With regard to the hinge of a door, and the cylinder of the hinge, and the cross beam that holds the door, and a lock and a key that broke, one may fix them on the intermediate days of a Festival as these items are essential for the Festival and their repair cannot be delayed. This is permitted, provided that he does not intend ahead of time to do his labor on the Festival and delay it until that time. And with regard to all preserved food from which one can eat on the Festival, since they become ready to be eaten in a short amount of time, he may preserve them on the intermediate days of a Festival. GEMARA: The Gemara asks: What are the circumstances in which a railing is considered the work of a layman? Rav Yosef said: When it is made with palm branches and the branches of bay trees, which do not create a permanent structure. It was taught in a baraita that he fills in the space with stone but he does not plaster the stones with clay. It was taught in the mishna: One may plaster the cracks in an oven and roll over them with a roller, with a hand or a foot, but not with a presser. The Gemara asks: Now that you said that it is permitted to roll over the cracks with a roller, is it necessary to say that one may plaster the cracks with a hand or a foot? The Gemara answers that this is what the mishna is saying: One may plaster the cracks in an oven and roll over them as if with a roller, meaning with a hand or a foot, but not with a presser, which is a craftsman’s tool made especially for this. It was taught in the mishna: With regard to the hinge of a door, and the cylinder of the hinge, and the cross beam that holds the door, and a lock and a key that broke, one may fix them on the intermediate days of a Festival. The Gemara raises a contradiction to this from a different mishna (Ma’aser Sheni 5:15): Until the days of Yoḥanan the High Priest, workmen’s hammers would beat in Jerusalem on the intermediate days of a Festival. One can deduce from this mishna that until his days, yes, the workmen’s hammers would beat, but from then on, no, because Yoḥanan the High Priest banned such work. This seems to contradict the mishna here that permits fixing certain items on the intermediate days of the Festival. The Gemara answers: This is not difficult: There, when it is prohibited, it is referring to the work of smiths, which generates a great deal of noise; here, where it is permitted, it is referring to the work of carpenters, which is much quieter. Rav Ḥisda strongly objects to this: If so, people will say that a loud noise is prohibited, but a soft noise is permitted. Rather, Rav Ḥisda said that the apparent contradiction is not difficult for a different reason: This mishna that permits labor is referring to sickles, as sickles emit no noise at all; whereas that mishna that prohibits labor is referring to chisels. Rav Pappa said: Here in the mishna it is referring to the period before the decree of Yoḥanan the High Priest; whereas there in the other mishna it is referring to the period after the decree. Rav Ashi said: That mishna, which prohibits this labor, was taught in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda; while this mishna was taught in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yosei. As Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Avdimi said: Who is the tanna who taught that all labor performed on the intermediate days of a Festival must be done with a change, i.e., in an altered manner, even with regard to a matter that will be lost if timely action is not taken? It is not in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yosei, as Rabbi Yosei permits doing labor that will prevent financial loss even when it is done in the usual manner. Ravina said: In accordance with whose opinion do we now lift the lintel above the door in order to drive in the nails that had loosened on the intermediate days of a Festival in the usual manner? In accordance with whose opinion is this done? It is done in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yosei, who permits labor that will prevent financial loss even when it is done in the usual manner. § It was taught in the mishna: With regard to all preserved food from which he can eat on the Festival, he may preserve them on the intermediate days of a Festival. The Gemara relates that the Bedita River once overflowed, depositing large quantities of fish in small water deposits on the river bank on the intermediate days of a Festival. Everyone went and trapped and brought home fish, and Rava permitted them to salt some of the fish. Abaye said to him: Didn’t we learn in the mishna: With regard to all preserved food from which he can eat on the Festival, he may preserve them on the intermediate days of a Festival? In this case it was impossible to eat that much fish on the Festival, and therefore preserving them should have been prohibited. Rava said to him: Since they initially brought these fish with the intention of eating them on the Festival, and it only became clear afterward that they had brought too many, and if one would leave them without salting them they would be ruined, they are treated like merchandise that will be lost, and therefore preserving them is permitted. And some say that it did not happen in this manner, rather, Rava permitted them to trap the fish, to bring them home, and to salt them. Abaye said to him: Didn’t we learn in the mishna: With regard to all preserved food from which he can eat on the Festival, he may preserve them on the intermediate days of a Festival? These fish were heavily salted and consequently could not be eaten until they thoroughly dried out. Rava said to him: These fish that were just salted can also be eaten now, by pressing out the salt and brine, and therefore, they too are fit to be eaten on the Festival, as in that case of Shmuel, where they prepared recently salted fish for him by pressing it sixty times and he ate the fish. The Gemara relates that Rava happened to come to the house of the Exilarch and they prepared freshly salted fish for him by pressing it sixty times, and he ate it.
