Daf Ditty Pesachim 68 Ἀπόδοτε Οὖν Τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι Καὶ Τὰ Τοῦ Θεοῦ Τῷ Θεῷ
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Daf Ditty Pesachim 68 Ἀπόδοτε οὖν τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Θεῷ 1 We learned in the mishna that when the eve of Passover occurs on Shabbat, burning the fats of the Paschal lamb overrides Shabbat. The Gemara notes that it was taught in the Tosefta: Rabbi Shimon said: Come and see how dear is a mitzva performed in its proper time. For burning the fats and limbs and inner fats is valid all night and it would have been possible to wait until the conclusion of Shabbat and burn them at night, but nonetheless we do not wait with them until nightfall; rather, we burn them immediately, even on Shabbat. 2 The mishna also taught that carrying the Paschal lamb through a public domain, bringing it from outside the Shabbat limit and cutting off its wart do not override Shabbat. The Gemara raises a contradiction from another mishna in tractate Eiruvin, which teaches: One may cut off a wart by hand on Shabbat in the Temple but not in the rest of the country outside the Temple. And if the wart is to be removed with an instrument, it is forbidden both here, in the Temple, and there, outside the Temple. From here we see that in the Temple cutting off a wart, at least by hand, is permitted. Two amora’im, Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina, disagreed about how to resolve this contradiction. One of them said: Both this mishna in Pesaḥim and that mishna in Eiruvin speak of cutting off the wart by hand. This mishna that forbids cutting it off refers to a moist wart, which is considered like the flesh of the animal. It is therefore prohibited by rabbinic decree to cut off the wart; and since it could have been removed before Shabbat, the decree applies even in the Temple, where rabbinic decrees are generally not applicable. That mishna that permits cutting it off refers to a dry wart, which breaks apart by itself, and so there is no prohibition even by rabbinic decree to cut it off. And the other one said: Both this mishna and that mishna speak of cutting off a moist wart, and it is not difficult. This mishna that says it is permitted talks about removing the wart by hand, which is prohibited only by a rabbinic decree that was not applied to the Temple; whereas that mishna that says it is prohibited talks about removing the wart with an instrument, which is prohibited by Torah law and forbidden everywhere. 3 The Gemara asks: And according to the one who says that this mishna speaks about cutting off the wart by hand and that mishna speaks about cutting it off with an instrument, what is the reason that he did not state like the other amora that this and that talk about cutting off the wart by hand, and it is not difficult; this mishna speaks of a moist wart, while that mishna speaks of a dry wart? The Gemara answers that he could have said to you: A dry wart breaks apart by itself, and so there would be no need to teach us that it may be removed. Both mishnayot must therefore refer to a moist wart, and the difference between them is whether the wart is being removed by hand or with an instrument. 4 We learned in the mishna that Rabbi Eliezer said that if slaughter, which is ordinarily forbidden on Shabbat as a biblically prohibited labor, nevertheless overrides Shabbat when performed for the sake of the Paschal lamb, then activities that are prohibited by rabbinic decree should certainly override Shabbat when performed for that purpose. Rabbi Yehoshua disagreed, arguing that the law governing a Festival proves otherwise. Rabbi Eliezer countered that the law governing an optional activity, such as preparing food on a Festival, cannot be brought as proof with regard to the mitzva of offering the Paschal lamb. The Gemara notes that Rabbi Yehoshua follows his regular line of reasoning, for he said that rejoicing on a Festival is also a mitzva, and therefore whatever one does in order to enhance one’s enjoyment of the Festival is considered an act performed for the sake of a mitzva, just like the offering of a sacrifice. 