Hello Rav Kornfeld and the Kollel! I had a question on the beraisa in Berachos 53a. It discusses the prohibition of transferring a flame on shabbas. A question is raised that if the flame is constantly renewed, there should be no issue since its not both akirah and hanacha. Rashi says the scenario is a small amount of oil smeared on a tiny piece of material, where the material is below the size of a shiur (so there's no issue of carrying the material/base itself). The gemara then seems to resolve that the original flame is still there, and the new flames are an addition.
I have 3 questions:
1) is there a minimum shiur to the size of the flame itself?
2) if the flame is new, isn't the coal/material base muktzeh bc of nolad?
3) even if the coal/material was large why isn't tafel to the flame?
Thank you!
Dear Joshua,
Here are possible answers to your questions:
1) The Braisa you mention is also quoted in Beitzah (49a) with one significant addition - "Kol Shehu". Rashi there says "Belo Shiur". So it seems that there is no minimum size to the flame itself. Similarly, the Mishnah there in Beitzah says "Hamotzi Gacheles Lereshus Harabim Chayiv". The Rambam, when he quotes this Halachah (Shabbas 18:5) also adds "Kol Shehu". It seems that something that is on fire has Chashivus regardless of its size.
2) Maybe it is Muktzeh, but the Braisa is not dealing with whether it is Mutar or Asur to move it - in which case Muktzeh would be relevant - but rather whether the person is Patur or Chayiv for taking it outside. In fact, the coal or the pottery shard is almost certainly Muktzeh either because it is a Basis for the Shalheves (see OC 279:1) or because it itself is Muktzeh Machmas Gufo because it is not a useful vessel (see OC 308:7).
3) The Shalheves by itself has no Chashivus. This can be seen from the Gemara in Beitzah (49a) that says that if one blows a flame into the Reshus Harabim he is Patur. Once, however, the Shalheves is attached to something like a pottery shard, it now has Chashivus even it is very small. Therefore, it seems that although the pottery shard is a Basis to the Shalheves, it is not Tafel because it is necessary for the Kiyum of the Shalheves. Besides this, I don't think we find any case where something loses its Shiur for Hotza'ah because it is attached to something else that is more important than it.
Kol Tuv,
Yonasan Sigler
This is not a Psak Halachah