Introduction This entire chapter contains cases where Beth Shammai was lenient and Beth Hillel was strict. Generally speaking the opposite is true, hence these are exceptional cases. Most of the examples in these mishnayoth are from the laws concerning festivals. There is a halakhic concept in Judaism called “muktzeh”. There are many forms of “muktzeh”; I will explain the one form germane to these two mishnayoth. [For more information you can look at the Steinsaltz reference guide]. Anything consumed on Shabbat or a festival has to have been available before the day begins. This “availability” must be both physical and mental. In other words the thing must have been physically available before the day began and the person must have known the day before that he might use the object during the Sabbath or festival. Anything that is not available before the day began is considered “muktzeh”. We will see some examples as we proceed.
The following cases are [examples] of the lenient rulings of Beth Shammai and of the rigorous rulings of Beth Hillel.
An egg which is laid on a festival Beth Shammai says: it may be eaten, and Beth Hillel says: it may not be eaten. An egg which is laid on a festival is considered by Beth Hillel to be “muktzeh” something which was not available to be consumed on the eve of the festival and therefore is forbidden on the festival itself. Beth Shammai holds that since the chicken was available on the eve of the festival, the egg is as well, for if the person had slaughtered the chicken he could have eaten the egg inside.
Beth Shammai says: yeast as much as an olive [in quantity], and leavened food as much as a date, and Beth Hillel says: as much as an olive [in quantity] in both cases. On Passover it is forbidden to eat either leavened products or the leaven itself, which is yeast. According to Beth Shammai if one eats as a much as olive’s worth of yeast or a date’s worth of leavened food, he is liable for having transgressed the laws of Passover. Beth Hillel holds that in both cases one who eats an olive’s worth is liable. Note that smaller amounts are not permitted either. A smaller amount is still forbidden but one who consumes a smaller amount has not transgressed the Biblical prohibition of eating yeast or leavened food on Passover.