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Shabbos 81b

שבת פ״א ע״ב

Shabbat 81b

Learn Shabbos 81b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Shabbos 81b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Bathroom laws on שבת: כבוד הבריות and מוקצה, רב הונא's plowed field, ריש לקיש's grassy stone and the פרפיסא, and רבי יוחנן's ban on wiping with a חרס, including the כשפים story.

Overview

This amud continues the laws of using the bathroom on שבת. First, רב חסדא allows carrying the wiping stones up to a rooftop bathroom because of כבוד הבריות. רבינא challenges this from the toothpick dispute, and the גמרא answers that a meal can be planned for but a bathroom need cannot. Next, the גמרא explains why רב הונא forbids relieving oneself in a plowed field on שבת: a person might fill in a hole, which is חורש. The גמרא then returns to ריש לקיש's ruling on a grassy stone. רב פפי tries to learn from it about the פרפיסא, רב כהנא rejects that, and אביי teaches when moving a פרפיסא is תולש or נוטע. Finally, the גמרא looks for the reason behind רבי יוחנן's ban on wiping with a חרס on שבת. It settles on רב נתן בר אושעיא's explanation and rejects רבא's hair-removal version. The amud ends with a story about a sorceress on a boat that explains the כשפים concern, and the story continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

חִסְדָּא:

[Rav] Ḥisda:

מַהוּ לְהַעֲלוֹתָם אַחֲרָיו לַגַּג?

What is [the law] about taking them up with him to the roof?

אֲמַר לֵיהּ: גָּדוֹל כְּבוֹד הַבְּרִיּוֹת

He said to him: Great is human dignity

שֶׁדּוֹחֶה אֶת ״לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה״ שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה.

for it overrides a prohibition in the Torah.

The steps (27)

  1. QuestionMay one carry the wiping stones up to the roof?
  2. ResponseHuman dignity overrides the prohibition
  3. Statementמרימר teaches this ruling
  4. Challengeרבינא challenges from the toothpick dispute
  5. ResolutionA meal is planned, a bathroom is not
  6. Statementרב הונא: no relieving oneself in a plowed field on שבת
  7. QuestionWhat is the reason?
  8. RejectionNot because of trampling
  9. RejectionNot because of pulling up grass
  10. ResponseThe worry is filling a hole
  11. Proofרבה: filling a hole is building or plowing
  12. StatementReturning to ריש לקיש's ruling
  13. Statementרב פפי: a פרפיסא (perforated flowerpot) may be moved
  14. Challengeרב כהנא: a need is not the same as no need
  15. Statementאביי: moving a flowerpot can be detaching or planting
  16. Statementרבי יוחנן: no wiping with a shard on שבת
  17. QuestionWhy is the shard forbidden?
  18. RejectionNot because of danger
  19. RejectionNot because of witchcraft
  20. RejectionNot because of removing hair
  21. Responseרב נתן בר אושעיא explains the ruling
  22. Statementרבא teaches the reason as removing hairs
  23. Challengeרבי יוחנן seems to contradict himself
  24. Conclusionרב נתן בר אושעיא's explanation is the correct one
  25. QuestionWhat is the witchcraft concern?
  26. ResponseTwo sages on a boat refuse a matron
  27. ResponseA battle of spells on the boat