Gemara Clarity

Shabbos 66a

שבת ס״ו ע״א

Shabbat 66a

Learn Shabbos 66a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Shabbos 66a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The קיטע's wooden leg: the end of the משנה, settling who permits and who forbids it on שבת, and whether it can become טמא מדרס.

Overview

This amud finishes the משנה about a קיטע (amputee) and then begins the גמרא. The משנה gives רבי יוסי's view forbidding the wooden leg (קב) on שבת. It then rules on the טומאה of the קב, the knee supports, a crippled person's chair, and לוקטמין, and on whether each may be worn out on שבת or into the עזרה. The גמרא opens with רבא asking רב נחמן which name goes with which opinion in the קיטע dispute, and רב נחמן does not know. שמואל and רב הונא read the משנה as 'אין הקיטע', and רב יוסף adopts their reading. רבא בר שירא then shows from a scene in רב's study hall that רב reversed it: רבי מאיר permits and רבי יוסי forbids. The memory aid 'סמך סמך' fixes this, and the גמרא proves that שמואל and רב הונא later accepted רב's reading. Along the way, a plasterers' sandal is shown to be טמא מדרס because the plasterer walks home in it. Finally אביי and רבא argue whether a קב with a padding hollow can become טמא מדרס. Each brings a proof, and רבא's answer to אביי's walking-stick proof continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹסֵר.

And Rabbi Yosei forbids it.

וְאִם יֵשׁ לוֹ בֵּית קִיבּוּל כְּתִיתִין

And if it has a receptacle for pads

— טָמֵא.

it is susceptible to impurity.

סָמוֹכוֹת שֶׁלּוֹ טְמֵאִין מִדְרָס,

His supports are susceptible to treading-impurity,

The steps (28)

  1. Statementרבי יוסי forbids going out with the wooden leg
  2. StatementA wooden leg with a padding hollow can become impure
  3. StatementKnee supports: impure through treading, allowed on שבת and in the Temple courtyard
  4. StatementA cripple's chair and supports: impure through treading, forbidden on שבת and in the courtyard
  5. Statementלוקטמין are pure and may not be worn out on שבת
  6. Questionרבא asks how the dispute in the משנה should be read
  7. Questionרבא asks what the practical law is
  8. Statementשמואל and רב הונא read the משנה as 'An amputee may not'
  9. Statementרב יוסף adopts the reading of שמואל and רב הונא
  10. Challengeרבא בר שירא objects by recalling a scene in רב's study hall
  11. Proofרב signaled to reverse the opinions
  12. ConclusionA memory aid: סמך-סמך
  13. Statementשמואל also changed his mind, starting with the חליצה משנה
  14. Proofשמואל attributes the wooden sandal ruling to רבי מאיר using the reversed reading
  15. Statementרב הונא also changed his mind, starting with the plasterers' sandal ברייתא
  16. ChallengeA contradicting ברייתא says they did agree
  17. Resolutionרב הונא: רבי מאיר agreed, רבי יוסי did not
  18. Resolutionרב יוסף: The one who disagreed was רבי יוחנן בן נורי
  19. ProofProof: רבי יוחנן בן נורי argues with רבי עקיבא about straw items
  20. StatementQuoting the ברייתא: A plasterers' sandal is impure through treading
  21. ChallengeChallenge: This sandal is not made for walking
  22. ResolutionAnswer: The plasterer walks home in it
  23. Statementאביי: The wooden leg with a padding hollow gets only corpse impurity
  24. Statementרבא: It can also become impure through treading
  25. Proofרבא's proof: A child's walking wagon
  26. Rejectionאביי rejects the proof: The child leans on the wagon
  27. Proofאביי's proof from an old person's walking stick
  28. Rejectionרבא begins to explain why the walking stick case is different