On this daf we encounter the unglamorous side of minhag, the gritty, get-your-hands-dirty practices that define the rhythms of a life of labor. Custom, after all, is a type of routine, the steady drumbeat of embodied action that dictates when to rise in the morning, how long to stay out in the field, and when to come home after a full day's work.
Read the pieces written by our Kollel and see if you can feel the dirt between your fingers, the tough leather at your feet, the anxieties of hoping God will bless the work of your hands. If you listen close enough, you can also hear the quiet murmurs of closing up shop, of those hardworking individuals pausing their labors for the moment and bringing in the holiness of sanctified time.
Click here to learn more about this commentary and the Kreuzberg Kollel.
Daf 55
Rebecca Rogowski, "חד מקצת היום ככולו"
'Part of the day is like the whole day'
It was stated in the mishna: "And in all places Torah scholars are idle and do not perform labor on the Ninth of Av, and according to Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel one should always conduct himself like a Torah scholar in this regard and refrain from performing labor."
The Gemara asks: Is that to say that Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel holds that we are not concerned about presumptuousness (yohara) when a person conducts himself like a Torah scholar? And conversely, do the Rabbis hold that we are concerned about presumptuousness? Didn’t we hear them say the opposite? As we learned in a mishna: With regard to the recitation of Shema on one’s wedding night, the Rabbis said that if a groom wishes to recite Shema on the first night despite his exemption, he may do so. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: Not everyone who wishes to assume the reputation of a God-fearing person may assume it, and consequently, not everyone who wishes to recite Shema on his wedding night may do so. Their opinions in that mishna appear contrary to their opinions in the current mishna.
גמ׳ מעיקרא תנא מנהגא ולבסוף תנא איסורא אמר רבי יוחנן לא קשיא הא רבי מאיר הא רבי יהודה דתניא אמר רבי יהודה ביהודה היו עושין מלאכה בערבי פסחים עד חצות ובגליל אינן עושין כל עיקר אמר לו רבי מאיר מה ראייה יהודה וגליל לכאן אלא מקום שנהגו לעשות מלאכה עושין מקום שנהגו שלא לעשות אין עושין. מדקאמר רבי מאיר מנהגא מכלל דרבי יהודה איסורא קאמר
GEMARA: Initially, at the beginning of the chapter, the tanna taught that in certain places there is merely a custom not to perform labor, and yet ultimately, in this latest mishna, he taught that according to the opinion of Beit Shammai, it is prohibited to perform labor. Apparently, performance of labor is not dependent on custom but is actually prohibited.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: This is not difficult, since that first mishna is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Meir, and this current mishna is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda. As it was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yehuda said: In Judea they would perform labor on Passover eves until midday, and in the Galilee they would not perform labor at all. Rabbi Meir said to him: What proof do you cite from Judea and the Galilee to the discussion here? Rather, in a place where people were accustomed to perform labor, one performs labor, and in a place where people were accustomed not to perform labor, one does not perform labor. The Gemara analyzes this baraita: From the fact that Rabbi Meir is speaking about custom, by inference, Rabbi Yehuda is speaking about a prohibition against performing labor in the Galilee.
וסבר רבי יהודה ארבעה עשר מותר בעשיית מלאכה והתניא רבי יהודה אומר המנכש בשלשה עשר ונעקרה בידו שותלה במקום הטיט ואין שותלה במקום הגריד
The Gemara asks: And does Rabbi Yehuda hold that performance of labor on the fourteenth is permitted everywhere other than the Galilee?
Wasn’t it taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yehuda says: With regard to one who is weeding a field on the thirteenth of Nisan and a stalk of grain was uprooted in his hand, he plants it in a muddy place so that it will take root before the omer offering is brought on the sixteenth of Nisan? It will then be permitted to eat the grain after the omer offering is brought. However, one should not plant it in a dry place, as it will not take root there immediately. If it begins to sprout only after the omer offering is brought, that grain will remain prohibited until after the following year’s omer offering is brought.
