Beitzah

was stropping a knife on the edge of a basket and I asked him: Do you, Sir, want to sharpen it or do you want to remove its grease? And he replied to me: To remove its grease. But it was clear to me that he was engaged in sharpening, only he was of the opinion: Thus is the halachah but one does not teach it [publicly].1 Abaye also related: I was standing before the Master2 who was stropping a knife on the edge of a mill and I asked him: Do you, Sir, want to sharpen it or do you want to remove its grease? — And he replied to me: To remove its grease. But it was clear to me that he was engaged in sharpening, but he was of the opinion, Thus is the halachah but one does not teach it [publicly]. The scholars asked: May one show a knife on a Festival to a sage?3 — R. Mari the son of R. Bizna permits, and the Rabbis forbid [it]; but R. Joseph says: A scholar may examine [a knife] for himself4 and lend it to another. R. Joseph further said: If a knife became blunt5 it may be sharpened on a Festival; and this applies only in the case when it can cut with difficulty.6 R. Hisda — some say, R. Joseph — lectured: With respect to a knife dented7 and a spit with the point broken off7 and the sweeping out of a stove and a pot range8 on a Festival we come to the dispute between R. Judah and the Rabbis. For it was taught: The Festival is distinguished from the Sabbath only with respect to the preparing of food alone. R. Judah permits even the preliminaries for the preparing of food. What is the reason of the first Tanna?9 Scripture says, ‘that alone may be done for you,’10 [only] ‘that’ but not the preliminaries [for the preparation]. And R. Judah? — The text says, ‘for you’ for you [means] for all your needs. And the first Tanna; surely it says ‘for you’?11 — He will reply to you: That [text] ‘for you’ [signifies] but not for a heathen. And the other;12 surely it also says ‘that [alone]’? — He will reply to you: ‘That’ is written and ‘for you’ is written, yet there is no contradiction; the one applies to preliminaries which can be performed before the Festival,13 and the other to preliminaries which cannot be performed before the Festival.14 Rab Judah in the name of Samuel said: One may not repair a bent spit on a Festival. This is obvious! — It [the teaching] is necessary even when one can straighten it with the hand.15 Rab Judah in Samuel's name further said: A spit which was used for roasting meat may not be handled on the Festival.16 R. Adda b. Ahabah said in the name of Malkio: He pulls it out [of the joint] and puts it in a corner.17 Said R. Hiyya b. Ashi in R. Huna's name: Providing there is as much as an olive of meat on it. Rabina says: It [the spit] may be handled even though there is no meat on it at all, for it is analogous to the case of a thorn in a public ground.18 R. Hanina19 son of R. Ikka said: [The teachings on] a spit,20 bondmaids,21 and hair-pits22 are by R. Malkio; whereas those on belorith-tresses,23 wood-ashes24 and cheese25 are by R. Malkia.26 R. Papa says: If referring to a Mishnah or a Baraitha27 it is [by] R. Malkia, [but] independent teachings28 are by R. Malkio; and as a mnemonic make use of: The Mishnah is queen.29 Wherein do they differ? They differ in regard to bondmaids.30 MISHNAH. A MAN MAY NOT SAY TO A BUTCHER, ‘WEIGH ME A DINAR'S WORTH OF MEAT’,31 BUT HE SLAUGHTERS [THE ANIMAL] AND SHARES IT AMONG THEM.32 GEMARA. What is he to do?33 — As slightest notch. account of its unseemliness. of which is to be less than four cubits. Similarly the spit may be taken to a place where it can do no harm,. Cf. Shab. 42a. insist on her doing work with wool on the ground that idleness is demoralizing. On this R. Malkio comments, the halachah is as R. Eliezer. V. Keth. 59b and 61b. the pitlets alone even without the hairs are sufficient indication of puberty. top-tresses (or crown-lock) because these were usually consecrated to some deity. On this R. Malkia comments that the Israelite should begin to withdraw his hand at a distance of three fingers breadth on every side. On belorith V. Krauss. T.A. I., 645. Cf also Sanh., Sonc. ed. p. 114, n. 5. appearance of an incised imprint which is forbidden according to Lev. XIX, 28. forbidden because its surface is smeared with lard. memory. distinguished from what is taught in Mishnah and Baraitha. Aramaic word for ‘queen’-malketha. Mishnah, it is attributed to R. Malkia.