משנה: אֵין נוֹתְנִין לֹא לְבַייָר וְלֹא לְבַלָּן וְלֹא לְסַפָּר וְלֹא לְסַפָּן. אֲבָל נוֹתֵן הוּא לְבַייָר לִשְׁתּוֹת. וּלְכוּלָּן הוּא נוֹתֵן מַתְּנוֹת חִינָּם. MISHNAH: One gives neither to the water drawer, nor to the bath attendant, nor to the barber, nor to the ship owner70As explained in Mishnah 2, Sabbatical produce has to be consumed and may not be given in payment. But it may be given to drink (or to eat). It may be given for goodwill (according to the House of Hillel in Mishnah 4:2)., but one may give to drink to the water drawer. And to all of these one may give free gifts.
הלכה: תַּנֵּי רִבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר אַף לֹא לַמְּבַייַר. מִחְלְפָה שִׁיטָּתֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי יוֹסֵי. תַּמָּן הוּא אָמַר אֵין לוֹקְחִין הִימֶּינּוּ מַיִם וּמֶלַח. וְהָכָא הוּא אָמַר הָכֵן. HALAKHAH: It was stated71In some baraita it was stated that R. Yose forbids to give drinks made from Sabbatical fruits to the water drawer. Since this seems to contradict Mishnah 2, one has to investigate what this statement means.: “Rebbi Yose says, not even to the water drawer.” The opinions of Rebbi Yose are contradictory. There, he says72Tosephta 6:25: “One may not use Sabbatical produce to buy water and salt; Rebbi Yose says,one may use Sabbatical produce to buy water and salt.”: “One does not use them to buy water and salt,” and here he says so73In the Tosephta, he permits using proceeds of Sabbatical fruits to buy water and salt which in themselves are not food, and here he seems to forbid using even drinks made from Sabbatical fruits as drinks!?
אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי מַה פְלִיגִין בְּשֶׁתַּשְׁמִשׁוֹ אֲבָל בִּשְׁתִייָה אוּף רִבִּי יוֹסֵי מוֹדֵה הֲוֵי. מָאן תַּנָּא אֲבָל נוֹתֵן הוּא לְבַייָר לִשְׁתּוֹת רִבִּי יוֹסֵי. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי דִּבְרֵי הַכֹּל הִיא כָאן לְאָדָם וְכָאן לִבְהֵמָה. Rebbi Yose74The Amora. said, they disagree for general usage75For anything but nourishment., but for drinking even Rebbi Yose would agree. Who is the Tanna of “but one may give to drink to the water drawer”? Rebbi Yose! Rebbi Yose74The Amora. said, it is the opinion of everybody; one statement refers to humans, the other to animals76The baraita fragment quoted at the start refers to giving Sabbatical drinks to animals. This use would not be sanctioned by Mishnah 2..
תַּנֵּי מַעֲייָן שֶׁל בְּנֵי הָעִיר הֵן וָאֲחֵרִים קוֹדְמִין הֵן לָאֲחֶרִים. אֲחֵרִים וּבְהֶמְתָּן אֲחֵרִים קוֹדְמִין לִבְהֶמְתָּן. כְּבִיסָתָן וְחַיֵּי אֲחֵרִים כְּבִיסָתָן קוֹדֶמֶת לְחַיֵּי אֲחֵרִים. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן מָאן תַּנָּא כְּבִיסָה חַיֵּי נֶפֶשׁ רִבִּי יוֹסֵי. דְּתַנֵי אֵין נוֹתְנִין מֵהֶן לֹא לְמִשְׁרָה וְלֹא לִכְבִיסָה. וְרִבִּי יוֹסֵי מַתִּיר בִּכְבִיסָה. מִחְלְפָה שִׁיטָּתֵיהּ דְּרְבִּי יוֹסֵי. תַּמָּן הוּא אָמַר אֵין רְחִיצָה חַיֵּי נֶפֶשׁ. וָכָא הוּא אָמַר הַכְּבִיסָה חַיֵּי נֶפֶשׁ. אָמַר רִבִּי מָנָא אָדָם מְגַלְגֵּל בִּרְחִיצָה וְאֵין אָדָם מְגַלְגֵּל בִּכְבִיסָה. It was stated77Babli Nedarim 80b, a text close to the one given here, a different text Tosephta Baba MeẓiHammayîm ‘a 11:33–36. In the Tosephta, R. Yose declares that the animals of the town have precedence over the lives of outsiders. Therefore, the argument given here does not apply to R. Yose’s opinion in the Tosephta; the latter represents neither of the two Talmudim. A text close to the paragraph given here is in Nedarim 11:1 (fol. 42c). The paragraph is inserted here because it deals with seemingly contradictory opinions of the Tanna R. Yose.: “A water source belonging to the townspeople, between them