Egyptian-Hebrew stream·Mishnah·Shabbat — Chapter XX
Filtering and pouring on the Sabbath
Permitted and forbidden ways of straining wine and other liquids on the Sabbath; the distinction between separating mixed kinds (borer) and ordinary serving. Brief chapter of practical kitchen-rulings.
Source context
- Theme
- oral legal transmission and codified Tannaitic ruling at position 23 of the Mishnaic tractate sequence
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Tannaitic oral Torah doctrineThe Mishnah's structure of oral repetition (shanah) as legal codification reflects the Tannaitic principle that Torah has two simultaneous registers — written and oral — each requiring distinct modes of transmission and authority.
- Islamic hadith science (cross-tradition congruence)The Mishnaic chain of attributed rulings (tanna — tanna) shows structural congruence with the isnad principle in hadith transmission, where the authority of a legal ruling depends on the integrity of its named oral chain.
Chapter XX
CHAPTER XX.
§ L R. Eleazar saith, "A man may spread a wine-strainer [over a vessel] on the festival, and [when it is so spread] pour [wine] into it on the Sabbath; but the sages hold that they must not spread a wine-strainer [over a vessel] on the festival, nor pour into it on the Sabbath; but they may pour [wine] into a strainer on the festival.
§ 2. They may pour water on lees, in order to render them thinner; and also strain wine through a cloth or an Egyptian hamper; and pass an egg [that has been cracked] through a mustard-strainer. They may also make [mix] honey-wine on the Sabbath. R. Jehudah saith, "On the Sabbath [they may mix it] in a goblet; on the festival, in a basin; and on the middle-days, in a cask;" but R. Zadock saith, "At all times [a sufficient quantity may be mixed], according to [the number] of guests [to be provided for]."
§ 3. They must not soak laserpitium 1 in tepid water, but it may be put into vinegar; vetch must not be soaked or crushed, though it may be put into a sieve or a basket; straw for fodder must not be
passed through a winnow, nor must it be put on a high [exposed] place, that the chaff may fall [blow] off; but they may put it into a winnow, and then pour it into the crib.
§ 4. They may cleanse [the crib] for a stalled ox, and also push aside the superfluous provender, that it may not get soiled. Such is the dictum of R. Dosa; but the sages prohibit it. They may move the fodder from before one beast to put it before another on the Sabbath.
§ 5. Straw on the bed must not be shaken with the hand, though it may be moved with the whole body; but if it is intended as fodder for beasts, or if a pillow be on it, or a cloth, it may be shaken with the hand. A clothes press, if it belong to [private] householders, it is permitted [to open it, though it must not be used to press with,] but not if it belong to a laundress: [indeed] if it belong to a laundress it must not be touched at all; R. Jehudah saith, "If it [the clothes press] was partly opened on the Sabbath-eve, it may be altogether opened and pulled out;" [according to another version, "and the garments pulled out"].
Footnotes
64:1 Laserpitium [laserwort.]