Beitzah 29

דבסורא אמרי תרטא ופלגו תרטא בנרש אמרי חלקא ופלגו חלקא בפומבדיתא אמרי אוזיא ופלגו אוזיא בנהר פקוד ובמתא מחסיא אמרי רבעא ופלגו רבעא:

they would say in Sura: Give me that cut of meat called a tarta or half a tarta, without naming a price. In Neresh they would say in reference to those same portions: A part or half a part. In Pumbedita they would say: An uzya or half an uzya. In Nehar Pekod and in Mata Meḥasya they would say: Give me a quarter or half a quarter, thereby establishing the size of the portion without mentioning its price.

מתני׳ אומר אדם לחברו מלא לי כלי זה אבל לא במדה רבי יהודה אומר אם היה כלי של מדה לא ימלאנו מעשה באבא שאול בן בטנית שהיה ממלא מדותיו מערב יום טוב ונותנן ללקוחות ביום טוב

MISHNA: One person may say to another on a Festival: Fill this vessel for me, and I will return its contents or reimburse you after the Festival, but he may not ask him to fill the vessel in a particular measure. Rabbi Yehuda says: If it was a measuring utensil, he may not fill it. There was an incident involving Abba Shaul ben Botnit, a Sage who was also a grocer, who would fill his measures on the eve of a Festival and give them to his customers on the Festival. In this way he would know exactly how much he had given each person, without conducting any measurements on the Festival itself.

אבא שאול אומר אף במועד עושה כן מפני ברורי המדות וחכמים אומרים אף בחול עושה כן מפני מצוי המדות:

Abba Shaul, a Sage distinct from Abba Shaul ben Botnit, says: He would do this even on the intermediate days of a Festival because of the clarity of the measures, i.e., in order to clarify precisely how much must be given to each customer, since the measurement is more precise once the foam of the liquid being measured has subsided. And the Rabbis say: Even on a weekday it is proper to do so, because of the draining of the measures. This method allows all the liquid to drain fully out of the seller’s measuring utensil so that the amount is exact.

גמ׳ מאי אבל לא במדה אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל אבל לא בכלי המיוחד למדה אבל כלי העומד למדה ימלאנו ואתא רבי יהודה למימר אפילו כלי העומד למדה לא ימלאנו

GEMARA: The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the phrase: But not in a measure? Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: But not with a vessel designated for measuring; however, in the case of a vessel that can be used for measuring but has yet to be used for this purpose, he may fill it. According to this, Rabbi Yehuda comes to disagree and say that he may not fill even a vessel that can be used for measuring.

אלמא גבי שמחת יום טוב רבי יהודה לחומרא ורבנן לקולא והא אפכא שמעינן להו דתנן רבי יהודה אומר שוקל אדם בשר כנגד הכלי וכנגד הקופיץ וחכמים אומרים אין משגיחין בכף מאזנים כל עיקר אלמא רבי יהודה לקולא ורבנן לחומרא קשיא דרבי יהודה אדרבי יהודה קשיא דרבנן אדרבנן

The Gemara asks: Apparently, Rabbi Yehuda is stringent with regard to the joy of the Festival in that he prohibits the use of any sort of measuring utensil, while the Rabbis are lenient. But didn’t we hear them state the opposite, as we learned in an earlier mishna (28a) that Rabbi Yehuda says: A person selling meat on a Festival may weigh the meat against a vessel or against a cleaver, and the Rabbis say: One may not look at the pans of a balance scale at all? Apparently, here, the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda is lenient, while the opinion of the Rabbis is stringent. Therefore, there is a contradiction between the one statement of Rabbi Yehuda and the other statement of Rabbi Yehuda, as well as a contradiction between the one statement of the Rabbis and the other statement of the Rabbis.

דרבי יהודה אדרבי יהודה לא קשיא התם בשאינו עומד למדה הכא בעומד למדה

The Gemara answers: With regard to the contradiction between the one teaching of Rabbi Yehuda and the other teaching of Rabbi Yehuda, this is not difficult. There, where he is lenient, he is dealing with a vessel that cannot be used for measuring on a regular basis at all, whereas here, he is referring to a vessel that can be used for measuring, and therefore he is stringent even if the vessel has not yet actually been used in this capacity.