and outsiders, they have precedence over outsiders. Between outsiders and their animals, the outsiders have precedence. Their washing78Washing their clothes, not themselves. and the lives of outsiders, their washing has precedence over the lives of outsiders.” Rebbi Joḥanan said, who is the Tanna who saidthat washing is a necessity for survival? Rebbi Yose! As it was stated: “One may use it neither for steeping nor for washing. But Rebbi Yose permits it for washing.79A similar text is in Babli Sukkah40a, Moëd Qaṭan 101b, where however steeping and washing clothes are treated equally.” The opinions of Rebbi Yose are contradictory. There80Mishnah Nedarim 11:1. Rebbi Yose does not consider a vow to stop washing himself a vow of deprivation. he says, washing oneself is not a necessity of life. And here, he says washing one’s garments is a necessity of life. Rebbi Mana said, a person might put off washing himself but nobody puts off washing his clothes81In the Babli, Samuel states that sickness caused by a dirty body can be healed but dirty clothing induces insanity which is incurable..
יְהוּדָה אִישׁ חוּצִי עֲבַד טְמִיר בִּמְעָֽרְתָא תְּלָתָא יוֹמִין בְּעֵי לְמֵיקָם עַל הָדֵין טַעֲמָא מְנַייִן שְׁחַיֵּי הָעִיר הַזּאת קוֹדְמִין לְחַיֵּי עִיר אֲחֶרֶת. אָתָא לְגַבֵּי רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲלַפְתָּא אָמַר לֵיהּ הֵן הֲוֵיתָה. אָמַר לֵיהּ עַבְדִּת טְמִיר בִּמְעָֽרְתָא תְּלָתָא יוֹמִין בְּעִי לְמֵיקָם עַל הָדֵין טַעֲמָא מְנַייִן שְׁחַיֵּי הָעִיר הָזֹּאת קוֹדְמִין לְחַיֵּי עִיר אֲחֶרֶת. קָרָא לְרִבִּי אֱבִירוֹדֵימָס בְּרֵיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַגִּיב הָהֵן טַעֲמָא מְנַייִן שְׁחַיֵּי הָעִיר הַזֹּאת קוֹדְמִין לְחַיֵּי עִיר אֲחֶרֶת. אָמַר לֵיהּ תִּהְייֶנָּה הֶעָרִים הָאֵלֶּה תִּחְייֶנָּה עִיר וָעִיר וְאַחַר כָּךְ וּמִגְרְשֶׁיהָ סְבִיבוֹתֶיהָ. אָמַר לֵיהּ מָאן גָּרַם לָךְ דְּלֹא פָֽלְתָהּ עִם חֲבֵירֶיךָ. Jehudah from Ḥuṣī82An otherwise unknown personage from tannaïtic times. Neither the tradition of his name nor that of his place are certain. hid himself in a cave for three days because he wanted to find the reason why the necessities of life of one’s town have precedence over the necessities of life of another town. He came to Rabbi Yose bar Ḥalaphta who asked him, where have you been? He said, I was hiding in a cave for three days because I wanted to find the reason why the necessities of life of one’s town have precedence over the necessities of life of another town. He called his son Rebbi Vardimos and said to him, answer, what is the reason why the necessities of life of one’s town have precedence over the necessities of life of another town. He said to him (Num. 35:15): “These [six] cities shall be”, each town shall live83It seems that this is based on identifying ה and ח which not only where pronounced identically but also written almost identically, with the left leg of ה touching the roof slightly towards the middle, the left leg of ח being at the extreme left end and going up slightly over the roof. Since היה indicates permanency, one might also explain the argument that the first duty of the city government is to insure the continued survival of its inhabitants., and only afterwards their surroundings around them84The surroundings are mentioned in slightly different formulations Num. 35:2,3. In the Babli, Nedarim 81a, verse 3 “their surroundings [of the Levitic town] shall be for its animals and its life-necessities” is explained (following R. Yose) “for its animals and clothes-washing.”. He [R. Yose] said to him [Jehudah from Ḥuṣi], what did cause you [this embarassment]? That you did not search with your companions!