Study Bava Metzia folio 89B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
לאכשורי גברא לא קמיבעיא לן, כי קמיבעיא לן לאכשורי פירא, מאי? תא שמע: פועלין אוכלין ענבים בראשי אומניות שלהם, ובלבד שלא יהבהבו באור!
The Talmud refutes this proof: We did not raise the difficulty with regard to the fitness of the man himself to eat, as it is obvious that one may act in advance so that he will be able to eat a great deal. When this dilemma was raised to us, it was with regard to the fitness of the produce for eating. May they be prepared by singeing? What, then, is the halakha? The Talmud offers another suggestion: Come and hear a proof from a baraita: Laborers may eat grapes at the end of their rows of vines, provided that they do not singe the grapes in fire.
התם משום ביטול מלאכה, כי קא מיבעיא לן, היכא דאיכא אשתו ובניו, מאי?
The Talmud rejects this claim: This affords no proof, as the prohibition there is not because of his use of the fire but due to his neglect of his labor, as he has no right to busy himself with other matters during his work time. When the dilemma is raised to us, it is with regard to a case where he does not have to stop his work, e.g., when he has his wife and children with him, who can singe the fruit for him without him having to pause in his labor. What is the halakha in a case of this kind?
תא שמע: לא יהבהב באור ויאכל, ולא יכמור באדמה ויאכל, ולא יפריך על גבי הסלע ויאכל, אבל מפריך על יד על יד ואוכל. התם משום ביטול מלאכה. הכי נמי מסתברא, דאי סלקא דעתך משום מתוקי פירא – סלע מאי מתוקי פירא איכא? אי אפשר דלא ממתיק פורתא.
The Talmud again suggests: Come and hear a proof from a baraita: A laborer may not singe produce in fire and eat, and he may not heat produce in the ground and eat, and he may not break produce on rocks and eat, but he may break it little by little and eat. Once again, the Talmud refutes the proof: There too, the reason is due to his neglect of his labor. The Talmud comments: So too, it is reasonable that this is the case. As, if it enters your mind that it is prohibited due to his sweetening of the produce, what sweetening of the produce is there in his use of a rock? The Talmud responds: This is not a conclusive argument, as it is impossible that the produce would not be sweetened a little.