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Shabbos 154a

שבת קנ״ד ע״א

Shabbat 154a

Learn Shabbos 154a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

מחמר בשבת (driving a loaded animal on שבת): Can someone get סקילה for doing it on purpose even though there is no חטאת for doing it by mistake?

Overview

This amud is about a מחמר, someone who drives a loaded animal on שבת. According to רב זביד, רמי בר חמא rules that a מחמר who acts by mistake brings no חטאת, but one who acts on purpose gets סקילה. רבא objects from a ברייתא that seems to say that without a חטאת there is no סקילה. The גמרא answers that the ברייתא only works in one direction, so מחמר can be an exception. Next, the גמרא introduces another teacher, רבא, the brother (or father) of רב מרי בר רחל. First it stops for a side question about family lineage, and it answers by suggesting there were two men with that name. This teacher then reports in the name of רבי יוחנן that a מחמר is פטור מכלום, free of every punishment. There is no חטאת, because all of the Torah is compared to עבודה זרה. There is no סקילה, because without a חטאת there is no סקילה. There are no lashes, because the שבת לאו is a warning for מיתת בית דין.

Opening lines

רַב זְבִיד מַתְנֵי הָכִי:

Rav Zevid taught it this way:

אָמַר רָמֵי בַּר חָמָא:

Rami bar Chama said:

הַמְחַמֵּר אַחַר בְּהֵמָה בְּשַׁבָּת,

One who drives behind a loaded animal on Shabbat,

בְּשׁוֹגֵג — אֵינוֹ חַיָּיב חַטָּאת,

if by mistake, he is not liable to a sin-offering;

The steps (10)

  1. Statementרב זביד's version of רמי בר חמא's ruling on driving an animal
  2. Challengeרבא objects from a ברייתא linking sin-offering and stoning
  3. ResolutionThe ברייתא never says the reverse, so driving is an exception
  4. StatementIntroducing רבא, brother or father of רב מרי בר רחל
  5. ChallengeIf רבא was his father, why did רב need to validate him?
  6. ResolutionThere may have been two men named מרי בר רחל
  7. Statementרבי יוחנן: one who drives his animal on שבת is fully exempt
  8. StatementNo sin-offering when done by mistake
  9. ProofNo stoning when done on purpose
  10. ConclusionNo lashes either, because this prohibition carries the death penalty