משנה: בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים אֵין מוֹכְרִין לַנָּכְרִי וְאֵין טוֹעֲנִין עִמּוֹ וְאֵין מַגְבִּיהִין עָלָיו אֶלָּא כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּגִּיעַ לְמָקוֹם קָרוֹב. וּבֵית הִלֵּל מַתִּירִין: MISHNAH: They House of Shammai say, one does not sell to a Non-Jew, nor put a load on him unless he may reach a nearby destination15Where he can unload. While the Gentile is not obligated to keep the Sabbath, the House of Shammai prohibit the Jew from causing any work that would have been forbidden to himself. The House of Hillel disagree since the Gentile is an intelligent being responsible for his own actions., but the House of Hillel permit it.
הלכה: בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים. מוֹכְרִין לַנָּכְרִי כול׳. אֵי זֶהוּ מָקוֹם קָרוֹב. ייָבֹא כַּיי דָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל. כְּגוֹן מִן חוּטְרָה לְנָהָרדֵּעָא. אוֹף הָכָא כֵן. אִית דְּבָעֵי מֵימַר. עַד שֶׁהוּא מַגִּיעַ לְבֵיתוֹ. וְאִית דְּבָעֵי מֵימַר. עַד שֶׁהוּא מַגִּיעַ לְעִירוֹ. רִבִּי עֲקִיבָה אוֹמֵר. כְּדֵי שֶׁיֵּצֵא מִמְקוֹם הַפֶּתַח וִיקַדֵּשׁ עָלָיו הַיּוֹם. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. זוֹ דִּבְרֵי רִבִּי יוֹסֵי. וְרִבִּי עֲקִיבָה בָא לְהַכְרִיעַ עַל דִּבְרֵי בֵית הִלֵּל. אֵין נוֹתְנִין לְגוֹי עַל מְנָת לַצֵּאת. נָטַל וְיָצָא אֵין אַתְּ זָקוּק לוֹ. אֵין נוֹתְנִין לְכֶלֶב עַל מְנָת לַצֵּאת. נָטַל וְיָצָא אֵין אַתְּ זָקוּק לוֹ. HALAKHAH: Mishnah: “They House of Shammai say, one sells to a Non-Jew,”380Quote from Mishnah 11. etc. What means “a nearby destination”? It should be as Samuel said, for example as from Ḥuṭra to Nahardea; here it is the same381“Nearby” must have a definite legal sense if it is used in the Mishnah. It is not known where Samuel stated his criterion; Pene Moshe points to the “lost” Yerushalmi (?) of Chapter 23:4 where the Mishnah uses the same term.. Some want to say, until he reaches his home. But some want to say, until he reaches his town. Rebbi Aqiba says, that he leaves the place of the door when the day becomes holy around him382Tosephta 1:22.. Rebbi Joḥanan said, these are the words of Rebbi Yose: But Rebbi Aqiba comes to determine following the words of the House of Hillel383All this is reproduced in the Babli 18b. Following R. Aqiba, the Gentile must have left the space of 4 cubits around the exit at sundown, “when the day becomes holy.” In R. Joḥanan’s interpretation, R. Aqiba determines the exact meaning of the position of the House of Hillel in the Mishnah.. One does not give to a Gentile on condition that he leave. If he left, you do not have to interfere. One does not give to a dog on condition that he leave. If he left, you do not have to interfere384These sentences appear as a baraita in the Babli, 19a..
תַּנֵּי. אוּמָנִין גּוֹיִם שֶׁהָיוּ עוֹשִׂין עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל. בְּתוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ שֶׁלְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אָסוּר וּבְתוֹךְ בָּתֵּיהֶן מוּתָּר. אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָֽעְזָר. בַּמֶּה דְבָרִים אֲמוּרִין. בְּקִיבּוֹלֶת. אֲבָל בִּשְׂכִיר יוֹם אָסוּר. בַּמֶּה דְבָרִים אֲמוּרִין. בְּתָלוּשׁ מִן הַקַּרְקַע. אֲבָל בִּמְחוּבָּר לַקַּרְקַע אָסוּר. בְּעִיר אֲחֶרֶת בֵּין כָּךְ וּבֵין כָּךְ מוּתָּר. מָהוּ בֵּין כָּךְ וּבֵין כָּךְ. בֵּין בְּתָלוּשׁ בֵּין בִּמְחוּבָּר. בֵּין בְּשָׂכִיר בֵּין בְּקִיבּוֹלֶת. אָמַר רִבִּי אִילָּא. בֵּין בְּתָלוּשׁ בֵּין בִּמְחוּבָּר. וּבִלְבַד בְּקִיבּוֹלֶת. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן בַּרְקָנָא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי אָחָא. בְּשַׁבָּת וּבְאֵבֶל וּבַעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה הֲלָכָה כְּרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר. 385An almost identical paragraph is in Avodah zarah 1:1 (Notes 53–55), referring to Jewish craftsmen working for Gentile employers on their holidays. It was stated: Gentile workmen who were working for an Israel386On the Sabbath., in the Israel’s house it is forbidden, in their houses it is permitted. Rebbi Simeon ben Eleazar said, when has this been said? For contract work387The craftsman is paid for the completed work, irrespective of the time he needs to compete the job. He is an independent businessman working for himself, not for the Jew.. But for one hired by the day it is forbidden. When has this been said, when it was cut from the ground, but as long as it is standing on the ground it is forbidden. In another town, in any case it is permitted. What means “in any case”? Whether cut from the ground or standing on the ground; whether a hireling or contract work. Rebbi Illa said, whether separated from the ground or connected to the ground, but only for contract work. Rebbi Simeon ben Barqana388In Avodah zarah: ben Carsana. In the quote by Tosaphot 18a (s.v. אין, 17b): ben Cahana. in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: Concerning Sabbath, mourning, and idolatry, practice follows Rebbi Simeon ben Eleazar389The statement for the Sabbath is here, the one for Avodah zarah is quoted in Note 385. The quote about mourning is a parallel baraita in Semaḥot 5:8 detailing the rules under which a craftsman in mourning may work. The statement is accepted as practice in Halakhot Gedolot and most medieval halakhic authors..
