Editing Masekhet Shabbos

{{Infobox
|name=tractate Shabbos
|image=[[File:מסכת שבת.jpg|200px]]
}}
{{Toras HaNigla}}
'''tractate Shabbat''' in the Babylonian Talmud contains 24 chapters and 156 pages.

The Mesechta deals with the laws of Shabbat including: carrying in and out, lighting Shabbat candles, leaving food on the fire and insulating it, liability for unintentional work on Shabbat, and the laws of the 39 melachos.

This tractate is one of the Gemara tractates studied in Chabad yeshivas.

== Explanations in the Tractate ==
Makeh B'patish is one of the 39 melachos, and its essence is completing a work, like striking with a hammer at the end of crafting a vessel to strengthen it, thereby completing the work.

Even a small part of the work, such as drawing a small part of an illustration that completes the beauty of a vessel, also violates the prohibition of Makeh B'patish.

The explanation for this is that although from the perspective of the vessel only part of the work's completion was done, from the perspective of the act of work itself the action is complete, and the striking resembles the form of work of Makeh B'patish.

When Hashem finished the work of the six days of Creation, He entered into Shabbat "by a hairsbreadth." The Rebbe explains that this did not constitute Makeh B'patish, since even from the perspective of the work itself there was no force of completing the work.

== Pouring Hot Water into Cold ==
Pouring hot water into cold water is a halachic question regarding whether it is permitted to pour hot water into cold water in a way that causes the cold water to become boiling through the mixing. This is discussed in the books of the Tzemach Tzedek regarding pouring hot water onto cold tea remnants.

The source of the doubt is in the words of the Mishnah:<blockquote>"If one removed a kettle (from the fire), one may not put cold water into it to heat it, but one may put (cold water) into it or into a cup to make it lukewarm." — Shabbat Chapter 3, 5</blockquote>The Gemara (42a) further states: "Our Rabbis taught: One may put hot water into cold water but not cold water into hot water - these are the words of Beis Shammai. But Beis Hillel say: Whether hot into cold or cold into hot is permitted. When is this said? In a cup, but in a bathtub - hot into cold but not cold into hot. And Rabbi Shimon ben Menasia forbids."

== Measuring on Shabbat ==
The Gemara in '''Masechet Shabbat''' relates:<blockquote>"Ulla came to the house of the Reish Galuta, and saw Rabbah bar Rav Huna sitting in a tub of water measuring it. He said to him, 'The Rabbis permitted measuring for a mitzvah, but did they permit measuring not for a mitzvah?' He replied, 'I am merely occupied casually.'"</blockquote>Regarding this Gemara, the Rebbe said that one can ask a "klatz kashya" (obvious question). Although this is not the typical learning style in yeshivas, since "all your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven," how could Rabbah bar Rav Huna conduct himself in such a way - sitting on Shabbat in a tub full of water and explain it as "merely being occupied"?

And if you say he did it for the sake of Heaven, he could have answered this to Ulla, who himself said that measuring for a mitzvah was permitted by Chazal.

The Rebbe explains that this matter of measuring is not inherently forbidden as a weekday activity, but rather it is a rabbinic decree. And although the Alter Rebbe rules that it falls under weekday activities, this doesn't mean it is inherently a weekday activity, but rather that this was the rabbinic decree, to prevent people from treating Shabbat lightly in the future.

== One Who Tears in Anger on Shabbat ==
The Mishna states (Shabbat 105b): One who tears in anger or over his dead and all who damage are exempt. The Gemara questions this from a contradiction: "One who tears in anger, in mourning, or over his dead is liable." The Gemara resolves that regarding anger there is no contradiction - one ruling follows Rabbi Yehuda who says a melachah not needed for itself is liable, while the other follows Rabbi Shimon who says a melachah not needed for itself is exempt.

The Gemara asks: Could the Mishna be discussing someone transgressing this serious prohibition of tearing garments in anger? For Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said in the name of Chilfa bar Agra who said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri: "One who tears his clothes in anger, breaks his vessels in anger, or scatters his money in anger should be in your eyes like an idol worshipper, for this is the craft of the evil inclination - today it tells him do this, tomorrow it tells him do that, until it tells him to worship idols and he goes and worships."

