Soncino English Talmud
Shabbat
Daf 40a
retracted in favour of R. Joshua. Yet what if it is by deduction? — Perhaps that is only in the Mishnah, but not in a Baraitha? — I heard it explicitly, said he to him. It was stated: if hot water is heated on the eve of the Sabbath, — Rab said: On the morrow one may wash his whole body in it, limb by limb; while Samuel ruled: They [the Sages] permitted one to wash his face, hands, and feet only. An objection is raised: If hot water is heated on the eve of the Sabbath, on the morrow one may wash his face, hands, and feet therein, but not his whole body. This refutes Rab? — Rab can answer you: Not his whole body at once, but limb by limb. But he [the Tanna] states, his face, hands, and feet? — [It means] similar to the face, hands, and feet. Come and hear: It was permitted to wash only one's face, hands, and feet [on the Sabbath] in water heated on the eve of the Sabbath? — Here too [it means] similar to the face, hands, and feet. It was taught in accordance with Samuel: If hot water is heated on the eve of the Sabbath, on the morrow [the Sabbath day] one may wash his face, hands, and feet therein, but not his whole body limb by limb; and with water heated on a Festival it goes without saying. Rabbah recited this ruling of Rab in the following version: If hot water is heated on the eve of the Sabbath, — Rab said, On the morrow one may wash his whole body in it, but must omit one limb. He raised against him all the [above] objections. He is [indeed] refuted. R. Joseph asked Abaye, Did Rabbah act in accordance with Rabis ruling? I do not know, he replied. What question is this: it is obvious that he did not act, for he was refuted? He did not hear them. But if he had not heard them he certainly acted [thus]! For Abaye said: In all matters the Master [sc. Rabbah] acted in accordance with Rab, except in these three where he did as Samuel: [viz.,] one may light from lamp to lamp, one can detach [the fringes] from one garment for [insertion in] another, and the halachah is as R. Simeon in respect to dragging. — He followed Rab's restrictions, but not his leniencies. Our Rabbis taught: If the holes of a bath-house are plugged on the eve of the Sabbath, one may bathe therein immediately after the conclusion of the Sabbath; if on the eve of a Festival, one may enter on the morrow, sweat, and go out and have a souse bath in the outer chamber. Rab Judah said: it once happened at the baths of Bene Berak that the holes were plugged on the eve of a Festival: on the morrow R. Eleazar b. 'Azariah and R. Akiba entered, sweated therein, went out, and had a souse bath in the outer chamber, but the warm water was covered over with boards. When the matter came before the Sages, they said: Even if the warm water is not covered with boards. But when transgressors grew in number, they began forbidding it. One may stroll through the baths of large cities and need have no fear. What is [this reference to] transgressors? For R. Simeon b. Pazzi said in the name of R. Joshua b. Levi on the authority of Bar Kappara: At first people used to wash in pit water heated on the eve of the Sabbath; then bath attendants began to heat the water on the Sabbath, maintaining that it was done on the eve of the Sabbath. So [the use of] hot water was forbidden, but sweating was permitted. Yet still they used to bathe in hot water and maintain, We were perspiring. So sweating was forbidden, yet the thermal springs of Tiberias were permitted. Yet they bathed in water heated by fire and maintained, We bathed in the thermal springs of Tiberias. So they forbade the hot springs of Tiberias but permitted cold water. But when they saw that this [series of restriction] could not stand, they permitted the hot springs of Tiberias, whilst sweating remained in status quo. Raba said: He who violates [even) a Rabbinical enactment, may be stigmatized a transgressor. According to whom?