1)

(a)The Mishnah now discusses the Shi'ur of Boneh, Mesa'tes, Makeh ba'Patish u've'Ma'atzad. The common Shi'ur the Tana gives for all of them is - a Mashehu.

(b)'Mesates' entails shaping a stone or 'smoothening it before shaping it (depending on local cusom).

(c)Is is a Toldah of - 'Makeh ba'Patish'.

2)

(a)The technical definition of 'Makeh ba'Patish' is - the last big bang with a hammer that detaches a hewn stone from the rock from which it is being mined (see Tos. Yom-Yov & Tiferes Yisrael).

(b)A 'Patish' is a regular hammer, whereas a Ma'atzad is a small one (Tiferes Yisrael).

(c)The last item on the current list is 'ha'Kode'ach' - (someone who bores a hole).

3)

(a)The single condition listed by the Tana in 'Zeh ha'Kelal' to declare Chayav someone who performs a Melachah on Shabbos - is that the Melachah remains intact.

(b)Raban Shimon ben Gamliel declares Chayav even someone who bangs with a sledge-hammer on an anvil - in order to retain its flat surface.

(c)This was done in the Mishkan - where when during the manufacture of the golden plates (from which they subsequently cut threads), they would bang three times on the plate and once on the anvil.

(d)The Tana Kama disagree with him - in that the bang is not on the article that is being manufactured (Tiferes Yisrael).

(e)The Halachah is - like the Tana Kama.

4)

(a)The Mishnah now discusses the Melachah of plowing and the related Melachah of Menachesh. Besides weeding, 'Menachesh' might mean - digging a ditch round the plants.

(b)The list continues with Mekarsem and Mezared. 'Mekarsem' is cutting off the dry branches of a tree; 'Mezared' - removing the excess branches that have just grown.

5)

(a)If someone collects twigs (Tiferes Yisrael) wood to clear the ground for plowing or to enable the plants underneath to grow properly, the Shi'ur is a Kol Sh'hu. If it is for firewood, the Tana gives the Shi'ur - as sufficient to use as fuel to boil a chicken's egg.

(b)And the Tana gives the Shi'ur for collecting grasses to prepare the field for plowing as a Kol Sh'hu, whereas if he collects them as animal fodder it is - enough to fill the mouth of a kid-goat.

6)

(a)The Shi'ur the Mishnah gives for writing is - two letters (e.g. 'Alef' 'Beis') ...

(b)... even if he writes ...

1. ... with his left hand, or if he writes ...

2. ... the same letter twice (such as two 'Alefs' [see Bo'az]).

(c)And one is Chayav even if one writes two letters using two different kinds of ink (mi'Sh'nei Sam'maniyos' [e.g. one with ink and the other with dye]).

(d)Others have the text 'mi'Sh'nei Simaniyos', meaning - for example an 'Alef' denoting one, and a 'Beis' denoting two (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

7)

(a)The Mishnah declares Chayav someone who writes - in any language (and so too, any script).

(b)When Rebbi Yossi says that the Chiyuv of writing is on account of 'a mark', he means - that one is Chayav even for making two marks on a plank to ensure that each plank is always placed in the same location (see Tiferes Yisrael).

(c)His source for this is - in the Mishkan, where they would mark the planks before demolishing it.

(d)The Halachah is not like -Rebbi Yossi.

8)

(a)Rebbi that someone who writes 'Shem' from Shimon or Shmuel (see Tos. Yom-Tov), 'No'ach' from Nachor, 'Dan' from Daniel or 'Gad' from Gadiel - is Chayav ...

(b)He would be Patur - if the letters that he wrote did not spell a word.

(c)We might nevertheless have thought that he is Patur in out case - because he did not end up writing what he set out to write.

(d)The Halachah is - like Rebbi.

9)

(a)The Mishnah declare Chayav someone who writes two letters - provided the writing will last.

