Shabbos 28b

שבת כ״ח ע״ב

Shabbat 28b

Learn Shabbos 28b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Shabbos 28b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Kosher hide for holy work (תחש and תפילין straps), and the dispute over a folded cloth wick

Overview

The amud opens with a קל וחומר from goats' hair: even the hide of a non-kosher animal becomes טמא as a tent over a dead body, so the משכן's covering did not have to be kosher. The גמרא then searches for the purpose of רב יוסף's teaching that only kosher-animal hide was fit for heavenly work. The parchment, the boxes, and the hair and sinews of תפילין are each already covered by a פסוק or a הלכה למשה מסיני. The answer that holds is the רצועות: the tradition only says they must be black, so רב יוסף teaches they must come from a kosher animal. Next, רבי מאיר describes the תחש as a one-horned creature; its single horn shows it was kosher, but whether it was a חיה or a בהמה stays undecided. A new משנה follows: רבי אליעזר and רבי עקיבא disagree whether a folded, unsinged cloth wick is טמא and may be lit. The גמרא explains the lighting dispute through an exactly 3x3 cloth lit on a יום טוב that falls on ערב שבת, and רב יוסף confirms it from his tradition. The amud ends with a challenge to רב אדא בר אהבה's view, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (27)

1. ProofProving non-kosher hide becomes impure as a tent over the dead
2. ChallengeWhat is רב יוסף's teaching for?
3. ResolutionIt is about tefillin
4. ChallengeTefillin already have an explicit verse
5. ResolutionIt is about the leather of the tefillin boxes
6. ChallengeThe boxes have a הלכה למשה מסיני too
7. ResolutionIt is about the hair and sinews used for tefillin
8. ChallengeHair and sinews are also a הלכה למשה מסיני
9. Resolutionרב יוסף's teaching is about the straps
10. ChallengeThe straps already have a הלכה למשה מסיני
11. ResolutionThe tradition said black, not kosher
12. QuestionWhat was decided about the תחש?
13. Responseרבי מאיר describes the one-horned תחש
14. ProofThe single horn proves the תחש was kosher
15. ChallengeThe word מקרין sounds like two horns
16. ResolutionThe word is spelled as one horn
17. ChallengeCan we also prove the תחש was a בהמה?
18. ResolutionThe קרש shows a one-horned wild animal
19. StatementA folded cloth wick that was not singed
20. StatementThe impurity side of the dispute is easy to explain
21. QuestionBut why argue about lighting it?
22. ResponseThe case: an exact 3x3 cloth on a יום טוב before שבת
23. ResponseTwo rules both sides agree on
24. ResponseApplying the rules to each side
25. Proofרב יוסף finally understands a teaching he had
26. StatementSo רב אדא בר אהבה holds like רבי יהודה
27. ChallengeDid רב אדא בר אהבה really say this?