Shabbos 3b

שבת ג׳ ע״ב

Shabbat 3b

Learn Shabbos 3b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

רבי חייא's rebuke of רב, אביי's rulings on the status of a person's hand on שבת, and the ways the גמרא reconciles two ברייתות about bringing back a hand stretched outside

Overview

Earlier, רב asked רבי about someone who was loaded with food and drink and then walked out on שבת. רבי answered: 'חייב, and it is not like his hand.' Here רבי חייא scolds רב for asking רבי about a different מסכתא while רבי was busy with another one. He then admits the answer was correct and proves it from a ברייתא. Next, אביי says it is obvious that a person's hand is neither רשות הרבים nor רשות היחיד. He proves this from the משנה's cases of the poor man and the homeowner. אביי then asks whether the hand counts as a כרמלית, meaning whether the חכמים forbade bringing it back. The גמרא tries to answer from two ברייתות that disagree about bringing back a hand full of fruit. It then explains those ברייתות in several other ways: below or above ten טפחים, before שבת or after dark, by mistake or on purpose, and an argument over קנסו שוגג אטו מזיד. Along the way, the timing answer also settles רב ביבי בר אביי's question about bread stuck in an oven. The amud ends partway through one more explanation, about bringing the hand back to the same חצר, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (13)

1. Statementרבי חייא scolds רב for asking רבי an off-topic question
2. ProofA ברייתא proves that רבי's answer was correct
3. Statementאביי: a person's hand is neither a public nor a private domain
4. Questionאביי asks whether the hand is treated like a כרמלית
5. ProofAttempted proof from two conflicting ברייתות
6. RejectionEveryone agrees it is like a כרמלית; the difference is the height
7. RejectionSecond answer: not like a כרמלית; the difference is the time of day
8. ChallengeOn the contrary: the reverse makes more sense
9. ChallengeThe timing answer would also answer רב ביבי בר אביי's bread question
10. ResolutionNo problem: let the bread question be answered
11. ResolutionAnother explanation: by mistake versus on purpose
12. ResolutionA third explanation: do we penalize a mistake because of on-purpose cases?
13. ResolutionAnother answer: the difference is which courtyard he brings it back to