someone asked a question in shiur (I would need to ask him if he minds if I use his name)
Rav Shimon holds that if 2 people do a melacha they are always Patur
When the Bnei Kehus carried the Kaylim for the Mishkan didnt they carry with 2 people?
H Grumet, Far Rockaway, NY
The Gemara says that even according to Rebbi Shimon in a case of "Zeh Yachol v'Zeh Aino Yachol" -- "This one can do the Melachah (alone), and this one cannot" the one who can do the Melachah by himself is Chayev. TOSFOS (93a, DH "Amar Mar") explains that the person in this case who is called someone who "cannot do the Melachah by himself," is not necessarily talking about someone who cannot physically do the Melachah by himself, but is even talking about someone who could do it by himself, but is not presently carrying the item in a way where it would stay carried if he would be doing the Melachah by himself.
This means that if two strong people were carrying a heavy item, and one person was bearing the burden while the other person was just helping out (i.e. making sure the item stayed balanced properly) this would be a case of Zeh Yachol v'Zeh Aino Yachol.
It is very possible that according to Rebbi Shimon, the Bnei Kehas carried the Kaylim in such a fashion, where one was doing the main carrying whereas the second person was merely helping with the balancing. As the Gemara explains, Rebbi Shimon has Pesukim which indicate that all other cases of two people carrying are Patur. He therefore learns that this must be the way Bnei Kehas carried.
All the best,
Yaakov Montrose
Thank you for your quick reply
I saw that the Pnei Yehoshua asks a similiar question. According to R' Shimon, how is one ever Chayiv for Hoshatah (Passing an item)? He quotes a Yerushalmi that there is a Gezeiras HaKussav that Hoshatah would be Chayiv.
Maybe this is the answer to our question also.
H Grumet
Thank you for the note regarding the Pnei Yehoshua. It is possible that this type of answer works for our question as well, although I personally do not think it is prudent to answer that something is a Gezeiras ha'Kasuv until I know for sure that it is an explicit Gezeiras ha'Kasuv. This is especially true when there is a way to answer otherwise.
b'Birkas ha'Torah,
Yaakov Montrose
I would propose the following answer:
What we learn from the Mishkan is which activities are considered "Melachos" and thus subject to "LO SAASEH KOL MELACHA".
Rav Shimon would agree that we learn from the Mishkan that carrying is a "Melacha".
Rav Shimon independently holds that when 2 people together commit any Kares-forbidden act (not necessarily Shabbos violation) then neither brings a Chatas. This rule is not affected by the fact that 2 people did some carrying by the Mishkan.
Bezalel Drillick