More Discussions for this daf
1. Being Mafkir one's items over Shabbos 2. Time Clocks 3. Using a Shabbos timer on a hotplate
4. Selling items to a non-Jew before Shabbos 5. How can one be Machmir like Beis Shammai?
DAF DISCUSSIONS - SHABBOS 18

Mark Bergman asked:

The Mishna (17b) and the Gemoro (18b) discuss how shortly before Shabbos one may sell an item to a non-Jew.

There is a Mishna in Pesochim (Perek 3; also in Avoda Zora) that one mustn't raise Behema Daka, and one reason given (I think in Gem AZ 14b) is in case one sells/hires it just before Shabbos and helps the non-Jew as Shabbos comes in.

How do the two mishnayos fit together? (i.e. if one anyway can't sell anything before Shabbos, why this special strict gezero not to raise these animals!)

- do they agree (are they the same tanoim)?

- was the Mishna in Pesochim first (only for Behem Daka) then extended to everything?

Kol Tuv

Meir Eliezer Bergman

Manchester UK

The Kollel replies:

Shalom

First let me point out that the mishnah in Avodah Zarah prohibits selling animals to a non-Jew for the reason you mentioned. It was not, however, dealing with raising the animal as you claimed.

There are two issues here. In our gemara one may not sell or loan items to a non-Jew just before Shabbos in a case where he will be forced to remove it from the Jew's house after Shabbos began. The issue here is that the Jew might be suspected that he commanded the non-Jew to remove those items from his house on Shabbos. In this case the violation is an Isur M'drabonon -- telling a non-Jew to do a melacha on Shabbos.

The issue in the gemara Avodah Zarah is that the Jew might cause the animal to walk on Shabbos carrying items. In this case it is an Isur M'doraisa. This can happen even if the animal was sold a while before Shabbos began. So we are dealing with a more severe issue and an extended period of time. Thus in this case chachamim forbade selling an animal to a non-Jew at all (or at least a Behemah Gasah).

Yehuda Landy