Study Shabbat folio 113B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
שלא יהא דבורך של שבת כדבורך של חול. דבור אסור, הרהור — מותר. בשלמא כולהו — לחיי, אלא שלא יהא הילוכך של שבת כהילוכך של חול מאי היא? כי הא דאמר רב הונא אמר רב, ואמרי ליה אמר רבי אבא אמר רב הונא: היה מהלך בשבת ופגע באמת המים, אם יכול להניח את רגלו ראשונה קודם שתעקר שניה — מותר, ואם לאו — אסור.
means that your speech on Shabbat should not be like your speech during the week, i.e., one should not discuss his weekday affairs on Shabbat. However, it is only speech that they said is prohibited, whereas merely contemplating weekday affairs is permitted. The Talmud asks: Granted, all of these directives, fine, they are understood. However, what is the meaning of the following phrase: That your walking on Shabbat should not be like your walking during the week? The Talmud answers: It is in accordance with that which Rav Huna said that Rav said, and some say that R' Abba said that Rav Huna said: If one were walking on Shabbat and came upon a stream of water and had to cross it, if the stream is narrow and one could place his first foot down on the other side before raising the second one, it is permitted to cross it; and if it is not possible and one must jump to cross it, it is prohibited. That is the type of walking that is not permitted on Shabbat.
מתקיף לה רבא: היכי ליעביד? ליקיף — קמפיש בהילוכא. ליעבר — זימנין דמיתווסן מאניה מיא, ואתי לידי סחיטה. אלא בהא כיון דלא אפשר — שפיר דמי. אלא כדבעא מיניה רבי מרבי ישמעאל ברבי יוסי: מהו לפסוע פסיעה גסה בשבת? אמר ליה: וכי בחול מי הותרה? שאני אומר: פסיעה גסה נוטלת אחד מחמש מאות ממאור עיניו של אדם. ומהדר ליה בקידושא דבי שמשי.
Rava strongly objects to this: Since we have said that one’s walking on Shabbat should not be like his walking during the week, and jumping constitutes prohibited walking, if one encounters a stream on Shabbat, what should he do to cross to the other side? If he circumvents the stream, he is increasing the distance that he is walking and exerting extra effort on Shabbat. If he walks through the water, sometimes his clothes will absorb water and he will come to wring them out. What then should he do? Rather, in this case, since it is not possible to cross any other way, he may well cross it, i.e., it is permitted for him to jump over the stream. Therefore, rather say that walking that is defined as characteristic of weekday walking involves taking large steps. As R' Yehuda HaNasi raised a dilemma before R' Yishmael, son of R' Yosei: What is the ruling with regard to taking large steps on Shabbat? That is what the Talmud meant when it used the phrase: Your walking during the week. R' Yishmael said to him: And during the week are large steps permitted? As I say: A large step takes away 1/500th of a person’s eyesight. The Talmud comments: And his eyesight is restored to him during kiddush on Shabbat evening.