Study Shabbat folio 53A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
גמ׳ אמר שמואל: והוא שקשורה לו מערב שבת. אמר רב נחמן: מתניתין נמי דיקא, דקתני: אין החמור יוצא במרדעת בזמן שאינה קשורה לו.
Talmud: Shmuel said: And with regard to the halakha taught in our Mishnah that a donkey may go out on Shabbat with its saddlecloth, that only applies to a case where it was tied to the animal from Friday. Rav Naḥman said: The wording of our Mishnah is also precise in support of Shmuel’s statement, as it teaches later in the chapter: A donkey may not go out into the public domain on Shabbat with its saddlecloth when it is not tied to its back.
היכי דמי? אילימא שאינה קשורה לו כלל — פשיטא, דילמא נפלה ליה ואתי לאתויי. אלא לאו שאינה קשורה מערב שבת. מכלל דרישא, שקשורה לו מערב שבת. שמע מינה.
The Talmud clarifies the meaning of that Mishnah: What are the circumstances? If you say that the later Mishnah is referring to a case where the saddlecloth is not tied to the animal at all, that is obvious. There is concern lest the saddlecloth fall from the animal and its owner will come to bring it and carry it 4 cubits in the public domain. Rather, is it not referring to a case where the saddlecloth is presently tied to the animal, but it was not tied from Friday? By inference, conclude that the first clause, i.e., our Mishnah, which permits the animal to go out with its saddlecloth, is referring to a case where the saddlecloth was tied to the animal from Friday. The Talmud concludes: Indeed, conclude from it that this is the correct understanding.
תניא נמי הכי: חמור יוצא במרדעת בזמן שקשורה לו מערב שבת, ולא באוכף אף על פי שקשור לו מערב שבת. רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר: אף באוכף בזמן שקשור לו מערב שבת, ובלבד שלא יקשור לו מסריכן, ובלבד שלא יפשול לו רצועה תחת זנבו.
That was also taught in a baraita: A donkey may go out on Shabbat with its saddlecloth when it was tied to the animal from Friday, and it may not go out with the saddle, even though it was tied to the animal from Friday. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: The donkey may even go out with its saddle when it was tied to the animal from Friday, provided that he does not tie the strap with which the saddle is fastened around the donkey’s belly, and provided that he does not pass a strap under the animal’s tail, which is standard procedure when placing a burden on the animal.