QUESTIONS: The Gemara says that a lamp, oil, and a wick are all considered to be a "Basis l'Davar ha'Asur" according to Rebbi Shimon. RASHI explains that the Davar ha'Asur is the flame, which is Muktzah and may not be moved even l'Tzorech Gufo u'Mekomo. Why is the flame Muktzah? The Gemara explains that the flame is comparable to a rock on the ground, which is not a Kli and which has no useful purpose on Shabbos.

1. How is a flame comparable to a rock? A flame has a useful purpose -- it provides light! Indeed, if one anticipates that he will need light in a certain room on Shabbos, he is permitted to designate a flashlight or a phosphorescent rock such as phosphorus for use on Shabbos and move it to the room in which he needs light. Since the flame has a useful purpose of providing light, one should be allowed to bring it from one place to another on Shabbos in order to use its light!

2. If a flame is considered Muktzah Machmas Gufo, why is one permitted to move logs in a fire on Yom Tov (when doing so is not l'Tzorech Ochel Nefesh)? One may move a lit flame or log on Yom Tov even when it is not l'Tzorech Ochel Nefesh, and the log is not considered to be a "Basis" for a flame that is Muktzah Machmas Gufo. (This is evident from the fact that Tosfos never cites this as proof that Muktzah may be moved on Yom Tov for the sake of Ochel Nefesh; see Tosfos to Beitzah 8a, DH Amar (M. KORNFELD). (RAV SHLOMO ZALMAN AUERBACH, zt'l, in MINCHAS SHLOMO 14:1)

(a) The CHAZON ISH (Moed 41:16) explains that people abstain from moving candles on Shabbos out of fear that the candle might go out. (Even though it will only be a Davar she'Eino Miskaven if the candle goes out, people refrain from moving it lest it go out, since they will not be able to relight it. -Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, ibid.) TOSFOS (46a, DH v'Ha) states that objects that are specifically designated to be kept in a one place ("Kove'a la'Hem Makom") are Muktzah because they are never moved. Similarly, a flame is Muktzah because it is never moved, and thus it is considered as though it was designated to be kept in a certain place.

On Yom Tov, however, since it is permitted to rekindle a flame, people do not refrain from moving candles. Therefore, a candle is not Muktzah as a result of being designated to remain in one place.

(b) RAV SHLOMO ZALMAN AUERBACH answers that a flame cannot be considered a utensil, for three reasons. First, the flame is used only for its light. Second, it is a Davar she'Ein Bo Mamash (it has no tangible substance) and thus cannot be called a Kli. Third, it is always changing (the flame burning now is not the same flame that existed moments ago, as the Gemara mentions in Berachos 53a), and thus it cannot be considered a Kli. On Yom Tov, however, since one is permitted to light other fires from it, it is considered to be a significant object and it obtains the status of a Kli.

(c) The RITVA here explains that the flame is Muktzah because "one is forbidden to touch it." He seems to mean that on Shabbos, if one touches the flame with an object, he transgresses the Melachah of cooking (or if he touches it with his hand, he transgresses the Melachah of bruising). Since one cannot touch the flame, as far as Shabbos is concerned it is not considered a Kli, because a Kli is something that can be handled by itself (without the help of the candle under it). On Yom Tov, one may light from the flame and touch it to another object, and therefore it is considered a Kli and is not Muktzah.

QUESTION: The Gemara says that one may move a fire pan with ashes in it (Kenuna Agav Kitma) even though (v'Af Al Gav) it also has wood splinters on it. The Gemara seems to be teaching two things: First, one may move a fire pan because it has ashes which are not Muktzah on it (without the ashes, the fire pan would be prohibited to move), and, second, even though there are Muktzah items (the wood splinters) on top of it, one may still move the fire pan.

Why would it have been prohibited to move the fire pan had it had no ashes on it, even without wood splinters on it?

