Moed Katan

This [detailed enumeration] implies that these only [one may wash], but not [all sorts of] garments made of flax? — Said Abaye to him, [Not necessarily]; Our Mishnah included even those other kinds [of material].1 Said Bar Hedya: I have myself seen at the lake of Tiberias [people] bringing along basins full of flax garments [and washing them] during the festival week. Abaye [however] strongly contested this [testimony]. Who can vouch to us that they did it with the approval of the Sages? Possibly they did so without the approval of the Sages! MISHNAH AND THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS MAY BE INDITED DURING THE FESTIVAL [WEEK]: INSTRUMENTS OF BETROTHAL,2 BILLS OF DIVORCE3 AND RECEIPTS;4 TESTA MENTS, BEQUESTS5 AND PROSBOLS;6 VALUATION CERTIFICATES7 AND ORDERS FOR ALIMONY:8 RECORDS OF HALIZAH9 AND OF REPUDIATION [OF MARRIAGE]10 AND ARBITRATION RECORDS;11 JUDGMENT ORDERS AND DIPLOMATIC12 CORRESPONDENCE. GEMARA. [INSTRUMENTS OF BETROTHAL]. Said Samuel, ‘One is allowed to betroth a woman during the festival week, [the reason being] lest another [rival suitor] anticipate him’. Might one suggest that [the wording here] lends support to Samuel's view: AND THE FOLLOWING MAY BE INDITED DURING THE FESTIVAL [WEEK]: INSTRUMENTS OF BETROTHAL. What is [meant by this]? Is it not actually inditing the formula of Kiddushin?13 — No, [it means, drawing up] the [preliminary] terms, and as R. Giddal, citing Rab, stated: ‘How much do you give to your son?’ ‘So much and so much.’ ‘How much do you give to your daughter?’ ‘So much and so much’. [If] they then stood up and pronounced the ‘dedication’ [espousal formula] they have acquired their legal rights [to the offers]; these are [among] the matters that are [legally] acquired by word of mouth.14 Might one suggest [then] the following as lending support to him [to Samuel]? ‘One may take a wife during the festival [week]. whether a virgin or a widow, but not effect a levirate marriage;15 as it is a rejoicing for him [the groom]’,16 [which implies] that betrothing is allowed. — Not [quite so]. He stated [the rule in the form] ‘Not merely [this is not allowed but even that]: Not merely [it is forbidden] to betroth,17 by which no scriptural obligation is carried out; but even to take [a wife in wedlock] whereby a scriptural obligation is fulfilled,18 he is forbidden. Come and hear [a support for this]: For it was learnt in the School of Samuel:19 [Grooms] may betroth, but not bring [a bride] home: and they may not make a feast of betrothal nor effect a levirate marriage, as this is a rejoicing for him [the groom]’. Infer this.20 But [yet], could Samuel have said ‘Lest another [rival suitor] anticipate him’? Surely Rab Judah, as citing Samuel, said: [‘Forty days before the embryo is formed21 an echo issues22 forth [on high] announcing, "The daughter of So-and-so is [to be a wife] to Soand-so".’ [Similarly]. ‘Such and such a field23 is [to belong] to Soand-so’. — No; what it means is, ‘Lest another [rival suitor] anticipate him’ by means of prayer, as is illustrated by what occurred to Raba, who overheard a certain fellow praying for grace saying: ‘May that girl be destined to be mine!’ Said Raba to the man: ‘Pray not for grace thus; if she be meet for you, you will not lose her, and if not , you have challenged Providence’.24 Later he overheard him praying that either he should die before her or she before him. Said Raba to him: ‘[Praying Jack],25 did I not tell you not to pray for grace in this matter?’ Thus said Rab in the name of R. Reuben b. Estrobile, from the Torah,26 from the Prophets and from the Hagiographa it may be shown that a woman is [destined to] a man by God. From the Torah: Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the Lord.27 From the Prophets: But his [Samson's] father and mother knew not that it was of the Lord.28 And from the Hagiographa: House and riches are the inheritance of fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. 29 And Rab said [also this] in the name of R. Reuben b. Estrobile: ‘A person does not incur suspicion unless he has done the thing [suspected]; and if he has not done it wholly he has done it partly; and if he has not done it partly, he has a mind to do it; and if he has not had a mind to do it, he has seen others doing it and enjoyed [the sight of it]’. [As against this], R. Jacob [of Nehar Pekod]30 raised an objection [from the following text]: ‘And the children of Israel did impute things that were not right unto the Lord their God.31 There they did it [purposely] to provoke [God]. Come [then] and hear [this statement]: And [Moses heard and fell on his face].32 What tidings had he heard? — Said R. Samuel b. Nahmani, as reporting R. Jonathan: [He heard that] they suspected him of [adultery with] a married woman, as it is said: And they were jealous33 of Moses in the camp and of Aaron the holy one of the Lord.34 And, said R. Samuel b. Isaac, this indicates that everyone was jealous of his wife because of Moses. — There [again] it was done out of hatred.35 [Then] come and hear [this statement]: Said R. Jose, May my share be with him whom they suspect of something of which he is innocent. Nay further, R. Papa said, They suspected me myself of something of which I was innocent! — It is not difficult [to explain]. One [speaks of a] rumor that dies away, the other of a rumor that persists. And how long would a persistent rumor be? — Said Abaye. ‘Nanna’ told me, Local gossip lasts a day and a half; and that holds good only if it did not cease in the meantime, but if it had ceased in the meantime, we take no notice of it. If, however, it does cease in the meantime, the rule is [to disregard it] only where it was not [stopped] out of fear, but if it was stopped out of fear, it is not [to be disregarded]; again, the rule is [to disregard it] only where it does not break out again, but where it breaks out again [we do] not [disregard it]; also, the rule is [to disregard it] when he [the maligned] person has no enemies, but if he has enemies, [we say] it is his enemies who have spread the [adverse] rumor. MISHNAH. BILLS OF CREDIT MAY NOT BE WRITTEN DURING THE FESTIVAL [WEEK]; BUT IF HE [THE CREDITOR] DOES NOT TRUST HIM OR HE36 HAS NOT [ENOUGH] FOOD TO EAT, HE MAY WRITE. SCROLLS [OF THE LAW] AND THE [SCRIPTURAL SECTIONS FOR] PHYLACTERIES37 AND MEZUZOTH38 MAY NOT BE WRITTEN DURING THE FESTIVAL [WEEK]; NOR MAY A SINGLE LETTER BE CORRECTED, EVEN IN THE [ANCIENT] TEMPLE-SCROLL.39 R. JUDAH SAYS, A PERSON MAY WRITE THE [SCRIPTURAL SECTIONS FOR] THE PHYLACTERIES OR MEZUZOTH FOR HIMSELF those made of linen, all sorts of garments may be washed]. Kid. 5b and 6a), to be handed by the suitor to his bride (thereby to secure her for himself forthwith in case of another rival suitor) as a ‘marriage’ may not be celebrated during the festival week (Rashi); or, (b) the terms of the marriage settlement (instrumenta dotalia). V. Gemara and SHB ad loc. p. 95; also Lewin, Otz. Hag. Mashk No. 52. outstanding debt, thus preventing its cancellation by the incidence of the Sabbatical year. Cf. Deut. XV, 2, and Sheb. X, 4; Git. 36a. The Prorbol is said to have been instituted by Hillel. 20a and ‘Arach. 21b. XXV, 5-10. For the text see J.M.K. ad loc. and Yeb. 3 9b. brothers. Her repudiation before a tribunal of three judges was sufficient to nullify the marriage. Cf. Yeb. 107b ff. pleadings and award, according to B.M. 20a. letters, J.M.K., ibid; also Lewin Otz. Hag. IV, Mashk. Nos. 53-55.