1)

(a)The Tana Kama permits asking one's friend to sell him a vessel-full of wine (or whatever), provided it is not 'be'Midah'. To explain this, Rav Yehudah Amar Shmuel differentiates between a Kli ha'Meyuchad l'Midah and one which is Omed l'Midah. According to him - the Tana Kama permits selling a vessel-full of wine as long as it is no more than a spare (in case his measuring vessel breaks, but which has not yet been used as such).

(b)Rebbi Yehudah - forbids the use of any measuring vessel, even if it is only a spare, because it is 'Uvdin d'Chol (weekdayish).

(c)According to Rava, even Rebbi Yehudah agrees that one may use a spare measuring vessel, and their dispute concerns a vessel which is designated specifically for measuring (which the Tana Kama permits, and Rebbi Yehudah forbids).

(d)The Tana Kama (the Rabanan) permits using even such a vessel, and when they forbid ('Aval Lo b'Midah') - they mean that it is forbidden to mention a measure (e.g. one may only ask the seller to give him a vessel-full or half a vessel-full).

2)

(a)According to both Rav Yehudah Amar Shmuel and Rava - the problem with our Mishnah (which cites the Tana Kama as being lenient and Rebbi Yehudah, strict) is - that we learned earlier that it is Rebbi Yehudah who permits weighing meat against a vessel, and the Rabanan who forbid it. So it seems that when it comes to Simchas Yom-Tov, they have switched their opinions.

(b)We reconcile ...

1. ... Rebbi Yehudah in our Mishnah with Rebbi Yehudah there - by pointing out that in the earlier case, the vessel was not one that was used for weighing (and therefore is permitted), whereas in our Mishnah, we are dealing with a measuring vessel, with which Rebbi Yehudah is strict.

2. ... the Rabanan in our Mishnah with the Rabanan there - by confining the Rabanan's strict ruling there to the fact that it is 'weekdayish', which is not the case here (seeing as, according to Rav Yehudah Amar Shmuel, he is using a vessel which has not yet been designated as a measuring vessel, and according to Rava, one does not normally sell merchandise by vessels-full).

3)

(a)Aba Shaul ben Botnis, who was a wine-merchant, used to fill all his measuring vessels before Yom-Tov - because he maintained that measuring on Yom-Tov is forbidden.

(b)According to Aba Shaul, he used to do that even on Chol ha'Mo'ed - because of Bitul Beis-Hamedrash (so that he should be available on Chol ha'Mo'ed, to answer all the She'eilos of all the many people who came to ask him, because it is on Chol ha'Mo'ed that most people are free and are able to ask their She'eilos).

(c)If we have the text 'Mipnei Birurei ha'Midos' in our Mishnah - then it is due to the Bitul Beis ha'Medrash of the people who came to ask him, that he would pour from his barrels into the barrels of his clients before Yom-Tov and allow all the froth to subside, in order to be available to deal with all their She'eilos on Yom-Tov.

4)

(a)Aba Shaul ben Botnis collected three hundred barrels of wine from the Birurei ha'Midos - (the wine that ought to have replaced the foam that accumulated and that his clients did not wait to dissipate). Whilst his colleagues collected the same amount in Mitzuy ha'Midos (the oil that ought to have dripped from the sellers' barrels into those of the buyers, and which subsequently stuck to the base of the vessel).

(b)Birurei ha'Midos is so-called - either because one separates it from the wine when drinking it or because it is ; Mitzuy ha'Midos - because it is what remains after the oil has dripped into the purchaser's vessels.

5)

(a)Aba Shaul's colleagues took the three hundred barrels to the treasurers of Hekdesh - to use for the needs of Hekdesh should they so wish. They did not declare them Hekdesh - either because they did not consider the contents to be theirs, or because they considered it a case of 'Gezel b'Olah' .

(b)The treasurers of Hekdesh said to them ...

1. ... initially - that what they were doing was not necessary, since they were perfectly entitled to retain the wine and the oil.

2. ... when they still insisted on giving it to Hekdesh (due to Safek Gezel) - that it was not Hekdesh that ought to be benefiting from what they were returning, but the community at large, and that the correct thing to do was to use it for communal needs.

(c)Rav Chisda defines 'Tzorchei Rabim as - selling the 'stolen goods' and using the proceeds for a communal water supply.

6)

(a)Rav Chisda took Rabana Ukva for a walk one day and taught him about the prohibition of measuring barley for one's animal on Yom-Tov. To ensure that the animal receives the right amount of food however - he permitted him to scoop a measuring cup of a Kav or of two Kabin into the barley and take it out full.