Replanting in Mud
Tal Schechter
I was struck by the reference to replanting the unrooted barley grass in mud rather than in dry ground. The reasoning given is sound, of course. Rather, it felt like there is a hidden allegory there. After some digging, I felt that this story of the Baal Shem Tov helps to uncover it:
A Jew together with his wife and children were brought in chains to a city, and the guard called out in a loud voice: “Unless three hundred thalers are paid for the ransom of these prisoners, they will be cast into prison for life, since they have not paid their rent to the owner of the inn.” No one was able to furnish the ransom money, though compassion for the unfortunates was universal.
A young serving-man had saved up the sum of one hundred and fifty thalers over many years of service; he took pity on the pathetic victims, and resolved to ransom them. He went to a serving-girl who had saved up the same amount, and proposed that they should join in performing the great “Mitzvah”. She consented, and both gave their money to the guard, who released the prisoners immediately. The lad and the maiden had fallen in love, and they determined to marry; together they went to a kinsman of the boy in another town to invite his aid. On the way, they heard the groan of a child underneath a bridge. He had fallen into the deep mud and was unable to extricate himself. The serving-lad rescued the child and restored him to his distracted parents. The father, a rich landlord, amply rewarded the young couple, by presenting to them a dairy and a stable; he also leased to them the nearby inn. The child’s mother made generous gifts to the bride for her marriage, and the young couple began their life together under happy auguries. “It pays to perform a mitzvah in a perfect manner,” said the Besht.
I think that R. Yehudah’s allegory, though much more hidden (or perhaps, muddy) than the Besht’s, tells us much the same thing. Why bother arguing about which work one can do on the thirteenth of Nissan, or whether one can labor on the fourteenth at all or only until mid-day? Is this an issur, prohibition, or only about minhag hamakom, the customs of the place? For R. Yehudah, there are mitzvot behind any of these practices, whether they be custom or prohibition. Even the smallest detail around the mitzvah must be done in the perfect way, without seeking reward. Without seeking reward, and doing the mitzvah l’shem shamayim, for the sake of heaven, leads to its own rewards.
While the gemara (and its later commentators) comes to its own conclusions about which situation R. Meir and R. Yehudah are each talking about, my own is that R. Yehudah is saying that, despite the leniency allowed by custom, he would prefer to be stringent, in order to do the mitzvah as perfectly as possible.
From Rabbi Yehuda’s statement it can be inferred that if a person was weeding on the thirteenth of Nisan, yes, this is the halakha; however, on the fourteenth of Nisan, no, one may not replant the stalk of grain. Now, we learned that Rabbi Yehuda said: Any graft that does not take hold within three days will no longer take hold. If it could enter your mind that performing labor on the fourteenth is permitted, why do I need this halakha to be taught specifically with regard to the thirteenth? It would have been a greater novelty had he taught the halakha with regard to a case that occurs on the fourteenth. Aren’t there three days remaining for grain planted on the fourteenth to take root before the omer offering, i.e., the fourteenth of Nisan, the fifteenth of Nisan, and part of the sixteenth of Nisan? Rava said: They taught this halakha of replanting a stalk of wheat with regard to the Galilee; as mentioned in the baraita, Rabbi Yehuda says that in the Galilee they do not perform labor at all.
רבינא אמר לעולם ביהודה ובהשרשה חד מקצת היום ככולו אמרינן תרי מקצת היום ככולו לא אמרינן:
Shoshana R.
We were talking today in our Gemara class about ישן and חדש and if this is applicable also today in Ashkenas ch'l. I looked up the good old Kizzur Shulchan Aruch by R' Shlomo Ganzfried, which I highly recommend to get a basic, classic overview of many topics (I only have the German- Hebrew version, but there versions in other languages for sure). Anyway, on page 962 he summarizes "For grain, however, grown in the possession of a goyim, there is no prohibition on new grain" and adds "Many rely on this in an emergency", which I see as a typical stringent rethoric, as well as the sentence at the end of this section - "Whoever makes it difficult will earn blessings". Very interesting is also the chapter "Defense of the Minhag HaOlam" on Halachipedia ( https://www.halachipedia.com/index.php?title=Yashan ). There it is talked about a "widespread minhag to be lenient about Chadash" in the Ashkenazi world and "that the minhag relies on the opinions that hold that grain which was grown by non-Jews is exempt from Chadash", supported by exactly the Kizzur Shulchan Aruch and the Mishnah Berurah.
