Shabbos 103b

שבת ק״ג ע״ב

Shabbat 103b

Learn Shabbos 103b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Shabbos 103b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

שבת 103b: The minimum act of writing that makes one liable, how many חטאות one brings, and closed versus open letters

Overview

This amud finishes a ברייתא that reads the verse "וְעָשָׂה מֵאַחַת" to find the smallest act of writing that makes one liable on שבת. The ת"ק says you are liable for writing a short name that is part of a longer name, like שם from שמעון. רבי יהודה says even two identical letters, like שש, are enough. רבי יוסי says the real source is רושם, marking the beams of the משכן, so even scratches count. רבי שמעון says one is liable only for a מלאכה of a lasting kind. The גמרא then explains that the identical-letters view is really רבן גמליאל's. It also works out that רבי שמעון, who is usually lenient, requires a whole word but not a whole verse. Next, רבי יוסי ברבי חנינא explains how רבי יוסי reads "one" and "these" in the verse, which teaches when a person brings one חטאת for many acts and when he brings one for each act. Finally, רב חסדא learns from שם inside שמעון that a closed letter written open is valid. A ברייתא challenges him, and the גמרא defends him with רבי יהודה בן בתירה's מים hint for ניסוך המים. The גמרא then begins to question that proof, and the discussion continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (30)

1. ProofThe word 'one' limits liability
2. ConclusionA small name taken from a larger name
3. Statementרבי יהודה: two identical letters are enough
4. Statementרבי יוסי: the liability is really for marking
5. StatementScratches are enough for liability
6. Statementרבי שמעון: the word 'from one' shows a whole is not required
7. RejectionBut a single letter or thread is too little
8. Conclusionרבי שמעון: liability requires a lasting kind of work
9. Statementרבי יוסי: sometimes one offering, sometimes many
10. Challengeרבי יהודה seems to contradict himself
11. ResolutionOne view is his own, the other is his teacher's
12. ProofProof that the lenient view is רבן גמליאל's
13. ChallengeIsn't רבי שמעון saying the same as the תנא קמא?
14. ResolutionA suggested difference: two א's used in amulets
15. RejectionWould רבי שמעון really be the stricter one?
16. Proofרבי שמעון is lenient: you must finish the whole job
17. ResolutionNew answer: רבי שמעון requires a whole word
18. ChallengeBut רבי שמעון himself said a whole word is not needed
19. ResolutionFixing the wording: 'whole verse', not 'whole word'
20. Statementרבי יוסי: sometimes one offering, sometimes many
21. QuestionWhat is רבי יוסי's source?
22. ResponseFour readings from 'one,' 'from one,' 'these,' 'from these'
23. ResponseExplaining each of the four readings
24. Statementרבי יהודה: a small name inside a big name
25. ChallengeBut the מ״ם is different in each word
26. Resolutionרב חסדא: a closed letter written open is still valid
27. ChallengeA ברייתא demands perfect writing, with no swapping of letters
28. Resolutionרב חסדא follows רבי יהודה בן בתירה, who finds מים in extra letters
29. ProofIf open-made-closed is valid, closed-made-open is valid too
30. RejectionQuestioning whether the proof is really comparable