TalmuDigest

For the week ending 8 December 2012 / 23 Kislev 5773

Shabbat 65 - 71

by Rabbi Mendel Weinbach zt'l
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  • Why lighting a fire was explicitly forbidden in the Torah
  • When two halves combine and two wholes combine in regard to sacrifice

Above Suspicion

If someone was caught in a downpour on Shabbat or otherwise got his clothes wet, may he hang them up to dry?

One opinion of the Sages is that he may do so as long as the wet garments are not visible to the public. The reason is that people who see these wet clothes hanging may suspect him of having violated the Sabbath by washing his clothes. Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon, however, rule that it is forbidden to do so regardless of where he hangs them. Their position is that once the Sages have issued a decree forbidding something because of marit ayin suspicion of sin the decree is binding even when circumstances render such suspicion highly unlikely but not impossible.

The Sage Rav ruled in accordance with the second position. His ruling was challenged by some commentaries from a gemara in Mesechta Chullin (41a). There we learn that it is forbidden to slaughter an animal or fowl in a manner which causes its blood to fall into a hole because this is the way of the heretics. This ban applies only to the public area and not to a private courtyard.

Although this seems to go against Ravs position that something prohibited in a public area because of marit ayin applies to a private area as well, Tosefot points out that there is a difference. Even if someone would see a slaughter taking place in the private courtyard he would not suspect wrongdoing but would assume that it was being done in that manner in order to keep the area from becoming stained with blood. The position of Rav forms the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 301:45).

  • Shabbat 65a

What the Sages Say

"All Jews are princes."

  • Rabbi Shimon - Shabbat 67a

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