1)

(a)Shmuel permits contracting work to a Nochri (knowing that he is likely to perform it on Shabbos) - provided he does the work outside Techum Shabbos, so that nobody will know that he is working for a Jew.

(b)He forbids it inside Techum Shabbos - because people will know that the Nochri is performing the work for a Jew, who, they will assume, handed him the contract on that day (Shabbos).

(c)We reconcile this with Beis Hillel in Shabbos, who permits handing one's washing to a Nochri laundry on Erev Shabbos just before Shabbos comes in - by pointing out that (unlike working on the land or building, which our Sugya is discussing, and which everybody recognizes), when one gives washing to a laundry, people do not generally know whose laundry he is washing.

(d)

1. Rav Papa forbids contracting work to a Nochri, even outside the Techum - if there is another town nearby.

2. Rav Mesharshaya forbids it, even if there are no towns nearby - on Chol ha'Moed, when people tend to travel and someone from his town is likely to pass by and see the work being done.

2)

(a)Nochri contractors built Mar Zutra Brei d'Rav Nachman a mansion outside the Techum. His colleagues (and some say even he himself) refused to enter it; according to some, because he was an important man (who should be stringent with himself even where others do not need to be). Others say that it is - because he assisted them by giving them straw for the building, though he then presumably had reason to believe that they would not work on Shabbos.

(b)Rav Chama permitted the joiners of the Resh Galusa to repair the tables on Chol ha'Mo'ed - because they were not getting paid for their work, and were really repaying the Resh Galusa for the free meals that they were receiving (and it is not considered work).

(c)Something that one may not do oneself on Chol ha'Mo'ed ...

1. ... one may not contract a Nochri to perform - on Chol ha'Mo'ed either.

2. ... one may contract a Nochri on Chol ha'Mo'ed to perform - after Yom Tov.

(d)One should nevertheless take care in the latter case - not to measure, weigh or count (on Chol ha'Mo'ed - the work that needs to be performed, in advance) in the way that one normally does.

3)

(a)One may not breed an animal on Chol ha'Mo'ed - by holding the female with one hand whilst bringing the male onto it with the other.

(b)The Tana of the Beraisa includes an animal that is a Bechor and one that is Pesulei ha'Mukdashin (Kodshim that became blemished and that was subsequently redeemed) in this prohibition.

(c)Rebbi Yehudah say that ...

1. ... if a she-ass is in heat - one is allowed to breed it, so that it should not become cold (and lose its fertility).

2. ... if other animals are in heat - one sends them to join the rest of the animals in the pen.

4)

(a)The Isur of 'Ein Medairin' constitutes - leading the animals into the field that needs to be fertilized, following which the animals will do the job by themselves.

(b)It is forbidden on Shabbos, Yom Tov and Chol ha'Mo'ed.

(c)Even if the animals come of their own accord - one is not permitted to assist them in any way to fertilize the field, or to appoint a guard, should they belong to Nochrim (though one is not obligated to chase them out of the field either).

(d)If the Nochri is a 'Sechir Shabbos, Sechir Chodesh, Sechir Shanah or Sechir Shavu'a however, one may assist them or appoint a guard. A 'Sechir Shavu'a' - is one who is hired for a full seven-year Shemitah cycle.

5)

(a)Rebbi is lenient with regard to assisting animals belonging to Nochrim that came by themselves (see Hagahos ha'Gra) - on Shabbos the assistant may only work for free, on Yom Tov for his food, and on Chol ha'Mo'ed, even for payment.

(b)Rav Yosef rules like Rebbi.

6)

(a)If someone's wine is already in the pit when he became an Avel, or something happened to prevent him from placing it in barrels before Yom Tov or if his workers retracted - he is permitted to place the wine in barrels, which he may shut tight with a proper lid (to prevent the wine from turning sour).

(b)Rebbi Yehudah is more stringent. He concedes that placing the wine in barrels is permitted - but forbids shutting the barrels with a proper lid. One may however, cover the wine with boards (as a Shinuy).

(c)Having told us this with regard to ...