(b)And he permitted a Nachtom (who cooks dishes for other people) to measure spices to add to his pot on Yom-Tov ...

(c)... to prevent the excess spices from causing the food to burn.

7)

(a)Rav permits a woman to measure flour for her dough on Yom-Tov - to encourage her to give Chalah (one twenty-fourth) generously (which she will not do if she is doubtful whether she is baking the full amount of dough that she requires).

(b)Shmuel - nevertheless forbids it.

(c)We reconcile Shmuel's ruling with the Tana d'Bei Shmuel, which permits it - by establishing the latter as Halachah for someone who knows about it already, but the former as Halachah l'Ma'aseh should he come to ask (in other words, the Tana d'Bei Shmuel holds 'Halachah v'Ein Morin Ken'). See also Tosfos DH 'Shmuel'.

8)

(a)The Tana Kama of the Beraisa says 'Ein Shonin Kemach b'Yom-Tov' - meaning that it is forbidden to re-sift the flour in order to improve its looks (because one could have done it before Yom-Tov).

(b)Rebbi Papayos and Rebbi Yehudah ben Beseira permit it - because, since the flour has already been sifted, it is no bother to sift it again. Moreover, it is clear from the quality of the flour that he is not sifting it in order to remove the impurities from it (which is the normal objective of sifting).

(c)Even the Tana Kama will agree that re-sifting flour is permitted however - if a stone or a splinter of wood fell into the flour on Yom-Tov.

(d)Ravina objected to the Beraisa quoted by the Beraisa-expert, which forbids re-sifting flour into which stones of splinters of wood fell, but permits removing them by hand - because removing them by hand resembles Bereirah (despite the fact that Beis Hillel permits Bereirah in this manner - above 14b). Consequently, it is preferable to re-sift the flour, which does not resemble a Melachah).

9)

(a)When Rava bar Rav Huna Zuta Darshened at the gates of Neherda'a that re-sifting flour is permitted - Rav Nachman told the people to go and inform him that he was 'preaching to the converted', since there were already many sieves at work in Neherda'a, busy re-sifting flour.

(b)When Rav Yosef's wife started re-sifting flour using the back of the sieve - he told her that he wanted to eat good-quality bread (and that a Shinuy in the sifting would cause a deterioration in the quality).

(c)Rav Ashi's wife too began re-sifting with a Shinuy - using the back of the table-top (see Tosfos DH 'Agaba').

(d)When Rav Ashi observed her doing that, he remarked that seeing as she was the daughter of Rami bar Chama (who was meticulous in the performance of Mitzvos), she must have seen it being done at home, in which case, it was the right thing to do.

10)

(a)Our Mishnah permits asking a store-keeper for a certain number of eggs - because that is something that one tends to do in one's own home too (which means that it is not exclusively a business-practice).

(b)The Tana needs to mention the fact that one should make the transaction through a store-keeper whom one knows well - because otherwise, he would probably not trust him without fixing a price on Yom-Tov.

(c)The Beraisa adds that one may ask a shepherd for a kid-goat or a lamb, a butcher for a foot or a thigh, a bird-fattener for a pigeon or a dove, and a baker for a loaf or a cake. He may not however, include 'Sechum Midah' in his request - meaning to specifically mention the amount required (e.g. one Kav or two Kabin).

(d)Rebbi Shimon ben Elazar forbids Sechum Mekach - meaning the price of the purchase (presumably, he will permit 'Sechum Midah'). (See also Tosfos DH 'she'Lo').

11)

(a)Our Mishnah restricts the transportation of jars of wine from one place to another - forbidding putting them all into a basket or a box ...

(b)... because it is Uvdin d'Chol ('weekdayish'), seeing as it looks as if one is transporting heavy loads).

(c)One is permitted however - to carry a few jars on one's shoulders ...

(d)... and one is also permitted to transport them in a box from one room to another in the same house - because it is only outside the house that Chazal issued the above restrictions.

12)

(a)The Tana also restricts the transportation of a box of straw - forbidding carrying it slung over one's shoulder (in the conventional manner).

(b)One may transport it in one's hand, holding it in front of oneself (see Tosfos Chadashim on the Mishnayos).

13)

(a)The Mishnah - permits taking straw from a new pile (that one has not designated in advance) on Yom-Tov, to light a fire ...

(b)... even if the owner has never used it before for this purpose?

(c)The Tana forbids however, taking wood from a Muktzeh - (a storehouse behind the house where wood and other items are stored for long periods of time, and which is not regularly used.