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Shabbos 25a

שבת כ״ה ע״א

Shabbat 25a

Learn Shabbos 25a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Shabbos 25a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Why impure תרומה oil may be burned for light on a weekday, the פסוקים permitting benefit while it burns, and whether 'ממנו' permits impure תרומה or impure קדשים.

Overview

This amud opens with the end of an earlier argument: burning holy items cannot override יום טוב, because יום טוב is protected by both an עשה and a לא תעשה. The גמרא infers that lighting with impure תרומה oil is forbidden only on יום טוב, so on a weekday it is allowed, and it asks why. רב explains that impure תרומה must be burned, and the תורה lets you benefit from it while it burns. The גמרא brings two sources for this. The first is רב נחמן's reading of 'משמרת תרומותי … לך'. The second is רבי אבהו's reading of 'ולא בערתי ממנו בטמא'. The גמרא then argues over the word 'ממנו': does it permit impure תרומה or impure קדשים? A קל וחומר from מעשר seems to rule out קדשים, but the same logic would rule out תרומה too, and 'ממנו' must still permit something. The גמרא lists the חומרות of קדשים (פנ״ק עכ״ס) and then the חומרות of תרומה (מחפ״ז), and that list continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

עֲשֵׂה.

is a positive commandment.

וְהָוֵה לֵיהּ יוֹם טוֹב

And so a Festival becomes

עֲשֵׂה וְלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה —

a positive commandment and a prohibition —

וְאֵין עֲשֵׂה דּוֹחֶה

and a positive commandment does not override

The steps (13)

  1. Conclusionיום טוב has a positive and a negative command, so burning holy items cannot override it
  2. QuestionInference that weekday lighting is allowed, and why
  3. Responseרב: impure תרומה must be burned, and you may benefit while burning it
  4. QuestionWhere does the תורה say this?
  5. ResponseFirst source: 'תרומותי' means two kinds, and 'לך' means you may use it
  6. ResponseSecond source: 'I did not burn from it while impure'
  7. ChallengeChallenge: maybe the exclusion permits impure holy oil instead
  8. ResolutionAnswer: a קל וחומר shows holy items are even stricter than מעשר
  9. ChallengeThe same logic should forbid תרומה too
  10. ResolutionThe word 'ממנו' must exclude something
  11. ChallengeWhy choose תרומה over קדשים?
  12. Resolutionקדשים is stricter: six חומרות (פנ״ק עכ״ס)
  13. ChallengeOn the contrary: תרומה has its own חומרות (מחפ״ז)