(b)He is Chayav whether he writes with D'yo (ink), Sam ( a kind of paint), 'Sikra' - (a kind of stone that dyes red), Kumus or Kamkantum (Vitri'ol [a black dye that is used by Sofrim]).

(c)Some say that Kumus is a kind of earth that dyes black, whilst according to others - it is the sap of a tree.

(d)The Tana concludes with a K'lal 'and anything else that makes a mark' - to include water in which gall-apples have been soaked.

10)

(a)When the Tana states that one is Chayav for writing on the two 'corner walls', he means - two letters close to one another on two adjacent walls, so that they can be read at a glance.

(b)He also includes someone who writes on two Luchei Pinkas - pages of a shop-keeper's ledger ...

(c)... provided he can read them together (i.e. if they are the two inner corners of two adjacent pages).

11)

(a)The Tana - declares Chayav someone who writes on his skin.

(b)According to Rebbi Eliezer, a person who cuts two letters into his skin is Chayav Chatas. Rebbi Yehoshua disagrees - since this is not a conventional way of writing.

(c)The Halachah is - like Rebbi Yehoshua.

12)

(a)The Mishnah now - declares Patur someone who writes using liquids that one squeezed from berries or fruit-juice (see Tiferes Yisrael).

(b)And when he adds 'ba'Avak Derachim' and 'ba'Avak Sofrim', he means - that he is Patur if he writes in loose earth or in the dust created by a Sofer in his work.

(c)One is Patur in all these cases - because the writing does not last.

13)

(a)When the Tana adds to the list someone who writes with the back of his hand, his foot, his mouth or his Marpek - (with the joint in his elbow) ...

(b)... he is referring to someone who actually holds the pen with these parts of the body and writes.

(c)The Mishnah - declares Patur someone who writes ...

1. ... a letter next to a letter which is already written or ...

2. ... two letters on top of two existing letters (i.e. to render them more legible).

14)

(a)The case that the Tana presents that renders one Patur for writing two 'Zayins' - is where he meant to write a Ches, but forgot to add the 'roof' that joins them.

(b)He adds to the list of those who are Patur - both someone who writes one letter ...

1. ... on the ground and one on a wall, and someone who writes one letter ...

2. ... on one wall and one on the opposite wall.

(c)The Mishnah adds to the list someone who writes two letters on two pages of a ledger - on condition that the two letters cannot be read together (and where in order to do so, one will need to cut out the space that divides them).

15)

(a)Despite having already taught us the Din of two opposite walls (where both letters are far apart, the Tana saw fit to add two pages of a ledger, where they are relatively close - in the form of 'Lo Zu, Af Zu' (not just this, but even that), in the way that the Tana'im often do.

(b)According to Rebi Yehoshua ben Beseira, one is Chayav for writing one letter Notarikon - (whereone writes one letter with a dot on top, that represents a word, such as ...

(c)'Kuf', 'Mem' and 'Taf', which are the Notarikon of - Korban, MA'aser and Terumah, respectively (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

(d)The Chachamim maintain - that he is Patur.

(e)The Halachah is - like the Chachamim.

16)

(a)The Tana now discusses someone who writes two letters in two Ha'alamos - meaning that he realized that he had had sinned (be'Shogeg) before forgetting and sinning again.

(b)The Halachah is - that he is Chayav two Chata'os, and the same will apply where ...

(c)... he writes two letters in the morning and two in the afternoon without being aware in between that he had sinned ...

(d)... because there was enough time in between to become aware of the fact that he sinned.

17)

(a)In spite of the previous ruling, Raban Gamliel declares Chayav someone who writes one letter in the morning and one in the afternoon without being aware in between that he sinned. He not consider this to be two Ha'alamos - because he holds 'Ein Yedi'ah le'Chatzi Shi'ur' (becoming aware in the middle if it follows a full Shi'ur, but not if it follows half a Shi'ur.

(b)According to the Chachamim - he is Patur, because they hold 'Yesh Yedi'ah le'Chatzi Shi'ur'.

(c)The Halachah is - like the Chachamim.