5 For it was taught in a baraita that these two tanna’im disagreed about this matter: Rabbi Eliezer says: A person has nothing but to choose on a Festival; he either eats and drinks or sits and learns the entire day, but there is no specific mitzva to eat on the Festival. Rabbi Yehoshua, on the other hand, says: Divide the day, half of it for eating and drinking and half of it for the study hall, for he holds that eating and drinking are obligatory on the Festival. And Rabbi Yoḥanan said: And both of them derived their opinions from one verse, i.e., the two of them addressed the same textual difficulty, resolving it in different ways. For one verse says: “It shall be an assembly for the Lord your God; you shall do no labor” (Deuteronomy 16:8), which indicates that the day is set aside for Divine service, and another verse says: On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye 35 הל ,םוֹיַּבּ יִניִמְשַּׁה -- ,תֶרֶצֲﬠ יְהִתּ הֶ :םֶכָל לָכּ - ;shall do no manner of servile work ְמ תֶכאֶל ,הָדֹבֲﬠ אֹל .וּשֲׂﬠַת אֹל ,הָדֹבֲﬠ תֶכאֶל Num 29:35 “It shall be an assembly for you; you shall do no servile labor”, which indicates a celebratory assembly for the Jewish people. Rabbi Eliezer holds that the two verses should be understood as offering a choice: The day is to be either entirely for God or entirely for you. And Rabbi Yehoshua holds that it is possible to fulfill both verses: Split the day into two, half of it for God and half of it for you. 6 Ayin, beit, mem is a mnemonic consisting of the first letter of Atzeret, the middle letter of Shabbat and the final letter of Purim. Rabbi Elazar said: All agree with regard to Atzeret, the holiday of Shavuot, that we require that it be also “for you,” meaning that it is a mitzva to eat, drink, and rejoice on that day. What is the reason? It is the day on which the Torah was given, and one must celebrate the fact that the Torah was given to the Jewish people. Rabba said: All agree with regard to Shabbat that we require that it be also “for you.” What is the reason? Because the verse states: If thou turn away thy foot because of the sabbath, from 13 גי ִאם- ָתּ ִשׁיב ִמ ַשּׁ ָבּת ַר ְֶגל5, ֲעשׂוֹת pursuing thy business on My holy day; and call the sabbath ֲָחפ ֶצ5 ְבּיוֹם ָק ְִדשׁי; ָוְק ָר ָאת ַל ַשּׁ ָבּת a delight, and the holy of the LORD honorable; and shalt עֹנֶג, ִל ְקדוֹשׁ יְהוָה ְֻמכ ָבּד, ִוְכ ַבּ ְדתּוֹ honour it, not doing thy wonted ways, nor pursuing thy ֵמ ֲעשׂוֹת ְָדּר ֶכי5, ִמ ְמּצוֹא ֶח ְפְצ5 ;business, nor speaking thereof ַוְד ֵבּר ָדּ ָבר. Isa 58:13 “If you proclaim Shabbat a delight, the sacred day of God honored”. Rav Yosef said: All agree with regard to Purim that we require that it be also “for you.” What is the reason? Because it is written: ,the days wherein the Jews had rest from their enemies 22 בכ י,םֲֶָמריּשַׁכּא ִ - םהב ַה ֶָ חוּ ָנ ְיּהוִּדים and the month, which was turned unto them from sorrow ו,ֵםיהְבֹיֵמא ְַחהֶ ֹ ראהלשׁנמ פּיּםה i ןשֶׁ ִגוֹ ְֲֶֶַָָ ֶדִֶֶַָוֹןiֶפּם אלנ to gladness, and from mourning into a good day; that they המוֹ,אםְלחתמשׂ ;,בתל א וִּ ָםבְָוֹוֹשׂﬠט וֹליְֵַל ֲֵ ֶ ֲוֹיַלָבְוֹﬠ ִא;בלהוֹאְחמ should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of ח ִוְּמשׁmַ ְִוְשָׂמחה, ָנמוֹת ִיאשׁ ְִמֶשׁתּה ְיֵימ ְִמֶשׁתּה ְִוְשָׂמחה, ִוְּמשׁmַ ח ָנמוֹת ִיאשׁ .sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor תּ,וּמהﬠְלר תֵֵלוּ ָָבוַֹנא ִי.םֹנְיֶ ָוֹנ ֵל ,מﬠל Esther 9:22 “To observe them as days of feasting and gladness” 7 The Gemara relates: Mar, son of Ravina, would spend the entire year fasting during the day and eating only sparsely at night, except for Shavuot, Purim, and the eve of Yom Kippur. He made these exceptions for the following reasons: Shavuot because it is the day on which the Torah was given and there is a mitzva to demonstrate one’s joy on that day; Purim because “days of feasting and gladness” is written about it; the eve of Yom Kippur, as Ḥiyya bar Rav of Difti taught: It shall be unto you a sabbath of solemn rest, and 32 בל ַבַּשׁתבַּשׁ ָת ןוֹ אוּה כָ ל ,םֶ ְﬠ ו נִּ ִ ֶםתי ֶתא - ye shall afflict your souls; in the ninth day of the ַנ ב,שׁרﬠבּ הﬠדשׁחל ;תשַׁתבֶָּ ְֵֶפְְִֹיֶֶָםכֹ -- בֶרֵמﬠ ֶ בֶרֵמﬠ month at even, from even unto even, shall ye keep ַﬠד - שׁתּ,בֶﬠר ֶ וְּתשִׁבּ ֶ.ְםכַתְַּבּ }פ{ your sabbath Lev 23:32 “And you shall afflict your souls on the ninth day of the month in the evening, from evening to evening you shall keep your Sabbath” But does one fast on the ninth of Tishrei? Doesn’t one fast on the tenth of Tishrei? Rather, this comes to tell you: One who eats and drinks on the ninth, the verse ascribes him credit as if he fasted on both the ninth and the tenth of Tishrei. 8 EATING AND DRINKING ON SHAVUOS Rav Mordechai Kornfeld writes in name of Rav Kalman Weinreb The Gemara says that even Rebbi Eliezer -- who maintains that one's activities on Yom Tov may be dedicated exclusively to Hashem with no personal physical pleasure -- agrees that there are three days on which one must experience physical pleasure as well: Shavuos, Shabbos, and Purim.