To support my research I asked a friend of mine. The answer was as follows: For farms exporting to strict-keeping communities, a kashrut supervisor visits. Winter cereals are always yashan and for summer cereals, inspections take place in kosher certified mills, malt houses and other companies that process cereals. Particularly affected are all grains, which often come from Scandinavia and other states in Northern and Eastern Europe. In Israel, this regulation applies without exception. Outside Israel, this issue is subject to an ancient rabbinic disagreement that has been canonised in the religious law codes. Therefore, there are rabbis who allow grain outside Israel without inspection, while others insist on yashan. The same is true regarding consumers: some pay attention to yashan, while others do not insist."
You see here connections to the issues of Minhag, leniency, stringency ... It also seems that today in countries like Germany or Austria ("Northern Europe") the issue of Chadash/ Yashan doesn't seem to be overtly relevant, since it does not meet today's production conditions (common supermarket flours are sourced and mixed from many different sources) and no one really needs a Hechsher on flour anymore. However, this sometimes seems to be different in large industries that sell all over the world, but in communities that are strict, this is then known.
MISHNA: Rabbi Meir says: With regard to any labor that one began before the fourteenth of Nisan, he may complete it on the fourteenth before midday. However, one may not begin to perform that labor from the outset on the fourteenth, even if he is able to complete it before midday. And the Rabbis say: The practitioners of only three crafts are permitted to perform labor until midday on Passover eve, and they are: Tailors, barbers, and launderers, whose work is needed for the Festival. Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda says: Even shoemakers are permitted to work on the fourteenth.
The Work of Our Hands
Talya Feldman
In Pesachim 55a:12 Rabbi Meir declares that any labor begun before the 14th of Nissan, Passover eve, is permitted to be completed before midday on the 14th of Nissan. The labor Rabbi Meir is referring to, according to the Rabbis, is the labor of three professions necessary for the sanctification of the holiday: Tailors, Barbers, Launderers, and -- according to Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda -- Shoemakers.
This, the Gemara concludes, is to say that any labor not meant for the sanctity of the holiday is prohibited on the 14th, and any labor -- including those professions mentioned above -- begun on the 14th is prohibited. In other words, you as a Tailor, Barber, Launderer, or Shoemaker cannot begin a work on the eve of Passover, you can only complete it.
But the Gemara, as is so often the case, circles around this conclusion for some time, sometimes coming up short for an answer. What did Rabbi Meir mean? Could it really be that all work unrelated to the holiday is prohibited? How can these 4 labors be permitted for the purpose of the festival?
Somewhere within this process of questioning, of analyzing -- I too began to wonder: what does it mean to initiate labor -- and to complete it? What does it mean to work for the sanctification of something -- and what does it mean that these Tailors, Barbers, Launderers, and Shoemakers who are permitted to work on the eve of Passover -- all rely, perhaps solely, on the labor of their hands?
In Avot D’Rabbi Natan 11:1 we learn that one should love work. “For just as the Torah was given in a covenant, so work was given in a covenant.” This is drawn from the book of Exodus 20:10 where it states that for six days you should work, and on the seventh day rest for it is the Sabbath of the Eternal your G-d.
Contrary to how Rabbi Natan begins, perhaps we are not meant to love work at all -- but rather, even while hating it, to find the holiness within it -- in the labor of our hands and their ability to sanctify, to bless. And to recognize our own individual role in completing the world.
For where else, and when else in the Torah, in the Talmud, in Psalms -- do we refer to the work of our hands? To their power and their holiness?
In one instance: before we sleep.