(a) RASHI says that it would not have been prohibited, and the Gemara is teaching only that even when there are wood splinters on top, it may still be moved (the second teaching mentioned above).

(b) TOSFOS in Beitzah (21b) explains that the fire pan is a Kli she'Melachto l'Isur, a utensil used for a Melachah that is forbidden on Shabbos, and that is why it may not be moved by itself. If it has ashes on it, it may be moved like any other permissible utensil (that is, it may be moved even for its own protection, "me'Chamah l'Tzel").

(c) The RA'AVAD (Hilchos Shabbos 26:13) explains that the fire pan contains ashes that existed before Shabbos in addition to ashes that came into existence on Shabbos. The ashes from before Shabbos are permitted to be handled. If not for those ashes, the fire pan would be prohibited to move because of the ashes that came about on Shabbos. (The fire pan itself, though, is not Muktzah.)

(d) The RAMBAN explains that the ashes in the fire pan are Muktzah because they came about on Shabbos. Nevertheless, one may move the fire pan because the pan itself is completely permissible, and therefore the ashes are subordinate to the fire pan. That is, the Gemara does not mean that the ashes permit the pan to be moved. Rather, it means that the pan may be moved despite the ashes that are on it.

(e) The RAMBAM says that the fire pan is Muktzah (like (b) above) and the ashes are also Muktzah (like (d) above), and the only reason one may move it is because it has a status of a "Graf Shel Re'i," a utensil with offensive contents, which the Rabanan permitted one to move from his presence on Shabbos. (Even though the Gemara just said that a vessel that is covered is not considered a Graf Shel Re'i, a fire pan -- unlike a Machatah -- is uncovered. Alternatively, the ashes have a status of Graf Shel Re'i, and therefore the entire fire pan may be moved to remove the ashes from one's presence (Magid Mishneh).)

QUESTION: Raban Shimon ben Gamliel and the Tana Kama argue whether one is permitted to assemble a bed loosely on Shabbos. The Tana Kama says "Patur Aval Asur" (one is forbidden to do so, but he is not Chayav if he does). Raban Shimon ben Gamliel says that one is permitted to assemble a bed loosely. The Gemara says that the Amora'im argue whether the Halachah follows Raban Shimon ben Gamliel or the Tana, and thus Levi bar Shmuel permits one to dismantle such a bed while Rav Yehudah prohibits it.

How can the Gemara say that Rav Yehudah agrees with the Tana Kama, who prohibits assembling (and dismantling) a loose-fitted bed? Rav Yehudah says that one is Chayav to bring a Korban Chatas if he takes apart such a bed, and the Tana Kama says that one is Patur!

ANSWER: TOSFOS (DH Raban Shimon ben Gamliel) explains that Rav Yehudah means that since one who knocks the leg tightly into the bed is Chayav to bring a Korban Chatas, one is prohibited (but Patur) from assembling (or dismantling) the bed even loosely.

QUESTION: The Mishnah states that one may not place a dish of water underneath a lamp on Friday afternoon to catch the sparks that fall on Shabbos. The reason seems to be due to a Gezeirah: if one were to place a dish there on Shabbos itself, he would be Chayav for extinguishing, and thus the Rabanan made a Gezeirah that one may not do so even on Friday.

Why, though, would one be Chayav for extinguishing, when all he did was lay the dish there?

(a) RASHI explains that one indeed is Chayav to bring a Chatas for committing the Melachah of extinguishing on Shabbos. The RITVA explains that Rashi means that if one places the dish in a place where the sparks usually fall on Shabbos, and one knows that the sparks are going to fall there, it is considered as though he actively extinguishes the spark when it falls there.

(b) TOSFOS understands Rashi differently. Tosfos says that Rashi does not mean that one is Chayav to bring a Chatas for merely putting the dish there, but rather that there are certain cases in which one would be Chayav for extinguishing, such as when one pours the water into the dish after a spark has already fallen into it, and the water extinguishes it, or when one lifts the dish while the spark falls into it.