Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Daf Yomi - Beitza 11 - Unnecessary Exertion

Beis Shamai rules that one is not allowed to take the knife to the animal on Yom Tov with the intention of shechting it. Beis Hillel disagrees and allows it to be done. Rashi explains that the knife and the animal are far apart from each other. Beis Shamai maintains that since there is a possibility that the slaughterer might change his mind and not shecht the animal, it would be regarded as an unnecessary exertion on Yom Tov.

Rav Elchonon Wasserman does not understand what Beis Shamai is concerned about. He asks that even if the fellow will decide not to shecht the animal, nonetheless at the time that he took out the knife, his intent was to perform a shechita and at that time it was necessary?

If someone would cook on Yom Tov and afterwards decide not to eat, would he be liable retroactively for cooking on Yom Tov? Obviously not. Rabbah maintains that if a person cooks on Yom Tov with the intention of eating the food after yom Tov, he is not liable since guests can come to his house on Yom tov and he will offer them from that food. This is true even if the guests do not come and certainly if his intention was to cook for guests, he will not be violating any prohibition, even if the guests do not show up.

Why is there a concern that he might change his mind and not perform the shechita?

Rav Menachem Kohn Zt"l in his sefer Ateres Avi suggests that perhaps there is a distinction between the melocha of cooking and extra exertion on Yom Tov. The Torah permitted one to perform melochos on Yom Tov that are for the necessity of preparing food to be eaten. Cooking is something that is completely permitted on yom Tov and therefore even is afterwards we would realize that the food was not eaten, we will not retroactively determine that something wrong was done. however when Chazal prohibited one from exerting himself unnecessarily on Yom Tov, this was forbidden completely and was only permitted in instances of food preparation. If retroactively, it has been determined that it was not used for food preparation, it will be regarded as unnecessary exertion and therefore Beis Shamai was concerned.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

what is the definition of exertion? We all seem to exert ourselves more at times than other. If one goes up too many stairs and huffs and puffs, is that melacha?
If I pick up a knife in order to cut more chicken, but there is none left, is that melacha, despite good intentions?

the knife question i asked may not be an issue bcause it is food preparation. How about playing games that cause us to run?

Anonymous said...

what is the definition of exertion?



An activity that could only be done with exertion



We all seem to exert ourselves more at times than other. If one goes up too many stairs and huffs and puffs, is that melacha?





No, because he could have gone up the stairs without huffing and puffing



If I pick up a knife in order to cut more chicken, but there is none left, is that melacha, despite good intentions?



I don’t get the case



the knife question i asked may not be an issue bcause it is food preparation. How about playing games that cause us to run?



It’s mutar because it is enjoyment, not a tircha

Anonymous said...

The activity of going up the stairs is an activity which can be done without huffing. We don’t look at every individual and his individual capacity – we look at the TYPE of activity