon who said, 'May I bury my children but this <i>halachah</i> is incorrect!' they are less [than eighteen]? — Said R. Nahman b. Isaac, That the daughters of Cutheans are niddoth from their cradles was also enacted on that same day; and on the other [question]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc. one who places vessels under a spout, v. supra 16b. ');">⁶</span>

ולר' טרפון דאמר אקפח את בני שהלכה זו מקופחת בצרו להו א"ר נחמן בר יצחק אף בנות כותים נדות מעריסתן בו ביום גזרו ובאידך ס"ל כר' מאיר:

he agrees with R. Meir.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashba's version omits this passage, because R. Tarfon accepted R. Akiba's view; v. Halevi, Doroth, I, 3, P. 587-8. ');">⁷</span> And another? — When one vintages [grapes] for the vat [I.C., to manufacture wine], Shammai maintains: It is made fit (to become unclean]; while Hillel ruled, It is not made fit.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. P. 45, nn. 1 and 4. ');">⁸</span>

ואידך הבוצר לגת שמאי אומר הוכשר הלל אומר לא הוכשר א"ל הלל לשמאי מפני מה בוצרין בטהרה ואין מוסקין בטהרה

Said Hillel to Shammai: Why must one vintage [grapes] in purity, yet not gather [olives] in purity?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' You maintain that grapes are fit to become defiled, and therefore must be vintaged into ritually clean baskets: why then do you not insist upon it when the olives are gathered too, for surely the same reasoning applies? ');">⁹</span> If you provoke me, he replied, I will decree uncleanness in the case of olive gathering too. A sword was planted in the <i>Beth Hamidrash</i> and it was proclaimed, 'He who would enter, let him enter, but he who would depart, let him not depart!'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This was the practice when a vote was taken upon any question; Halevi, Doroth, I, 3, p. 585 n. 18. ');">¹⁰</span>

א"ל אם תקניטני. גוזרני טומאה אף על המסיקה נעצו חרב בבית המדרש אמרו הנכנס יכנס והיוצא אל יצא ואותו היום היה הלל כפוף ויושב לפני שמאי כאחד מן התלמידים והיה קשה לישראל כיום שנעשה בו העגל וגזור שמאי והלל ולא קבלו מינייהו ואתו תלמידייהו גזור וקבלו מינייהו

And on that day Hillel sat submissive before Shammai, like one of the disciples,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the assembly voted against him-of course the actual expression is not to be understood literally. ');">¹¹</span> and it was as grievous to Israel<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In view of the humility to which Hillel, who was the Nasi, had been subjected. ');">¹²</span>

מ"ט אמר (ר') זעירי אמר ר' חנינא גזירה שמא יבצרנו בקופות טמאות

as the day when the [golden] calf was made. Now, Shammai and Hillel enacted [this measure], but they would not accept it from them; but their disciples came<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' At the assembly in the house of Hananiah b. Hezekiah b. Garon. ');">¹³</span> and enacted it, and it was accepted from them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence it is one of the eighteen measures. ');">¹⁴</span>

הניחא למ"ד כלי טמא חושב משקין שפיר אלא למ"ד אין כלי טמא חושב משקין מאי איכא למימר אלא אמר זעירי אמר ר' חנינא גזירה שמא יבצרנו בקופות מזופפות

[Now,] what is the reason?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Why does the exuding liquid make the grapes susceptible to uncleanness? For the logic is the reverse, seeing that this liquid is wasted and its exuding is not with its owner's desire, whereas the owner's desire is necessary for it to cause susceptibility to defilement. ');">¹⁵</span> — Said Ze'iri in R. Hanina's name: For fear lest he vintage it into unclean baskets.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since the uncleanness comes simultaneously with the fluid, the latter renders the grapes fit to become unclean, even without the owner's desire. ');">¹⁶</span>

רבא אמר גזירה משום הנושכות (דאמר) רב נחמן אמר רבה בר אבוה פעמים שאדם הולך לכרמו לידע אם הגיעו ענבים לבצירה או לא ונוטל אשכול ענבים לסוחטו ומזלף על גבי ענבים ובשעת בצירה עדיין משקה טופח עליהם:

Now, that is well on the view that an unclean vessel renders fluid effective;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'makes the liquid count'-to qualify other objects to become unclean. ');">¹⁷</span> but on the view that an unclean vessel does not render fluid effective, what can be said? — Rather, said Ze'iri in R. Hanina's name: For fear lest he vintage it in pitch lined baskets.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since the liquid is not lost, its exuding is not contrary to the owner's desire. ');">¹⁸</span>

ואידך אמר

Raba said: It is a preventive measure on account of tightly cleaving, [clusters].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'the biting ones'. One must separate these by force, thus causing juice to spurt out. Since he does this himself, the juice certainly makes the grapes susceptible; then as a preventive measure the law was extended to all exuding juice, in order to obviate confusion. ');">¹⁹</span> R. Nahman said in Rabbah b. Abbuha's name: [It is a preventive measure, for] a man sometimes goes to his vineyard to see if the grapes are ready for vintaging, takes a bunch of grapes to squeeze it, and sprinkles [the juice] on the grapes, and at the time of gathering the moisture is still dripping on them. And another? — Said