1)

(a)The Tana of our Mishnah quotes three rulings in the name of Beis Shamai: they permit an egg that was laid on Yom-Tov to be eaten, give the Shi'ur of yeast on Pesach as a k'Zayis but that of Chametz as a Koseves (a large date), and permit Shechting a bird and then digging earth with a spade (others translate 'Deker' as a peg or a spear) in order to fulfill the Mitzvah of Kisuy ha'Dam. Beis Hillel say that ...

1. ... an egg that was laid on Yom-Tov - may not be eaten.

2. ... the Shi'ur of Chametz on Pesach - is a k'Zayis.

3. ... Shechting a bird and digging earth with a peg on Yom-Tov - is forbidden (it is only permitted if one has earth prepared from before Yom-Tov).

(b)The Tana specifically groups these three Halachos together - because they are all Halachos of Yom-Tov regarding which Beis Shamai is lenient and Beis Hillel strict.

(c)Beis Hillel agree that, if one did Shecht without the spade being prepared before Yom-Tov - one should follow Beis Shamai's ruling.

2)

(a)We think at this stage, that the chicken that laid the egg in our Mishnah cannot have been one that was designated for eating - because, if it was, Beis Hillel would not forbid it, seeing as it is 'Uchla d'Efras' (food that comes from food), which everybody agrees, is permitted.

(b)If on the other hand, we are speaking about a chicken that was designated to lay eggs - why do Beis Shamai permit it, since the egg ought to be Muktzeh no less than the chicken from which it came!?

(c)We reject the suggestion that Beis Shamai hold like Rebbi Shimon - who says that the oil that remains in a Shabbos-lamp after it has gone out, is permitted (because he does not hold of 'Migo d'Iskatza'i ... ' (Whatever is rejected when Shabbos comes in, remains Muktzeh the whole of Shabbos).

(d)We reject it - on the grounds that even Rebbi Shimon, who is lenient by Muktzeh, will concede that Nolad (something that was not yet in the world when Shabbos or Yom-Tov came in) is forbidden.

3)

(a)Rav Nachman overrules the above objection however - by rejecting any distinction between Muktzeh and Nolad (so that those who permit Muktzeh, permit Nolad). Consequently, he establishes Beis Shamai like Rebbi Shimon, whereas Beis Hillel hold like Rebbi Yehudah (the disputant of Rebbi Shimon, who holds of Muktzeh).

(b)In a Mishnah in Shabbos, Beis Shamai permit removing bones and nut-shells from the table. Beis Hillel say that one must take out the whole table, and shake it off outside.

(c)Rav Nachman switches the opinions of Beis Shamai and Beis Hillel.

(d)The problem this statement of Rav Nachman (which portrays Beis Shamai as the more stringent of the two) creates is - that it appears to contradict with his previous statement, which reversed the opinions of Beis Shamai and Beis Hillel in our Mishnah (portraying Beis Shamai as the more lenient of the two)!

4)

(a)In another Mishnah in Shabbos, the Tana permits cutting up gourds for the animals on Shabbos, and a carcass for the dogs. We may have thought that ...

1. ... cutting up gourds for the animals on Shabbos is forbidden - because of Tircha Yeseira (excessive bother).

2. ... cutting up a carcass for the dogs should be forbidden - because it speaks when the animal died on Shabbos, and was consequently unfit to feed the dogs when Shabbos came in ...

(b)... like Rebbi Shimon, who does not hold of 'Migo d'Iskatza'i (as we explained earlier) .

5)

(a)In another Mishnah, the Tana forbids chopping up beams that have been designated for building purposes, nor from a beam that broke on Yom-Tov - because, even though it is now fit to be used as fire-wood, it was unfit when Shabbos came in.

