Study Shabbat folio 6A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
מידי דהוה אמעביר חפץ ברשות הרבים. התם, לאו אף על גב דכמה דנקיט ליה ואזיל פטור, כי מנח ליה — חייב. הכא נמי לא שנא.
as the halakha there is just as it is in the case of one who transfers an object in the public domain. There, even though as long as he takes it and walks and does not place the object he is exempt, is it not the case that when he places it he is liable? Obviously, between the place where he lifted the object and the place where he placed the object, where there is liability, there lies an undefined area where, as long as he continues walking, he is exempt. Here too, it is no different, as in both cases an identical situation exists: If he places the object at the end of his path he is liable, despite the fact that the area in the middle is an exempt place.
מי דמי?! התם כל היכא דמנח ליה מקום חיוב הוא. הכא, אי מנח ליה בסטיו מקום פטור הוא.
The Talmud rejects this comparison: Is this comparable? There, anywhere that he places the object is a place of potential liability. That cannot be described as two places of liability with an exempt domain between them, as the area between them is also a place of potential liability if he were to place the object there. On the other hand, here, if he places it in the colonnade, it is an absolute exempt domain.
אלא מידי דהוה אמעביר חפץ מתחלת ארבע לסוף ארבע. התם לאו אף על גב דאי מנח ליה בתוך ארבע אמות פטור, כי מנח ליה בסוף ארבע אמות חייב, הכא נמי לא שנא.
Again the question arises: Where is there a precedent of liability for transferring an object through an exempt domain? The Talmud answers: Rather, it is possible to cite a different precedent: The halakha here is just as it is in the case of one who transfers an object in the public domain from the beginning of 4 cubits to the end of 4 cubits exactly. There, is it not the case that, even though were he to place it within 4 cubits of where he stands, he is not liable because within 4 cubits, the complete prohibited labor of carrying in the public domain was not performed; and nevertheless, when he places it at the end of 4 cubits he is liable? Here too, it is no different. It can be said that there is a strip of exempt domain between the lifting and the placement.