In Berachot 4b we learn to recite the Shema prayer upon our beds:
אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁקָּרָא אָדָם קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת — מִצְוָה לִקְרוֹתוֹ עַל מִטָּתוֹ. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי: מַאי קְרָא — ״רִגְזוּ וְאַל תֶּחֱטָאוּ אִמְרוּ בִלְבַבְכֶם עַל מִשְׁכַּבְכֶם וְדֹמּוּ סֶלָה״.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Even though one recited Shema in the synagogue, it is a mitzva to recite it upon his bed in fulfillment of the verse: “When you lie down.” Rabbi Yosei said: What verse alludes to the fact that one must recite Shema in the evening, upon his bed, as well? “Tremble, and do not sin; say to your heart upon your bed and be still, Selah” (Psalms 4:5). This is understood to mean: Recite Shema, about which it is written, “on your hearts,” upon your bed, and afterward be still and sleep.
We also learn in Shavuot 15b that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi recited additional psalms with the bedtime Shema, as a form of protection before falling asleep. The psalms today that can be found in certain prayer books include the psalms recited by Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, but also those which describe the work of our hands. The last sentence of Psalm 90, in the bedtime Shema, reads:
וִיהִ֤י ׀ נֹ֤עַם אֲדֹנָ֥י אֱלֹקינוּ עָ֫לֵ֥ינוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָ֭דֵינוּ כּוֹנְנָ֥ה עָלֵ֑ינוּ וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָ֝דֵ֗ינוּ כּוֹנְנֵֽהוּ׃
May the favor of the Lord, our G-d, be upon us; and the work of our hands be established upon us, and the work of our hands be established.
So why here, why now? Why mention the work of our hands before sleep, why mention the labor of our hands in relation to the sanctification of Passover? How can the initiation and completion of work be connected in these cases?
Rashi explains this verse from psalms as an expression of supplication. We ask G-d to establish our handiwork twice. The first is in reference to the work of the Tabernacle, when Israel was blessed with the Shechinah, the Divine presence, resting on the labor of their hands, the Tabernacle. The second supplication is for blessing within the work of our hands. No matter what that work may be.
According to Radak, this request, repeated twice, is meant to also strengthen and call for the days of redemption and of salvation, when all deeds -- the work of our hands -- will be right. In referencing Rabbi Natan once more, and the claim that on the seventh day the world was completed -- the work of our hands is also striving towards the completion of the world, towards the Sabbath, towards freedom -- which is ultimately at the core of what the holiday of Passover is meant to represent. We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, but now we are Free people.
In describing the work of the Tabernacle, Rabbi Natan also references the creation and the completion of the Tabernacle. The chiefs of Israel waited for direction from Moses. When it became clear to them that the structure was almost finished, and they had not yet offered any contribution to the labor of building it, the chiefs of Israel “got up and added a great thing by themselves, as it says (Exodus 35:27), “And the chiefs brought the shoham stones [for the breastplate of the high priest].”
They got up and added a great and beautiful thing by themselves. And I would like to believe -- with their own hands as well.
No matter the labor involved, whether we love it or not, the work of our hands is holy. The work of our hands contributes to the completion of the world, towards the ultimate resting place of the Divine presence, towards freedom. Passover was sanctified through the hands of Tailors, Barbers, Launderers, and Shoemakers. Through great and beautiful things.
GEMARA: A dilemma was raised before the Sages:
1) Was it with regard to labor for the purpose of the Festival that we learned in the mishna that Rabbi Meir permits completing labor on the fourteenth, but labor that is not for the purpose of the Festival may not even be completed?
2) Or perhaps it was with regard to labor that is not for the purpose of the Festival that we learned that Rabbi Meir permits completing labor on the fourteenth, but with regard to labor that is for the purpose of the Festival, we may even initiate it.
3) Or perhaps, with regard to both labor that is for the purpose of the Festival and labor that is not for the purpose of the Festival, completing, yes, it is permitted, but initiating, no, it is prohibited.