אֵין מְשַׁלְּחִין אִיגְרוֹת בְּיַד גּוֹי לֹא בְעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת וְלֹא בַחֲמִישִּׁי בַשַּׁבָּת. בֵּית שַׁמַּי אוֹסְרִין אֲפִילו בָרְבִיעִי. וּבֵית הִלֵּל מַתִּירִין. אָֽמְרוּ עָלָיו עַל רִבִּי יוֹסֵי הַכֹּהֵן שֶׁלֹּא נִמְצָא כְתָבוֹ בְיַד גּוֹי מֵעוֹלָם. One sends letters through a Gentile neither on Friday nor on Thursday. The House of Shammai forbid even on Wednesday but the House of Hillel permit390The Babli 19a permits to send letters at any time by government mail or if the Gentile acts as contractor, that he is paid by the piece and not by the time he spends in delivering the mail; then he is a contractor and not an employee of the Jew.
Sefer Hamanhig (Hilkhot Šabbat § 146) and Or Zarua (Hilkhot Šabbat §146) argue that the House of Hillel, of whom it is not specified what they permit, must permit to mail a letter even on Friday since if they simply negate the statement of the House of Shammai their position would be identical to that of the anonymous Tanna and should not have been mentioned separately. The same argument holds for the next paragraph.. They said about Rebbi Jose391In the Genizah text and several Babli mss.: Joseph. the Cohen that his handwriting never was found in the hand of a Gentile.
אֵין מַפְרִישִׂין לְיָם הַגָּדוֹל לֹא בְעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת וְלֹא בַחֲמִישִּׁי בַשַּׁבָּת. בֵּית שַׁמַּי אוֹסְרִין אֲפִילו בָרְבִיעִי. וּבֵית הִלֵּל מַתִּירִין. אִם הָיָה דָבָר שֶׁלַּסַּכָּנָה. כְּגוֹן מִצּוֹר לְצִידוֹן. מוּתָּר. One embarks on the ocean neither on Friday nor on Thursday. The House of Shammai forbid even on Wednesday but the House of Hillel permit392Babli 19a, Tosephta 13:13, Tanḥuma Šelaḥ 1 (both the Babli version). The reason given by North-African authors is that sea travel always is dangerous and there is a likelihood that the traveller will have to violate the Sabbath. Ashkenazic authors prefer to explain that people embarking shortly befor the Sabbath will be seasick on the Sabbath and unable to enjoy the day. The sentence about short trips which are permitted even on Friday supports the North-African authors.
Sefer Ravan (§60) quotes a reading in the Yerushalmi in the name of his son-in-law R. Joel that the disagreement of the Houses of Hillel and Shammai is about Tuesday, not Wednesday. But in R. Joel’s text quoted by his son Ravia (§385) the text is as our Yerushalmi. In Pesaḥim 4:1 (30d l. 32) it is stated that R. Jehudah forbade all travel on the ocean. (He was a student of his father who in turn was a student of R. Eliezer who often followed the teachings of the House of Shammai.) S. Liebermann points out that while not much information can be drawn from the Genizah fragment of which at this point less than a third is legible in each line, it is clear that a sentence is missing in our Yerushalmi since there the permission to travel from Tyre to Sidon is quoted twice.. If it is not dangerous, as from Tyre to Sidon, it is permitted.
אֵין מְקִיפִין עַל עִיר שֶׁלְּגוֹיִם פָּחוּת מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים קוֹדֶם לַשַּׂבָּת. הָדָא דְתֵימַר בְּמִלְחֶמֶת הָרָשׁוּת. אֲבָל בְּמִלְחֶמֶת חוֹבָה אֲפִילוּ בַשַּׁבָּת. שֶׁכֵּן מָצִינוּ שֶׁלֹּא נִכְבְּשָׁה יְרֵיחוֹ אֶלָּא בַשַּׁבָּת. דִּכְתִיב כֹּ֥ה תַֽעֲשֶׂה֭ שֵׁ֥שֶׁת יָמִֽים: וּכְתִיב וּבַיּוֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י תָּסוֹבּוּ אֶת־הָעִ֖יר שֶׁ֣בַע פְּעָמִ֑ים. וּכְתִיב עַ֥ד רִדְתָּֽהּ. אֲפִילוּ בַשַּׁבָּת. One does not lay siege to a Gentile city within three days before the Sabbath. That is in a war of choice393Neither the war of Joshua nor a purely defensive war.. But in a war of obligation even on the Sabbath, for so we find that Jericho was conquered only on a Sabbath, as it is written, so you shall act for six days394Jos. 6:3., and it is written, on the Seventh Day you shall circle the city seven times395Jos. 6:4. The Seventh Day is interpreted as the Sabbath.. And it is written, until it fell396Deut. 20:20. Babli 19a; Sifry Deut. #204,203; Tosephta Eruvin 3:7. In the last quote, two sources attribute the argument to Shammai and one to Hillel., even on the Sabbath.