1. ... oil (in the previous Mishnah), the Tana nevertheless finds it necessary to repeat it by wine - because wine does not spoil as badly as oil, so we may have thought that there, Rebbi Yosi will agree with Rebbi Yehudah (that it is forbidden).

2. ... wine, the Tana nevertheless finds it necessary to repeat it by oil - because, since oil spoils more badly than wine, we may otherwise have thought that Rebbi Yehudah will agree there with Rebbi Yosi.

7)

(a)Any Tana who requires a Shinuy by a Davar ha'Aved on Chol ha'Mo'ed does not hold like Rebbi Yosi. Rav Yosef rules - like Rebbi Yosi.

(b)When they asked Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak whether one may cement shut a barrel of beer on Chol ha'Mo'ed - he answered that seeing as Rav Yosef has already ruled like Rebbi Yosi, who does not require a Shinuy by a Davar ha'Aved on Chol ha'Mo'ed, it is obvious that one may.

(c)We know that Rebbi Yosi's concession incorporates a barrel of beer (as well as wine) - because of Abaye, who quoted his wise foster-mother, who told him that six Sa'ah of covered beer is worth as much as eight Sa'ah of uncovered beer (from which we see that when beer is not covered, it results in a loss).

8)

(a)Rav Daniel bar Ketina explains Rav Chama bar Guriah Amar Rav's statement, comparing the Halachos of Chol ha'Mo'ed to the Halachos of the Kuti - to meant that, just like certain Halachos, the Kutim adopted, others they did not (i.e. there was no consistency in their behavior), so too, there is no consistency in the Halachos of Chol ha'Mo'ed (i.e. one cannot learn one thing from the other - because each case is independent of the other [as we see from Shmuel and Rav Dimi from Neherda'a]).

(b)

1. Shmuel permits cementing a jar of wine on Chol ha'Mo'ed but not a barrel - because there is less Tircha in the case of the former.

2. Rav Dimi from Neherda'a permits cementing a barrel of wine on Chol ha'Mo'ed but not a jar - because the former constitutes a bigger loss.

(c)When Abaye compared the Halachos of Chol ha'Mo'ed to the Halachos of Shabbos - he means that, just as in Hilchos Shabbos, some things are Mutar and others, Patur Aval Asur (mid'Rabanan), so too in Hilchos Chol ha'Mo'ed, some things are Mutar and others, Patur Aval Asur (such as 'Zofsin' and 'Ein Zofsin', which we just learned).

9)

(a)Rabah bar Rav Huna queried his father, who reaped on Chol ha'Mo'ed, from a Beraisa, where the Tana Kama rules that although a Davar ha'Aved by something that is detached is permitted, even if it is only becoming partially spoiled - a Davar ha'Aved with regard to what is attached to the ground remains forbidden, even if it is becoming totally spoiled.

(b)One may reap, pile up, thresh, winnow, select and grind - provided one does not have what to eat on Yom Tov.

(c)One must nevertheless take care - not to use cows for threshing the corn.

(d)The problem with Rav Huna was - that he had enough to eat, so why was he permitted to do reaping?

10)

(a)We answer the Kashya on Rav Huna (in 8a.) by establishing the author of the Beraisa to be the individual opinion of Rebbi Yosi, whom Raban Shimon ben Gamliel quotes as saying that something that is ...

1. ... detached which will become slightly spoiled - is permitted on Chol ha'Mo'ed, whereas something that is ...

2. ... attached that will become completely spoiled - is forbidden.

(b)The Chachamim - do not differentiate between the two. They permit both.

(c)The problem with establishing the Beraisa like Rebbi Yosi is - why the Tana then forbids using a cow, seeing as Rav Yitzchak bar Aba stated that any Beraisa that requires a Shinuy cannot go like R. Yosi (who does require a Shinuy by Davar ha'Aved).

(d)We answer that - the prohibition of not using cows has nothing to do with Shinuy (bearing in mind that often one does not use cows anyway, but rather plowing with cows on Chol ha'Mo'ed per se is not conducive with the Kavod of Chol ha'Mo'ed.