Come and hear (ta shma) a resolution to the dilemma from that which we learned: However, one may not begin work from the outset on the fourteenth, even if it is a small belt, or even a small hairnet. What is the meaning of the term "even" in this context? Isn’t it that even with regard to those items that are for the purpose of the Festival, completing, yes, it is permitted, but initiating, no, it is prohibited? And by inference, with regard to labor that is not for the purpose of the Festival, we may not even complete labor that was begun previously. This supports the first possibility cited above. The Gemara rejects this answer: No; actually, this means that even labor that is not for the purpose of the Festival we may also complete, in accordance with the third possibility above. And what is the meaning of the term "even"? It is that this halakha applies even to these items, a belt and a hairnet, which are small; as it could enter your mind to say: Since they are small and their initiation is their completion, let us even initiate their manufacture on the fourteenth ab initio. Therefore, it teaches us that even with regard to this type of labor, initiating is prohibited. This baraita does not provide an unequivocal resolution to the dilemma.
Come and hear the resolution to the dilemma from another source from another source. Rabbi Meir says: With regard to any labor that is for the purpose of the Festival, one completes it on the fourteenth. When is that the case? It is when he initiated the labor prior to the fourteenth. However, if he did not initiate the labor prior to the fourteenth, he should not initiate it on the fourteenth, even if it is only manufacturing a small belt or even a small hairnet.
The Gemara analyzes this: When it is for the purpose of the Festival, yes, one may complete this labor. However, when it is not for the purpose of the Festival, no, one may not complete it, in accordance with the third possibility above. The Gemara rejects this analysis: Actually, the same is true; we may also complete the task even when it is not for the purpose of the Festival. And this comes to teach us that even when it is for the purpose of the Festival, completing a labor, yes, one may do so, but initiating a labor, no, one may not, in accordance with the third aforementioned possibility.
Come and hear yet another resolution to the dilemma. Rabbi Meir says: With regard to any labor that is for the purpose of the Festival, one may complete it on the fourteenth, and if it is not for the purpose of the Festival, it is prohibited to complete it. And one may perform labor on Passover eves until midday in a place where people were accustomed to do so.
The Gemara infers: In a place where people were accustomed to perform labor, yes, one may do so. However, in a place where people were not accustomed to perform labor, no, one may not do so. And learn from it that for the purpose of the Festival, yes, one may perform labor. However, if it is not for the purpose of the Festival, no, one may not do so, in accordance with the first aforementioned possibility. The Gemara concludes: Indeed, learn from it that this is so.
וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים שָׁלֹשׁ אוּמָּנִיּוֹת: תָּנָא הַחַיָּיטִין שֶׁכֵּן הֶדְיוֹט תּוֹפֵר כְּדַרְכּוֹ בְּחוּלּוֹ שֶׁל מוֹעֵד הַסַּפָּרִין וְהַכּוֹבְסִין שֶׁכֵּן הַבָּא מִמְּדִינַת הַיָּם וְהַיּוֹצֵא מִבֵּית הָאֲסוּרִין מְסַפְּרִין וּמְכַבְּסִין בְּחוּלּוֹ שֶׁל מוֹעֵד רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר אַף הָרַצְעָנִין שֶׁכֵּן עוֹלֵי רְגָלִים מְתַקְּנִין מִנְעָלֵיהֶן בְּחוּלּוֹ שֶׁל מוֹעֵד
The Rabbis say: The practitioners of only three crafts are permitted to perform labor until midday on Passover eve. It was taught in explanation of their opinion: The tailors may perform labor on Passover eve, as a layperson is permitted to sew in his usual manner during the intermediate days of the Festival. Barbers and launderers, may perform labor on Passover eve, as one who arrives from a country overseas or one who leaves prison who did not have time to cut their hair or launder their clothing before the Festival may cut their hair and wash their clothing on the intermediate days of the Festival. Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, says: Shoemakers may also perform their labor, because Festival pilgrims may repair their shoes during the intermediate days of the Festival.
מַתְנִי׳ מוֹשִׁיבִין שׁוֹבָכִין לְתַרְנְגוֹלִים בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר וְתַרְנְגוֹלֶת שֶׁבָּרְחָה מַחֲזִירִין אוֹתָהּ לִמְקוֹמָהּ וְאִם מֵתָה מוֹשִׁיבִין אַחֶרֶת תַּחְתֶּיהָ
גּוֹרְפִין מִתַּחַת רַגְלֵי בְּהֵמָה בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר וּבַמּוֹעֵד מְסַלְּקִין לִצְדָדִין
מוֹלִיכִין כֵּלִים וּמְבִיאִין מִבֵּית הָאוּמָּן אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינָם לְצוֹרֶךְ הַמּוֹעֵד
MISHNA: One may place eggs under hens on the fourteenth. And if a hen fled , one may restore it to its place. And if it died, one may place another in its stead.
