📖 SATURDAY PRAYER: HOCHMA-YESHIVAT HAVERIM יְשִׁיבָה חברים – BABYLONIAN TALMUD p178

READING: BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAWN OF SATURDAY

“If he carried a person in a litter,” etc. Shall we assume that the Mishna is in accordance with R.
Nathan and not with the rabbis of the following Boraitha? “If one carried out an animal or a bird
(into the street), whether alive or slaughtered, he is liable.” R. Nathan, however, says: “For
(carrying out) a slaughtered (animal or bird) he is culpable, but not for one that is alive, because
a live creature carries itself.” Said Rabha: “It may be said the Mishna is in accordance with the
rabbis of the Boraitha cited, as they differ with R. Nathan only concerning animals or birds,
which usually struggle to get loose and thus become a burden; but concerning a person, who is
carried and agrees to being carried, and virtually carries himself, the rabbis yield to R. Nathan.”
Said R. Ada b. Ahba to Rabha: How will, in your opinion, the statement in our Mishna be made
plain: “Ben Bathyra permits the selling of a horse to a Gentile, and a Boraitha, in addition to
this, states that the reason that Ben Bathyra permits this is because the Gentile will not perform
any work with the horse on a Sabbath that would involve the liability of a sin-offering (for a
horse is used for riding only, and when a person rides a horse the person virtually carries
himself, and hence is no burden to the horse), and R. Johanan says that Ben Bathyra and R.
Nathan said (practically) the same thing.” Now, if in your opinion the rabbis differ with R.
Nathan only in the matter of animals and birds, because when carried they struggle for freedom,
but agree with him in the matter of a person, why does R. Johanan say that only Ben Bathyra
and R. Nathan say the same thing? Did not the
rabbis also admit this? (The answer was:) R. Johanan said that Ben Bathyra in permitting a horse
to be sold to a Gentile referred to one which was used only for carrying falcons. Are there then
such horses? Yea; they are to be found at the Zaidons’. 1