11)

(a)The Beraisa forbids grinding, chopping wood and making beer for after Yom Tov. If however, one did any of these for use on Chol ha'Mo'ed or Yom Tov - what is leftover is permitted to use after Yom Tov.

(b)The Tana of this Beraisa forbids deliberately grinding, chopping or making beer in excess, having in mind to use the leftovers after Yom Tov - because he holds that on Chol ha'Mo'ed 'Ein Ma'arimin' ('cheating' is forbidden).

(c)Another Beraisa specifically permits 'cheating' on Chol ha'Mo'ed - i.e. making fresh beer, even if one already has old stock, on the pretext that he specifically wants to drink fresh beer (even though he doesn't really care). The Tana who permits 'Ha'aramah' ('cheating') is Rebbi Yosi b'Rebbi Yehudah.

12)

(a)Shmuel was cross with Rav for reaping wheat on Chol ha'Mo'ed, not because he held like Rebbi Yosi, who forbids even Davar ha'Aved by what is attached to the ground, but - because we are talking about wheat, which does not get spoilt.

(b)Rav, on the other hand - did it because he did not have enough to eat for Yom Tov (a fact of which Shmuel was unaware).

(c)Alternatively, Shmuel may have been cross - because Rav was a great man (and we learned earlier that there are certain Chumros that a great man is expected to practice).

13)

(a)Rebbi Yehudah Nesi'ah went out into the courtyard on Shabbos wearing a metal ring with a corral stone. He also drank water heated up by a Nochri on Shabbos, both of which caused Rebbi Ami to become cross with him.

(b)In neither case, would Rebbi Ami have been angry had Rebbi Yehudah Nesi'ah not been a great man - because neither is really forbidden; the former, because we have learned in a Beraisa that rings worn on the hands, the fingers or the nose, are considered vessels, which may be worn in a courtyard, and the latter, because Rav has been quoted as saying that whatever can be eaten raw, is not subject to 'Bishul Akum' (the prohibition of eating what a Nochri has cooked).

14)

(a)When Rav Chananel Amar Rav made the statement that one is permitted to cut down a palm-tree on Chol-ha'Mo'ed, even though one only needs the sawdust - Abaye cursed whoever does so.

(b)Rav Ashi went on Chol ha'Mo'ed to cut down his forest in Shalnaya. When Rav Shilo from Shalnaya reminded him that Abaye had issued a curse on anyone who followed the opinion of Rav Chananel Amar Rav - he told him politely that he disagreed with Abaye.

(c)He subsequently dropped a bolt which nearly killed him - because he chose to ignore Abaye.

(d)His reaction to that was - to desist from chopping down his forest on Chol ha'Mo'ed.

15)

(a)Rav Yehudah permitted tearing out flax, cutting down hops and uprooting sesame-seeds on Chol ha'Mo'ed. On Chol ha'Mo'ed, one might need ...

1. ... flax - for covering dates or figs that one intended to eat on Yom Tov.

2. ... hops - to make beer.

3. ... sesame-seeds - for the oil that one makes out of the pits.

(b)The year after Rebbi Yanai picked the fruit from his orchard on Chol ha'Mo'ed - everyone took their cue from him, only they deliberately postponed it for Chol ha'Mo'ed (a perfect demonstration as to why Chazal have said that, in many cases, a great man must be strict with himself even where others do not need to be).

(c)Rebbi Yanai reacted - by (blaming himself and) declaring his entire crop of that year Hefker.

16)

(a)Our Mishnah permits bringing in one's fruit because of thieves and one's flax from the soaking-house to save them from becoming spoiled - provided one does not deliberately postpone it for Chol ha'Mo'ed.

(b)If someone deliberately postpones either of these until Chol ha'Mo'ed - he is forbidden to derive any benefit from what he did.

(c)When bringing one's fruit in from the field - one should take care to do so discreetly.

(d)Rav Yosef justified bringing beams of wood in from the field by day rather than by night - because, seeing as by night, one requires more people and more lights, doing it by day is even more discreet than doing it by night.