📖 SATURDAY PRAYER: GEVURAH-YESHIVAT HAVERIM יְשִׁיבָה חברים – BABYLONIAN TALMUD p146

READING: BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAWN OF SATURDAY

“Water sufficient for a medical bath for the eyes.” Said Abayi: Let us see! Of an article which is
very often used for one purpose and seldom for another, the rabbis always leniently permitted
the maximum quantity to be used, as the prescribed quantity, of the article much in use. Again,
when an article is used alike for several purposes, the rabbis restrict the prescribed quantity to its
minimum: (to be more explicit) wine is frequently used as a beverage and only at times as a
medicament; hence the rabbis regard it solely as a beverage (and determine the maximum
quantity); the same is the case with milk; honey, however, which is used to a greater extent as a
medicine than for nutritive purposes, is regarded as a medicine and therefore restricted to the
prescribed quantity for medicines (which is a smaller quantity than a beverage). What is the
reason, then, that the rabbis restrict water, which is certainly more of a beverage than a
medicament, to the minimum quantity? Rabha answered: They
hold with the opinion of Samuel, who declared that all liquids used as medicine for the eyes
inflame and blind, except water, which soothes and does not blind (and in this case the Mishna
has reference to one who carried about water on the Sabbath as a medicament for the eyes).
“For all other liquids, the prescribed quantity is a quarter of a lug.” The rabbis taught: For
blood and all other liquids the prescribed quantity is a quarter of a lug. R. Simeon b. Elazar said
the prescribed quantity for blood is as much as is used to apply to one eye; because that quantity
is used when the eye is afflicted with a cataract.
All these prescribed quantities apply only to those who carry (the victuals or beverages) about.
To those, however, who store them (the victuals or beverages) the carrying of even the least
imaginable quantity is prohibited (because from his storing them we see that he considers them
valuable); but R. Simeon says all these prescribed quantities apply to such as stored (victuals
and beverages and hence considered them valuable); but as for persons who only carried them
out, for all beverages (whether used also for medical purposes or not) if carried out in any
quantities less than a quarter of a lug there is no culpability.
The former teacher said that “those prescribed quantities only refer to those who carry out,” but
to “those who store them the carrying of even the least imaginable quantity is prohibited.” Is the
one who stores not also a carrier (he is culpable for carrying and not for storing)?
Answered Abayi: The Boraitha treats of a case where a master ordered his retainer to clear off
the table. If the retainer removed something of value to everybody from the table, it constituted
a quantity which must not be carried about on the Sabbath. If the thing was of value only to the
master and the retainer carried it out, he (the retainer) is culpable, in spite of the fact that the
thing was of value to his master alone. (Hence he is called one who stores, and not a carrier) for
it signifies that the thing is worth storing.
Again, the former teacher said: “And the sages agree with R. Simeon that the prescribed
quantity of slops is a quarter of a lug.” Of what use are slops? Said R. Jehudah: “To prepare
mortar with.” But were we not taught that the prescribed quantity for mortar is only as much as
suffices to make the mouth of a bellows-pipe with? Aye, but for the purpose of preparing
mortar, a man would not trouble himself to carry out so small
a quantity as is sufficient to make a mouth of a bellows-pipe, hence a quarter of a lug would be
the least that would be carried out to make mortar with.