דרבנן אדרבנן נמי לא קשיא התם קא עביד כדעבדין בחול הכא לא קא עביד כדעבדין בחול

With regard to the contradiction between the one statement of the Rabbis and the other statement of the Rabbis, it is also not difficult. There, he is acting in a weekday manner, and consequently they prohibit the weighing, whereas here, he is not acting in a weekday manner, as the vessel is not a measuring utensil, and consequently they permit him to use it. This completes the Gemara’s discussion of Shmuel’s explanation of the mishna.

רבא אמר מאי אבל לא במדה שלא יזכור לו שם מדה אבל כלי המיוחד למדה ימלאנו ואתא רבי יהודה למימר כלי המיוחד למדה לא ימלאנו

The Gemara offers a second explanation of the mishna. Rava said: What is the meaning of the phrase: But not by measure? It means that he may not mention to him the name of the measure. For example, he may not say: Fill for me one kav, or two kav. However, he may fill a vessel even if it is designated for measuring. And Rabbi Yehuda comes to say: He may not fill a vessel designated for measuring, even if he does not stipulate a particular measure.

אלמא גבי שמחת יום טוב רבי יהודה לחומרא ורבנן לקולא והא אפכא שמעינן להו דתנן רבי יהודה אומר שוקל אדם בשר כנגד הכלי וכנגד הקופיץ וחכמים אומרים אין משגיחין בכף מאזנים כל עיקר אלמא רבי יהודה לקולא ורבנן לחומרא קשיא דרבי יהודה אדרבי יהודה קשיא דרבנן אדרבנן

The Gemara asks: Apparently, with regard to the joy of the Festival, Rabbi Yehuda is stringent, and the Rabbis are lenient. But didn’t we hear them state the opposite, as we learned in an earlier mishna (28a) that Rabbi Yehuda says: A person may weigh meat against a vessel or against a cleaver, and the Rabbis prohibit this and say: One may not look at the pans of a balance scale at all? Apparently, Rabbi Yehuda is lenient, while the Rabbis are stringent. Therefore, there is a contradiction between one statement of Rabbi Yehuda and the other statement of Rabbi Yehuda, and there is also a contradiction between one statement of the Rabbis and the other statement of the Rabbis.

דרבי יהודה אדרבי יהודה לא קשיא התם בשאינו מיוחד למדה הכא מיוחד למדה דרבנן אדרבנן נמי לא קשיא התם קא עביד כדעבדין בחול הכא לא קעביד כדעבדין בחול דעבדי אינשי דמקרבי חמרא במנא דכילא ושתו:

The Gemara answers: With regard to the contradiction between one teaching of Rabbi Yehuda and the other teaching of Rabbi Yehuda, this is not difficult. There, with regard to weighing meat against a vessel, he is dealing with a vessel that is not designated for measuring, and therefore he is lenient, whereas here, he is referring to a vessel that is designated for measuring, with regard to which he is stringent. With regard to the contradiction between one statement of the Rabbis and the other statement of the Rabbis, this is also not difficult. There, he is acting in a weekday manner, and consequently they prohibit the weighing, whereas here, he is not acting in a weekday manner, as people are accustomed to offer their friends wine in a measuring utensil and drink. Since the use of such a vessel is not exclusive to commercial transactions, the Rabbis permitted it here as well.

מעשה באבא שאול בן בטנית: תנא אף במועד עושה כן מפני בטול בית המדרש

§ The mishna recounted an incident involving Abba Shaul ben Botnit, a Sage who was also a grocer, who would fill his measures on the eve of a Festival and give them to his customers on the Festival. A tanna taught in a baraita: He would do this even on the intermediate days of a Festival, in order to prevent dereliction of Torah study in the study hall. Since he wanted to spend most of his day in the study hall and not have to interrupt his study to carry out measurements, he would measure for his customers at night, when it was not a time of study.

תנו רבנן הוא כנס שלש מאות גרבי יין מברורי המדות וחבריו כנסו שלש מאות גרבי שמן ממצוי המדות והביאום לפני הגזברים לירושלים

The Sages taught in a baraita: Abba Shaul ben Botnit collected three hundred earthenware jugs of wine, to which he thought he was not entitled due to the clarity of the measures, as he thought that he had unfairly profited from the foam at the top of the liquid he measured. And his colleagues, similarly God-fearing grocers, collected three hundred earthenware jugs of oil, which they thought were not rightly theirs due to the draining of the measures; they were concerned that because they had measured for their customers using their own vessels, they might not have drained the entire measure from their containers into the customers’ vessels. And they brought these jugs of wine and oil to Jerusalem before the Temple treasurers, as they did not want to benefit from possibly stolen goods.

