Gemara Clarity

Shabbos 121a

שבת קכ״א ע״א

Shabbat 121a

Learn Shabbos 121a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Shabbos 121a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Whether טבילה בזמנה is a מצוה; a גוי or a קטן putting out a fire on שבת; and covering a lamp, feces, or a scorpion on שבת.

Overview

The amud opens by finishing a dispute about a person with השם's name written on his skin who must immerse. The תנא קמא holds that טבילה בזמנה is not a מצוה, so we may delay to find a reed to cover the name. רבי יוסי holds it is a מצוה, so the person immerses right away. A ברייתא seems to show רבי יוסי allowing a delay, and the גמרא answers that this is a different רבי יוסי, namely רבי יוסי ברבי יהודה. Next, a משנה teaches that we neither tell a גוי to put out a fire on שבת nor stop him, but we must stop a Jewish קטן. רבי אמי permits announcing 'whoever puts it out will not lose out.' The גמרא tries to prove this from the משנה and concludes that the משנה proves nothing either way. A ברייתא then tells of יוסף בן סימאי, who refused the soldiers' help, and the חכמים say he did not need to refuse. The גמרא also tries to learn from the קטן rule that בית דין must stop a child from sinning, but רבי יוחנן limits that rule to a child acting for his father. Finally, a new משנה permits covering a lamp, a child's feces, or a scorpion with a bowl, and its גמרא begins a story that continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

טְבִילָה בִּזְמַנָּהּ לָאו מִצְוָה וּמַהְדְּרִינַן,

immersion at its proper time is not a מצוה, and so we search (for a reed);

וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי סָבַר

and Rabbi Yosei holds

טְבִילָה בִּזְמַנָּהּ מִצְוָה וְלָא מַהְדְּרִינַן.

immersion at its proper time is a מצוה, and so we do not search.

וְסָבַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי טְבִילָה בִּזְמַנָּהּ מִצְוָה?

But does Rabbi Yosei hold that immersion at its proper time is a מצוה?

The steps (17)

  1. ResolutionThe dispute is about whether immersing on time is a מצוה
  2. ChallengeA ברייתא suggests רבי יוסי allows delaying immersion
  3. ResolutionThat ברייתא is a different רבי יוסי
  4. StatementA non-Jew or a child who comes to put out a fire
  5. Statementרבי אמי: one may hint that whoever extinguishes won't lose
  6. ProofTrying to support רבי אמי from the first clause of the משנה
  7. RejectionThe second half of the phrase cuts the other way
  8. ConclusionNo proof can be drawn from the משנה
  9. StatementThe story of יוסף בן סימאי's fire
  10. ProofThe Sages say he did not need to stop them
  11. ProofUsing the child rule to prove the court must stop a child from sinning
  12. Rejectionרבי יוחנן: the child is acting for his father
  13. ChallengeWould the non-Jew also be acting for the Jew?
  14. ResolutionA non-Jew acts for his own sake
  15. StatementThe new משנה: covering a lamp, feces, or a scorpion
  16. Statementרבי יהודה: רבן יוחנן בן זכאי feared a sin-offering
  17. StatementThree אמוראים visit the house of אבין