Talmud for Exodus 20:9

HALAKHAH: “Until when may one plough, etc.” It is written¹Shortened versions of this discussion are in the Babli, Roš Haššanah9b, Makkot 8b. In both places, the argument is attributed to the school of R. Aqiba. In Mekhilta deR.Simeon bar Ioḥai to 34:22, it is attributed to R. Jehudah. Practice noted in the next paragraph follows the school of R. Ismael as explained in Mishnah 5. (Ex. 23:12): “Six days you shall do your work but on the Seventh Day you shall rest.” And it is written (Ex. 34:21): “You shall rest from ploughing and harvesting.²The argument is somewhat elliptic. Ex. 23:12 reads: “Six days you shall do your work but on the Seventh Day you shall cease, so that your donkey and your ox may rest and the son of your bondsmaid and the stranger may recuperate.” Ex. 34:21: “Six days you shall work; on the Seventh day you shall rest, from ploughing and harvesting you shall rest.” It would seem more natural to quote the second verse in toto; this is the approach of the commentaries which emend the first quote away but such an approach is impossible since our text clearly quotes two different verses. The explanation is in the Mekhiltot(deR.Ismael,Massekhta dekhas pa, p. 331; deR.Simeon bar Ioḥai,Mishpaṭim, p. 217): It says in the Ten Commandments, that “six days you shall labor and do all your work.” Hence, one could think that the Sabbath has to be kept only if all work is permitted on weekdays. This would exclude the Sabbath days of the Sabbatical year since most agricultural work is forbidden in the Sabbatical. Hence, the verse Ex. 23:12 is necessary to include the Sabbath days of the Sabbatical years; this only makes sure that Ex. 34:21 is redundant as far as both Sabbath day and Sabbatical year are concerned.” Where do we hold? If one speaks about the Sabbath of Creation³The Sabbath day., was it not already said (Ex. 20:9): “Six days you shall labor and do all your work?” If one speaks about Sabbatical years, was it not already said (Lev. 25:3): “Six years you shall sow your field and six years you shall prune your vineyard?” If it cannot refer to the Sabbath of Creation nor to Sabbatical years, let it refer to the prohibition of the first two terms⁴The “two terms” are the two periods during which agricultural work has to cease before the onset of the Sabbatical year, one for orchards and one for fields.. “You shall rest from ploughing and harvesting,” from ploughing when harvesting is forbidden; what is this? This is ploughing in the year preceding the Sabbatical in preparation of the Sabbatical. And from harvesting when ploughing is forbidden, what is this? That is the harvest of Sabbatical growth after the Sabbatical.

Rebbi Aḥa in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: When they forbade it, they were inspired by Scripture¹⁰It is not claimed that the rules of the Sabbatical year in the Second Commonwealth are biblical, only that they are inspired by the interpretation of biblical verses., and when they permitted it, they were inspired by Scripture. When they forbade it, they were inspired by Scripture, (Lev. 25:3): “You shall rest from ploughing and harvesting,” from ploughing when harvesting is forbidden; what is this? This is ploughing in the year preceding the Sabbatical in preparation of the Sabbatical. And from harvesting when ploughing is forbidden, what is this? That is the harvest of Sabbatical growth after the Sabbatical. When they permitted it, they were inspired by Scripture, (Ex. 20:9): “Six days you shall labor and do all your work,” just as on the eve of the Sabbath of Creation³The Sabbath day. one may do work until sundown, also before the start of the Sabbatical year one may work until sundown¹¹Sundown of the eve of New Year’s Day.
The Babli (Mo‘ed qaṭan 3b–4a) has another interpretation, based on R. Ismael’s opinion in Mishnah 1:5. It cannot accept the interpretation here since in the theory of the Babli one is obliged by biblical decree to start Sabbath and holidays some time before sundown (Yoma 82b, Roš Haššanah 9a)..

HALAKHAH: Mishnah: “The House of Shammai say, one does not soak ink¹²Blocks of soot or sepia used to make India ink. This and the following rules are based on a fundamental disagreement between the House of Shammai, who hold that a person may not use his vessels for any procedure which he could not do on the Sabbath, and the House of Hillel who allow a person’s machines to work for him as long as he does not risk temptation to interfere with their working on the Sabbath., chemicals, or vetch,”³⁴⁸Quote from Mishnah 9. etc. What is the reason of the House of Shammai? Six days you shall work and do all your deeds³⁴⁹Ex. 20:9. The argument is quoted in Tosephta 1:21, Mekhilta dR. Simeon ben Yoḥai p. 149.. All your deeds, finish them by daylight. What is the reason of the House of Hillel? Six days you shall work on your works and on [the seventh] day³⁵⁰Ex. 23:12.. How do the House of Hillel explain the reason of the House of Shammai, six days you shall work and do all your deeds? When they work with their hands³⁵¹While work on the Sabbath is forbidden, letting machines work for you on the Sabbath is permitted.. How do the House of Shammai explain the reason of the House of Hillel, six days you shall work on your works and on [the seventh] day? Following what was stated³⁵²Tosephta 1:23, Babli 18a; Mekhilta dR. Simeon ben Yoḥai p. 149. The Tosephta stated rules common to the Houses of Hillel and Shammai even if the reasons for permission or prohibition may be different for the Houses. It is clear from the Tosephta that the House of Shammai forbid soaking ink in water during the Sabbath only because nothing of it is usable when the Sabbath begins, while watering a garden or smoking out lice from a garment is useful even if done only for a short time. The Babli disagrees, 18a (Explanation of S. Liebermann.), “One opens a water canal leading into a garden on Friday evening and it is continuously watered on the Sabbath. One puts ointment³⁵³Greek κολλύριον, τό. on an eye on Friday evening and it is continuously healing on the Sabbath. One puts a compress on a wound on Friday evening and it is continuously healing on the Sabbath. One puts burning incense under clothing on Friday evening and it is continuously smoked on the Sabbath. One puts sulfur under clothing on Friday evening and it is continuously sulfured on the Sabbath. One may not give wheat into a water mill on Friday evening unless it will be completely ground as long as it is daylight.” Rebbi Ḥaggai said, because it is making noise³⁵⁴In the Babli 18a this is an argument of the Babylonian Rabba. Since some grain will have been turned into flour, without this argument also the House of Shammai would permit milling flour in a watermill on the Sabbath.. Rebbi Yose said to him, this is fine if one holds with Rebbi Jehudah. But for the rabbis, just as they say because not every single drop was started, so they say here because not every grain kernel was started³⁵⁵This refers to Mishnah 2:4 where R. Jehudah permits feeding a burning light on the Sabbath with oil dripping from a vessel above the fire while the majority forbid it.. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, because he is apt to forget and will push the peg³⁵⁶According to him by biblical law milling on the Sabbath in an automatic mill is permitted according to both Houses; the prohibition is purely rabbinic; both Houses agree that it should be forbidden because the miller will hear when the milling is done and move a peg on his mill, which is a Sabbath desecration..