אמרו להם אי אתם זקוקים לכך אמרו להם אף אנו אין רצוננו בכך

The treasurers said to them: You need not do this, as all buyers take into account the foam and what is left in the sellers’ vessels and pay with this in mind. They said to them: Just like the buyers give up their claim to it, we too do not wish to benefit from this, even if strictly speaking it is not considered stolen property.

אמרו להם הואיל והחמרתם על עצמכם עשו מהם צרכי רבים דתניא גזל ואינו יודע למי גזל יעשה בהם צרכי רבים מאי נינהו אמר רב חסדא בורות שיחין ומערות

The treasurers said to them: Since you are so stringent with yourselves, use the wine and oil for communal needs. As it is taught in a baraita: If one stole and does not know from whom he stole, he should use the stolen items for communal needs, thereby repaying all of the Jewish people. The Gemara asks: What are communal needs? Rav Ḥisda said: He should finance the digging of cisterns, ditches, and caves, for storing water for travelers.

אדבריה רב חסדא לרבנא עוקבא ודרש לא ימדוד אדם שעורים ויתן לפני בהמתו ביום טוב אבל קודר הוא קב או קבים ונותן לפני בהמתו ואינו חושש והנחתום מודד תבלין ונותן לתוך קדרתו כדי שלא יקדיח תבשילו

§ Rav Ḥisda authorized Rabbana Ukva to give a public lecture, and he taught the following: A person may not measure barley and place it before his animal on a Festival, but he may cut out [koder] a hole in the pile of grain by means of a vessel of one kav or two kav, and place the barley before his animal, and he need not be concerned about the measuring this entails, as he does not transgress the prohibition against using a measuring utensil if he is not particular about measuring precisely. And a baker may measure spices and put them in his pot, so as not to spoil his dish, since if he puts in too much he will ruin the food.

אמר רב ירמיה בר אבא אמר רב מודדת אשה קמח ביום טוב ונותנת לתוך עיסתה כדי שתטול חלה בעין יפה ושמואל אמר אסור והא תנא דבי שמואל מותר

Rav Yirmeya bar Abba said that Rav said: A woman may measure flour on a Festival and put it into her dough in order to separate ḥalla generously, because if she knows the exact amount of dough she can separate the proper amount of ḥalla. And Shmuel said: It is prohibited, as she can estimate the amount that must be set aside as ḥalla. The Gemara asks: But didn’t a Sage of the school of Shmuel teach a baraita stating that this is permitted?

אמר אביי השתא דאמר שמואל אסור ותנא דבי שמואל מותר

Abaye said: Now that it is known that Shmuel said it is prohibited and a Sage of the school of Shmuel taught a baraita that it is permitted,

שמואל הלכה למעשה אתא לאשמועינן

it is reasonable to conclude that Shmuel came to teach us the practical halakha. Knowing that a baraita permits the practice, Shmuel found it necessary to state that the halakha is otherwise.

תנו רבנן אין שונין קמח ביום טוב משום רבי פפייס ורבי יהודה בן בתירא אמרו שונין ושוין שאם נפל לתוכן צרור או קיסם ששונין

§ The Sages taught in a baraita: One may not sift flour a second time on a Festival, as this involves unnecessary extra effort. They said in the name of Rabbi Papeyyas and Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira: One may sift flour a second time. However, they all agree that if a pebble or a wood chip fell into the flour after it had been sifted the previous day, one may sift it a second time in order to remove the items.

תני תנא קמיה דרבינא אין שונין קמח ביום טוב אבל נפל צרור או קיסם בורר בידו אמר ליה כל שכן דאסור דהוה ליה כבורר

A tanna taught the following baraita before Ravina: One may not sift flour a second time on a Festival, but if a pebble or a wood chip fell into the flour after the first sifting, he may remove it with his hand. Ravina said to him: All the more so is the latter procedure prohibited, as it is similar to the prohibited labor of selecting. It is therefore preferable to sift the flour with a sieve, and the unwanted items will thereby be removed.

דרש רבא בר רב הונא זוטי אפתחא דנהרדעא שונין קמח ביום טוב אמר להו רב נחמן פוקו ואמרו ליה לאבא שקילא טיבותך ושדי אחזרי פוק חזי כמה מהולתא הדרן בנהרדעא

Rava bar Rav Huna the Short taught at the entrance to Neharde’a: One may sift flour a second time on a Festival. Rav Naḥman said to the students standing before him: Go out and say to Abba, i.e., to Rava bar Rav Huna, as Rava is a shortened form of Rav Abba: Your good has been removed and cast upon thorns, meaning that your teachings are not needed. Go out and see how many sieves circulate in Neharde’a, as all the women already know that this is permitted.

