1)

(a)We learn the reason for the prohibition of shaving and washing one's clothes on Chol ha'Mo'ed from a similar Din with regard to the men of the Mishmar and the Ma'amad, who are forbidden to shave or to wash their clothes. They are nevertheless permitted to do so - on Thursday 'li'Chevod Shabbos'.

(b)Rabah bar bar Chanah in the name of Rebbi Elazar gives the reason for the prohibition of the men of the Mishmar and the Ma'amad shaving or washing their clothes - so that they should not enter their term of service unshaven and with dirty clothes (relying on the fact that they can always have a shave and wash their clothes once they are there).

2)

(a)Rebbi Zeira asks whether someone who was looking for a lost article on Erev Yom Tov is permitted to shave and to wash his clothes - because, unlike the other cases of Ones which our Mishnah permits, people do not know about his lost article. They will think that he deliberately postponed his haircut or washing his clothes until Chol ha'Mo'ed.

(b)Abaye takes it for granted - that he may not, because, otherwise of the principle of 'Lo Pelug' (i.e. 'people will say that everybody else's shaped cakes are forbidden, and Baytus' shaped cakes are permitted' - see Pesachim 37a.). In effect, Chazal permitted the exceptions mentioned in the Mishnah (because everyone knows about them, but not other cases of Ones).

(c)Rebbi Asi Amar Rebbi Yochanan permits someone who has only one shirt, to wash it on Chol ha'Mo'ed - because when he stands in his belt (without his shirt) washing it, it is clear to all that he is an Ones (unlike other cases of Ones, where the fact that he is Ones is not evident for all to see).

(d)Rav Ashi poses Rebbi Zeira's She'eilah slightly differently. He asks whether an expert barber say, who lost an article on Erev Yom Tov, may have a haircut or wash his clothes on Chol ha'Mo'ed - because an expert barber is a public man, and, when people come to him on Erev Yom Tov for a haircut, they will all see that he lost an article and will realize that he an Ones; on the other hand, it is not as clear as the cases in our Mishnah, which everyone knows about.

3)

(a)The author of our Mishnah, which permits someone who arrives on Chol ha'Mo'ed from overseas, to shave and to wash his clothes, cannot be Rebbi Yehudah - who forbids it because he should not have traveled on Yom Tov (see Tosfos DH 'Masnisin').

(b)Rava qualifies their Machlokes. If someone arrived ...

1. ... from a pleasure trip - even the Rabanan concede that he may not have a shave or wash his clothes.

2. ... from a business-trip for his basic livelihood - even Rebbi Yehudah concedes that he may.

3. ... from a business-trip to become rich - that is when Rebbi Yehudah and the Chachamim argue.

(c)When Rebbi said 'Nir'in Divrei Rebbi Yehudah k'she'Yatza she'Lo bi'Reshus, v'Divrei Rabanan k'she'Yatza bi'Reshus'- he meant that the Rabanan agree with Rebbi Yehudah in the case of someone who went she'Lo bi'Reshus (for a pleasure-trip), and that Rebbi Yehudah agrees with the Rabanan in the case of someone who went bi'Reshus (for his basic livelihood), as we just explained.

4)

(a)Shmuel permits cutting the hair of a baby born on Chol ha'Mo'ed - on the grounds that there is no more blatant case of the release of a captive (which our Mishnah specifically permits) than the birth of a baby ...

(b)... from which we can infer that if the baby was born before Yom Tov - it would be forbidden to cut his hair.

(c)Rebbi Pinchas queries Shmuel however, based on the Beraisa which permits anyone who is permitted to shave on Chol ha'Mo'ed, to shave during Avelus, implying that whoever is forbidden on the former, is forbidden on the latter.

(d)The reason the Beraisa gives for the custom of tearing Keri'ah on a Katan's clothes is - to evoke Agmas Nefesh and make people cry (for Kavod ha'Mes, but not because the child is an Avel).

5)

(a)Rebbi Pinchas now asks on Shmuel - from the inference we just made that whoever is forbidden to shave on Chol ha'Mo'ed, is forbidden to shave during Avelus. Consequently, since Shmuel forbids shaving a Katan on Chol ha'Mo'ed (as we just explained), why does Avelus not apply to him?

(b)Rav Ashi refutes his Kashya however - by changing the inference from 'Whoever is forbidden to shave on Chol ha'Mo'ed is also forbidden to shave during Avelus' to 'There are some people who are forbidden to shave on Chol ha'Mo'ed who are forbidden to shave during Avelus, but there are some who are permitted.

(c)Rav Shisha Brei d'Rav Idi quotes Shmuel as saying - that one is permitted to shave a Katan on Chol ha'Mo'ed, irrespective of whether he was born on Chol ha'Mo'ed or whether he was born before Yom Tov, causing Rebbi Pinchas to cite the Beraisa as a proof (rather than as a Kashya).

