I do not learn Gemara but my husband left out on our desk the summary and it has possibly saved me from doing an aveira. I was going to use Chol Hamoed to till and clear the rocks from our back yard so we could plant grass. My kids would have loved this activity ( for the first hour, anyway) but I was doing it to save money from having to hire someone. Am I to understand that this would not be permissible under any circumstances?
Thanks,
Adira Benklifa
Dallas, TX
PS - You should know that my husband prints this out so that at 5:30am while our boys eat breakfast he can go through it with them. They are 10 and 7 and they started Daf Yomi Meschata Purim and we are so proud of them!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL RESOURCE!
Adira,
First let me say that your postscript was truly inspiring; when 10 and 7 year-olds are learning Torah with their father at five-thirty in the morning, we can be optimistic about the future of Klal Yisrael.
Regarding gardening on Chol haMoed: this is problematic. The Gemara (Moed Katan 10b) mentions specifically the prohibition of preparing a field for sowing. It is especially problematic, because you are saving this work specifically for Chol haMoed and it is not being done for the sake of the holiday (see Shulchan Aruch 536:6).
There is a widely applicable principle that one is permitted to do Melachos on Chol haMoed to avoid a monetary loss (Shulchan Aruch 538:1). So, for instance, you can water your lawn and tend your garden to avoid having them wilt and die. The principle, though, does not include doing a Melacha in order to save money, such as in your case where you are saving money by doing the work during Chol haMoed.
I hope that putting off the gardening till after Pesach will only add to your Simchas haChag.
Chag Kasher v'Sameach
Y. Sigler
This reply is not a Psak Halachah. Please ask your local rabbi for practical guidance.