דביתהו דרב יוסף נהלא קמחא אגבא דמהולתא אמר לה חזי דאנא רפתא מעליתא בעינא דביתהו דרב אשי נהלא קמחא אגבא דפתורא אמר רב אשי הא דידן ברתיה דרמי בר חמא ורמי בר חמא מרא דעובדא הוה ואי לאו דחזיא מבי נשא לא הוה עבדא:

The Gemara relates that Rav Yosef’s wife was once sifting flour in an unusual manner on the reverse side of a sieve. He said to her: Look, I want good-quality bread, hinting that she need not invert the sieve but may sift the flour in her regular fashion. The Gemara likewise relates that Rav Ashi’s wife was once sifting flour onto a table, rather than into a bowl in the usual manner. Rav Ashi said: This one of ours, my wife, is the daughter of Rami bar Ḥama, and Rami bar Ḥama is a master of good deeds who is meticulous in his performance of mitzvot. Had my wife not observed this practice in her father’s house, she would not have acted in this manner. Therefore, one can learn the halakha in practice from her actions.

מתני׳ הולך אדם אצל חנוני הרגיל אצלו ואומר לו תן לי ביצים ואגוזים במנין שכן דרך בעל הבית להיות מונה בתוך ביתו:

MISHNA: A person may go on a Festival to a grocer from whom he is accustomed to buy and say to him: Give me eggs and nuts of such-and-such a number, as it is the manner of a homeowner to count this way in his own house. Counting eggs or nuts is not considered a commercial activity, as people regularly mention the number of eggs and nuts that they need.

גמ׳ תנו רבנן הולך אדם אצל רועה הרגיל אצלו ואומר לו תן לי גדי אחד או טלה אחד אצל טבח הרגיל אצלו ואומר לו תן לי כף אחת או ירך אחת אצל פטם הרגיל אצלו ואומר לו תן לי תור אחד או גוזל אחד אצל נחתום הרגיל אצלו ואומר לו תן לי ככר אחד או גלוסקא אחת

GEMARA: The Sages taught in the Tosefta: A person may go on a Festival to a shepherd with whom he is accustomed to deal and say to him: Give me one kid, or one lamb. Similarly, one may go on a Festival to a butcher from whom he is accustomed to buy and say to him: Give me one foreleg of an animal, or one thigh. Likewise, one may approach one who deals in fattened fowl from whom he is accustomed to buy and say to him: Give me one dove or one pigeon. He may also visit a baker from whom he is accustomed to buy and say to him: Give me one loaf or one cake [geluska].

ואצל חנוני הרגיל אצלו ואומר לו תן לי עשרים ביצים או חמשים אגוזים עשרה אפרסקין וחמשה רמונים ואתרוג אחד ובלבד שלא יזכיר לו סכום מדה רבי שמעון בן אלעזר אומר ובלבד שלא יזכיר לו סכום מקח:

And one may go on a Festival to a grocer from whom he is accustomed to buy and say to him: Give me twenty eggs, or fifty nuts, or ten peaches, or five pomegranates, or one etrog, provided that he does not mention any measure. In other words, he must not specify a unit of measurement, e.g., a kav; rather, he must state a number, which is not the usual manner of making a purchase. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: This is permitted, provided that he does not mention the amount of the purchase, meaning that he must not mention the sum of money that he is spending, but rather he must take what he needs and after the Festival they will calculate how much he owes.

הדרן עלך אין צדין

המביא כדי יין ממקום למקום לא יביאם בסל ובקופה אבל מביא הוא על כתפו או לפניו וכן המוליך את התבן לא יפשיל את הקופה לאחוריו אבל מביאה הוא בידו ומתחילין

MISHNA: One who brings wine jugs from one place to another place may not bring a large number of them in a basket or in a tub in the usual weekday manner on a Festival, as this is disrespectful of the Festival; but he may bring one or two barrels on his shoulder or carry them in front of himself. Similarly, one who brings straw for kindling or for feeding animals may not place the tub behind him while carrying it, as this is the usual weekday manner; but he may transport it in front of him in his hand, in an unusual fashion. And one may begin taking straw for kindling