(d)And Rav Ashi refutes the proof - in exactly the same way as he refuted the Kashya in the first Lashon of Shmuel.

6)

(a)An Avel does not practice Avelus on Yom Tov or on Chol ha'Mo'ed - because the communal Mitzvah of Simchas Yom Tov ("v'Samachta b'Chagecha") overrides the private Mitzvah of Avelus.

(b)Nor is there any difference whether the Avelus began before Yom Tov or on Chol ha'Mo'ed - if the Avelus occurred first, then the Aseh of communal Simchah negates the private Aseh of Avelus, whereas if Yom Tov fell first, it prevents that of Avelus from taking effect.

7)

(a)The Beraisa permits judging matters that involve either the death sentence, lashes, or money-matters on Chol ha'Mo'ed - but not on Yom Tov.

(b)The Tana then adds - that if someone fails to comply with the Beis-Din's rulings, he is placed in Cherem.

(c)Rav Yosef uses this Beraisa to resolve the She'eilah of whether a Menudeh is obligated to practice his Niduy on Yom Tov or not - inasmuch as if Beis-Din will place a fresh Niduy on someone who deserves it, then it is obvious that an existing one will not be rescinded.

(d)Abaye refutes his Rebbe's proof however - on the grounds that the Tana is not referring to the actual Niduy, but to the discussion that precedes it (whereas the actual Niduy is placed only after Yom Tov).

8)

(a)Abaye proves his point from Reisha of the Beraisa 'Danin Dinei Nefashos' - which can only mean that one looks into the Din but not that one actually carries out the death-sentence, due to a statement of Rebbi Akiva ...

(b)... who said, based on based on the Pasuk in Kedoshim "Lo Sochlu al ha'Dam" - that Sanhedrin who carried out the death-sentence, are obligated to fast for the remainder of that day (which would certainly constitute an infraction of Simchas Yom Tov, were they to do fast all day on Chol ha'Mo'ed).

9)

(a)Taking the issue one step further, Abaye asked Rav Yosef a Kashya from 'Me'aneh es Dino' - (the prohibition of leaving a death-sentence without a ruling, which causes the defendant undue suffering).

(b)Consequently, he asked Rav Yosef - how can they examine his case on Chol ha'Mo'ed without issuing a final ruling? (See Tosfos DH 'Nimtza'as')

(c)Rav Yosef replied - that they would first examine his case, then go home and eat, before reconvening close to sunset, when they would issue their final ruling, and put him to death (just before nightfall).

(d)Abaye then queried his own explanation from the Beraisa 'u'Menudeh she'Hitiru Lo Chachamim', implying that the Beis-Din rescinded every Niduy on Yom Tov. Rava however (basing himself on the Lashon 'she'Hitiru Lo Chachamim' [rather than 'she'Hitiruhu Chachamim'] established the Beraisa exclusively by someone who asked the person whom he had hurt (the cause of his Niduy) for forgiveness, and then comes before the Beis-Din on Chol ha'Mo'ed to rescind (but not by a Stam Niduy).

10)

(a)We then ask whether a Metzora practices his Tzara'as on Yom Tov - a. whether he is permitted to enter the walls of the town and b. whether he is permitted to cut his hair.

(b)Abaye tries to resolve this She'eilah from our Mishnah, which includes a Metzora who is in the process of becoming Tahor among those who are permitted to have a shave and wash their clothes on Yom Tov - implying that a Metzora who is not in the process of becoming Tahor may not do so.

(c)We refute his proof however, by saying 'Lo Miba'ei ... ' - meaning that the Tana considers it unnecessary to mention a Metzora who is not in the process of becoming Tahor, and it is only one who is that he needs to include, because we may otherwise have precluded him from having a haircut, since that requires a Korban, and we might suspected him of leaving his Korban for the last day of Yom Tov, which is forbidden.

(d)Rava ...

1. ... resolves the She'eilah from a Beraisa, which includes a Kohen Gadol in the Dinim of Tzara'as from the Pasuk in Tazri'a "v'ha'Tzaru'a" - because (vis-a-vis the Dinim of Avodah) a Kohen Gadol the whole year round is like an ordinary person on Yom Tov, from which it is clear that a Metzora does practice his Tzara'as on Yom Tov.

2. ... proves that a Kohen Gadol the whole year round is like an ordinary person on Yom Tov - from the Mishnah in Zevachim) which obligates a Kohen Gadol to bring Korbanos even when he is an Onein, even though he is not allowed to eat them (like an Onen on Yom Tov).

(e)A regular Onein during the year - is forbidden to bring Korbanos at all, as we shall see shortly.