Introduction This mishnah contains four more disputes between Beth Shammai and Beth Hillel. The first one continues to deal with marital law. The second one deals with laws of giving birth. The final two deal with other areas of law.
One who takes a vow not to have intercourse with his wife: Beth Shammai says: [after] two weeks [he must divorce her and pay her kethubah], And Beth Hillel say: after one week. According to the Rabbis, a husband is obligated to have sexual relations with his wife at regular intervals (see Ketuboth 5:6). If he takes a vow not to have relations with his wife, Beth Shammai says that after two weeks she can sue him for divorce and she will be able to collect her kethubah (marriage payment). Beth Hillel is stricter on the husband and gives him only one week.
A woman has a miscarriage on the eve of the eighty first [day]: Beth Shammai exempt her from bringing the offering, And Beth Hillel do not exempt her. According to Leviticus 12:5-6, a woman must bring a sacrifice 80 days after having given birth to a daughter. In other words, she brings a sacrifice on the 81st day. If she should become pregnant again during these 80 days, and have a miscarriage, the she need not bring another sacrifice for her miscarriage. [Generally she would have to bring a sacrifice for a miscarriage, just as she does for a live birth]. Beth Shammai and Beth Hillel disagree with regards to a woman who has a miscarriage on the night preceding the 81st day, the day she should have brought a sacrifice for the first birth. Beth Shammai rules that since she could not have brought a sacrifice at night, she is still within the 80 days, and she is exempt from bringing an additional sacrifice for the miscarriage. Beth Hillel rules that since the 80 days have been completed, she must bring a sacrifice for the miscarriage as well as one for the previous birth.
[With regards to the rules of] tzitzit ( on linen sheet: Beth Shammai exempts, And Beth Hillel does not exempt. This mishnah deals with the obligation to put fringes (tzitzit) on a linen sheet. There are two reasons why Beth Shammai exempts one from doing so: 1) a sheet is not a piece of clothing. Deuteronomy 22:12 specifically states that the fringes must be put on clothing. 2) The sheet is made of linen and tzitzit are made of wool. According to Deuteronomy 22:11 it is forbidden to mix wool and linen. Beth Hillel rules that one should put the fringes on the sheet for two reasons: 1) The sheet may be worn as a piece of clothing; 2) The commandment to put fringes on clothing supersedes the prohibition of mixing linen and wool.
A basket of [fruit set aside for] the Sabbath: Beth Shammai exempts it [from tithes]. And Beth Hillel does not exempt it. This mishnah deals with who has put aside a basket of fruit for Shabbat but wishes to snack from the basket before Shabbat. This snacking is not considered a fixed meal, and in general one may “snack” from produce before it has been tithed. However, this is not true on the Sabbath. On the Sabbath it is forbidden to eat any produce that has not been tithed. According to Beth Shammai one may eat the fruit of this basket before the Sabbath. Although on the Sabbath itself it will be forbidden to do so since it has not been tithed (and cannot be tithed on the Sabbath), before the Sabbath it is still permitted. Beth Hillel forbids. According to them, setting aside something for the Sabbath makes it forbidden to eat from it until it has been tithed.
Questions for Further Thought:
• How did these four disputes come to be strung together? Can you find some link between each section and the preceding one?
• Section one: If a man is obligated to have regular sexual relations with his wife, why doesn’t he have to divorce her immediately if he takes such a vow not to perform his duty?