Similarly, one may sweep dung from beneath the legs of an animal on the fourteenth of Nisan. And during the chol hamoed of the Festival one may clear it to the sides.
Similarly, one may take vessels to the craftsman’s house for repair and bring others from there even though they are not for the purpose of the Festival.
GEMARA: Now, placing a hen to sit on eggs is permitted; is it necessary to mention that restoring a hen to its place is permitted? Abaye said: In the last clause of the mishna we have arrived at the halakhot of the intermediate days of the Festival (Rashi: as failure to do so will cause him to incur a loss/Hefsed Mammon). On the fourteenth of Nisan, one may even place a hen to brood ab initio. Rav Huna said: They taught this halakha that one may restore the hen to the eggs only when it is within three days of its rebellion, when the hen fled from its place, as the heat has not yet completely dissipated from the hen, so that restoring the hen to its place to resume its brooding will be effective; furthermore, this halakha applies only if it is also at least three days after the hen began sitting, when failure to restore the hen to sit on the eggs will cause the eggs to be totally ruined, as on the one hand they are no longer edible, and on the other hand the chick in the egg is only partially formed. However, if it is more than three days after its rebellion, when its heat has completely dissipated, or within three days from when it began sitting, when failure to restore the hen to sit on the eggs will not yet cause the eggs to be totally ruined, one may not restore the hen to sit on the eggs. Rabbi Ami said: Even within three days from when it began sitting, one may restore the hen to sit on the eggs. The Gemara asks: With regard to what principle do Rav Huna and Rabbi Ami disagree? The Gemara explains: One Sage, Rav Huna, holds that with regard to a major loss, the Sages were concerned about the eggs being completely ruined, and therefore one may restore the hen to its place only if it had already sat on the eggs for three or more days. With regard to a minor loss of being forced to sell at a discount the unhatched eggs that were incubated for less than three days, they were not concerned. And one Sage, Rabbi Ami, holds that with regard to a minor loss, they were also concerned, and therefore the Sages permitted one to restore the hen to its place during the intermediate days of the Festival.
Anxiety in Halacha
Sabrina Slipchenko
מוֹלִיכִין כֵּלִים וּמְבִיאִין מִבֵּית הָאוּמָּן אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא בָּדֵיק לַן רָבָא תְּנַן מוֹלִיכִין וּמְבִיאִין כֵּלִים מִבֵּית הָאוּמָּן אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינָן לְצוֹרֶךְ הַמּוֹעֵד וּרְמִינְהוּ אֵין מְבִיאִין כֵּלִים מִבֵּית הָאוּמָּן וְאִם חוֹשֵׁשׁ לָהֶן שֶׁמָּא יִגָּנְבוּ מְפַנָּן לְחָצֵר אַחֶרֶת וּמְשַׁנֵּינַן לָא קַשְׁיָא כָּאן בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר כָּאן בְּחוּלּוֹ שֶׁל מוֹעֵד וְאִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא הָא וְהָא בְּחוּלּוֹ שֶׁל מוֹעֵד וְלָא קַשְׁיָא כָּאן בְּמַאֲמִינוֹ כָּאן בְּשֶׁאֵינוֹ מַאֲמִינוֹ וְהָתַנְיָא מְבִיאִין כֵּלִים מִבֵּית הָאוּמָּן כְּגוֹן הַכַּד מִבֵּית הַכַּדָּר וְהַכּוֹס מִבֵּית הַזַּגָּג אֲבָל לֹא צֶמֶר מִבֵּית הַצַּבָּע וְלֹא כֵּלִים מִבֵּית הָאוּמָּן וְאִם אֵין לוֹ מַה יֹּאכַל נוֹתֵן לוֹ שְׂכָרוֹ וּמַנִּיחוֹ אֶצְלוֹ וְאִם אֵינוֹ מַאֲמִינוֹ מַנִּיחָן בְּבַיִת הַסָּמוּךְ לוֹ וְאִם חוֹשֵׁשׁ שֶׁמָּא יִגָּנְבוּ מְבִיאָן בְּצִינְעָה בְּתוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ תָּרֵצְתְּ מְבִיאִין מוֹלִיכִין קַשְׁיָא דְּקָתָנֵי אֵין מְבִיאִין וְכׇל שֶׁכֵּן דְּאֵין מוֹלִיכִין אֶלָּא מְחַוַּורְתָּא כִּדְשַׁנִּינַן מֵעִיקָּרָא
What is Hol HaMoed?