Rabbi Avin brought proof from the verse "There shall not be within you a strange god and you shall not bow to a foreign god" - what is the strange god that exists within a person's body? This refers to the evil inclination. The Gemara answers that he isn't tearing the garment because he is actually angry and lost control, but rather to show his household members that he is very angry, to educate them in the proper path and prevent them from acting inappropriately.

The question is whether this reasoning - that tearing a garment to instill fear in household members is considered a melachah - applies even according to Rabbi Shimon who holds that "a melachah not needed for itself is exempt"? Can we say that since the person isn't tearing out of loss of control but with premeditated intent to tear the garment to instill fear in his household members, therefore the melachah is considered a melachah? The Tzemach Tzedek, in his work on Shas, rules that no - even such an action is not considered a melachah according to Rabbi Shimon's opinion.

== Explanations in the Yerushalmi ==
In Chapter 8 Halacha 1, it explains that a certain matronita asked Rabbi Yehuda why his face was particularly radiant, and he answered her: "A person's wisdom illuminates his face." The Rebbe asks why they needed to tell this through the testimony of the matronita - surely his students noticed this. The Rebbe explains that the Gemara emphasizes that a person's wisdom needs to illuminate his face in such a way that even a non-Jew would notice it.

==== The Rebbe's Explanations ====
* '''14a.''' Naked without that mitzvah. Likkutei Sichos Vol. 23 p. 141 (p. 156)
* '''21b.''' And when they were victorious - Dispute between Rambam and Meiri regarding the time of victory. Likkutei Sichos Vol. 30 Bereishis p. 204 (p. 217)
* '''21b.''' Dispute between Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel. Likkutei Sichos Vol. 20 p. 207 (p. 222)
* '''21b.''' Dispute between Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel, according to their general approach throughout the Shas. Likkutei Sichos Vol. 7 p. 114 (p. 126)
* '''21b.''' Its mitzvah begins at sunset. Sichos Kodesh 1979 Vol. 1 p. 7 (p. 481)
* '''30a.''' The kingdom of your son Shlomo has already arrived. Likkutei Sichos p. 97 (p. 110)
* '''41a.''' Whoever goes up from Bavel to Eretz Yisroel transgresses a positive commandment. Likkutei Sichos Vol. 18 p. 399 (p. 408)
* '''75a.''' The final hammer blow. Likkutei Sichos Vol. 5 Bereishis p. 31 (p. 45)
* '''87a.''' Three things Moshe did on his own and Hashem agreed with him, he separated from his wife. Likkutei Sichos Vol. 18 p. 288 (p. 297)
* '''87a.''' He broke the Luchos. Likkutei Sichos Vol. 34 p. 51 (p. 63)
* '''105b.''' One who tears his garment for his deceased on Shabbos. Likkutei Sichos Vol. 23 p. 145 (p. 160)
* '''118b.''' When I see a Torah scholar who completed his tractate, I make a celebration for the rabbis. Sichos Kodesh 1978 Vol. 1 p. 22 (p. 276)
* '''132a.''' During the day and even on Shabbos. Likkutei Sichos Vol. 35 p. 53 (p. 67)
* '''132a.''' During the day and not at night. Likkutei Sichos Vol. 17 p. 125 (p. 138)
* '''137b.''' To bring him into the covenant of Avraham Avinu. Likkutei Sichos Vol. 30 p. 55 (p. 68)

== Chabad Rebbeim's Novellae ==

* The Tzemach Tzedek, "tractate Shabbos", Tzemach Tzedek on Shas, Brooklyn, 1995, pages 32-62, on HebrewBooks
* Collection of novellae and explanations in revealed Torah and Chassidus on tractate Shabbos by the Rebbe, edited by Hatamim (now Rabbi) Avraham HaKohen Hendel - 1998

== Additional Reading ==

* HaOtzar HaChadash, review of Rabbi Levin's book, Kfar Chabad Weekly 1920 page 57

[[Category:Mishnah and Talmud]]