(b)These two Mishnahs help resolve the contradiction between Rav Nachman's two statements - because we now see that Rebbi was lenient in the first Mishnah (regarding Shabbos), but strict in the second one (regarding Yom-Tov). This explains why following in Rebbi's footsteps, in our Mishnah, which speaks about Yom-Tov, Rav Nachman establishes Beis Hillel like Rebbi Yehudah, whereas in the Mishnah in Shabbos, he established them like Rebbi Shimon.

(c)Rebbi is more stringent by Yom-Tov than by Shabbos - because, seeing as the Torah is more lenient by Yom-Tov than by Shabbos, he was afraid, that if he would be lenient too (with regard to Muktzeh), people would begin to treat Yom-Tov with disrespect.

6)

(a)The author of a Stam Mishnah is really a single Tana - yet when Rebbi accepts his opinion as Halachah, he presents it in the form of a Stam Mishnah, giving it the authority of a majority ruling.

(b)Bearing in mind that Nolad is more stringent than Muktzeh, Rebbi presented the Machlokes between Beis Shamai and Beis Hillel in our Mishnah by an egg that was laid on Yom-Tov, rather by the chicken itself - to teach us the strength of Beis Shamai's ruling (that they even permit Nolad too).

(c)He did not present it by the chicken, to teach us the strength of Beis Hillel (that they are strict even by the chicken, which is only Asur because of Muktzeh) - due to the principle 'Ko'ach d'Heteira Adif' (the power of Heter is greater than that of Isur).

(d)The logic behind this principle is - because anybody can declare something to be Asur, l'Chumra, even if he is not sure; whereas one has to be absolutely certain before he is permitted rule that something is permitted.

7)

(a)We retract from the entire explanation of Rav Nachman (that Beis Shamai holds like Rebbi Shimon and Beis Hillel like Rebbi Yehudah - on Yom-Tov) however because in that case, Rebbi ought to have incorporated both the chicken and the egg in the Mishnah, to teach us both simultaneously.

(b)Rabah establishes our Mishnah by a chicken that was designated to eat (which explains why they do not argue over the chicken). Nevertheless, Beis Hillel forbid the egg (even though it is 'Uchla d'Efras') - because it is Muktzeh d'Oraisa, as we shall now see.

(c)Rabah learns this from the Pasuk in Beshalach "v'Hayah ba'Yom ha'Shishi, v'Heichinu es Asher Yavi'u" - which teaches us that Shabbos food must be verbally prepared on (a regular) Friday, and similarly, Yom-Tov food must be prepared on an ordinary week-day. Neither may be prepared on a Shabbos or a Yom-Tov.

(d)An egg ...

1. ... that is laid on a Yom-Tov that did not fall on Sunday or that was laid on an ordinary Shabbos, is forbidden - because Chazal decreed there because of Yom-Tov that followed Shabbos.

2. ... that is laid on Sunday is permitted - because a weekday meal is not sufficiently important to warrant preparation in advance.

8)

(a)The Beraisa permits complete eggs that one finds inside a chicken that one Shechted on Yom-Tov. We might have thought that they are forbidden, and it is not a case of a 'Gezeirah l'Gezeirah' - because we would have established the Beraisa by Yom-Tov which fell after Shabbos, in which case, it would be a case of only one decree (according to Rabah), and not two.

(b)Chazal did not in fact, extend the decree to this case - because it is unusual to find complete eggs inside a Shechted chicken, and Chazal tend not to issue decrees in unusual cases.

9)

(a)Rav Yosef too, establishes our Mishnah by a chicken that was designated to be eaten, and Beis Hillel's reason for forbidding the egg is on account of 'Peiros ha'Noshrin' - meaning that it is similar to fruit that fell from a tree, which Chazal forbade (in case one comes to climb the tree and pick the fruit).

(b)Despite the fact that the reason (that he might climb the tree and pick the fruit) is not applicable by a chicken that lays an egg, this is not a 'Gezeirah l'Gezeirah' - because Chazal incorporated both cases in the same decree (and not as an afterthought, to reinforce the original decree, which would make it a 'Gezeirah l'Gezeirah').