Samuel Vingron
What is Ḥol HaMoed? Is it a holy day or is it profane (ḥol)? Outside of Israel we celebrate eight days of Passover, with the first two days and last two days of it being Yom Tov. But how are we to relate to the intermediate four days? Is there something between absolutely profane and totally holy, are there shades of holiness so to speak? The rabbis were dealing with the same questions. On the one hand, their responses give us insights into their profound perceptions of holiness and time. On the other hand, we learn about the deep concern of the rabbis for the wellbeing of the individual, the neighbor, animals and the land. From the texts Talmud Bavli Pesakhim 55b,11-14, Moed Katan 12a, 12-16 and Moed Katan 6b,5-8 we get a glimpse into all of this. Each of these texts discusses cases in which persons fear financial loss through the stringencies of Ḥol HaMoed.
In Pesakhim 55b,11-14 the rabbis argue whether a person is allowed to take an item home from a craftsman or to bring something to the craftsman. The text quotes a Baraita that makes two main claims: First, if a craftsman does not have anything to eat, then the customer shall pay the craftsman on Ḥol HaMoed and leave the item with the craftsman. On Yom Tov Passover we are not allowed to pay any money. But here, on Ḥol HaMoed, the Talmud seems to tell us: If another person is in need, then by all means, provide for the person! In other words: Pay the craftsman! There is also a fierce argument here whether one is allowed to bring valuable items to the craftsman or home if one is afraid that they might otherwise be stolen. While the rabbis express clear concern for the wellbeing of one's fellow, here Ḥol HaMoed should not be a time for worrying about one's possessions. Thus, Ḥol HaMoed is inits own way an intermediate day of holiness between absolute profanity and the holiness of a Yom Tov.
Moed Katan 12a, 12-16 teaches us some lessons on the value of oil, wine and beer. A number of rabbis engage in the question if, when and how people are allowed to protect themselves from losing greater amounts of the oil, wine or beer they produce. If too much oil, wine or beer drips, it can cost the producer a lot of money. The bottom line in the discussion is that a person should be allowed to finish saving valuable liquids even on Ḥol HaMoed in order to avoid substantial financial loss. The Gemarrah states that Rabbi Yosei said that a person producing wine or beer is
allowed to save it because both, losing too much wine or beer, would cause a considerable financial loss.
In Moed Katan 6b,5-8 we learn several rules about watering trees, fields and gardens on Ḥol HaMoed. The text begins by quoting Rabbi Eliezer Ben Ya`akov who said that a person is allowed to water trees on Ḥol HaMoed, but not the whole field. The single trees should not die because of Ḥol HaMoed. The Gemarrah expands on this ruling of Rabbi Eliezer Ben Ya`akov. According to the Gemarrah, a group of anonymous rabbis permitted also watering whole fields even if the plants would not die. Again, the concern about substantial financial loss plays an important part here. The rabbis understood that watering the field in advance turns a late crop into an early crop. I think that the text comes to teach us also a second lesson. This is, we should also take into consideration the wellbeing of the plants and trees.
The rabbis sought ways to bridge the holiness of time with the dignity of human beings and also of plants and trees. They issued strict prohibitions to keep people from misusing Ḥol HaMoed for completely profane matters such as being solely concerned with financial benefits. On the other hand, the rabbis were aware that in order for people to exist in the real world, they need time to provide for themselves and for others.
