Beitzah 2:1

By :  Daniel Nevins JTS Alum (Rabbinical School), Former Pearl Resnick Dean of The Rabbinical School and the Division of Religious Leadership, Adjunct Assistant Professor Posted On Jan 1, 2008 | Mishnat Hashavua

讬讜诐 讟讜讘 砖讞诇 诇讛讬讜转 注专讘 砖讘转, 诇讗 讬讘砖诇 讗讚诐 讘转讞诇讛 诪讬讜诐 讟讜讘 诇砖讘转, 讗讘诇 诪讘砖诇 讛讜讗 诇讬讜诐 讟讜讘, 讜讗诐 讛讜转讬专 – 讛讜转讬专 诇砖讘转, 讜注讜砖讛 转讘砖讬诇 诪注专讘 讬讜诐 讟讜讘 讜住讜诪讱 注诇讬讜 诇砖讘转. 讘讬转 砖诪讗讬 讗讜诪专讬诐: 砖谞讬 转讘砖讬诇讬谉, 讜讘讬转 讛诇诇 讗讜诪专讬诐: 转讘砖讬诇 讗讞讚. 讜砖讜讬谉 讘讚讙 讜讘讬爪讛 砖注诇讬讜 砖讛谉 砖谞讬 转讘砖讬诇讬谉. 讗讻诇讜 讗讜 砖讗讘讚, 诇讗 讬讘砖诇 注诇讬讜 讘转讞诇讛. 讜讗诐 砖讬专 诪诪谞讜 讻诇 砖讛讜讗, 住讜诪讱 注诇讬讜 诇砖讘转.

When a yom tov (festival) falls right before Shabbat, a person may not intentionally cook on yom tov for Shabbat. However, he may cook for yom tov, and if there are leftovers, eat them on Shabbat. And he may cook a dish before yom tov and rely on it for Shabbat [see comments]. The Shammai Institute teaches that this requires two cooked dishes, but the Hillel Institute says one cooked dish [suffices]. And they agree that a cooked fish or an egg is like two cooked dishes. If he ate it or lost it, he should not rely on it to cook more food. But if even a bit of the food was left, he can use it to prepare more food for Shabbat.

Comments

Rabbinic law allows cooking food on yom tov [Pesah, Shavu’ot, Rosh Hashanah, and Sukkot], but only for yom tov. What, then, will one eat on the day immediately following Shabbat? This Mishnah describes a rabbinic loophole called the 鈥�eruv tavshilin鈥� (which is nearly impossible to translate). An eruvis a legal device that 鈥渕ixes鈥� different domains so that activities permitted in one domain can be extended to another domain. In this case, the eruv is a dish of cooked food. By cooking some food for Shabbat before yom tov [for example, on Thursday, when Friday is yom tov] and saving that food until Shabbat, any subsequent cooking during yom tov for Shabbat is viewed as just an enhancement of the already prepared meal. It is a stretch, but it remains Jewish practice even today!

Questions

  1. Jewish festivals are meant to be extra joyous, which is why cooking is permitted. Why didn鈥檛 that permission extend to Shabbat?
  2. How do you understand the mechanism of eruv tavshilin? Since it technically turns all Shabbat food into leftovers, does that diminish the honor of Shabbat?
  3. Does this loophole enhance our awareness of sacred time or trivialize it?
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