יציאות השבת – transferring an object from one domain to [another] domain (i.e., removing taking out of the house – see Talmud Shabbat 2b) that are mentioned concerning the Sabbath and carrying in are also called transferring since one takes out from one domain to another domain. And the fact that [the Mishnah] teaches יציאות /carrying (on the Sabbath) and it does not teach הוצאות /transferring, is because it uses the language of the Bible, as it is written (Exodus 16:29): “Let no one leave his place [on the seventh day],” and from it, we derive transferring, that a person should not leave with a utensil in his hand to collect the Manna.

שתים שהן ארבע – two from the Torah, transferring an object and carrying [it] in to the house owner who stands inside in the private domain, and on these two, a person is liable for a sin-offering for his inadvertent violation, and divine punishment by premature/sudden death for a willful violation, and stoning for his being warned, like in all the rest of the prohibited labors of Shabbat.

שהן ארבע – from their words (i.e., the Rabbis), they added two, to prohibit ab initio a case where the work is done by two people – this one uprooting and this place setting it down, for two who did it are exempt, as it states (Leviticus 4:27): “by doing any of the things which by the LORD’s commandments ought not to be done, [and he realizes his guilt].” The one who does all of it, but not the one who does part of it, and similarly, in all the labors of Shabbat we say that an individual who did it is liable; two who did it are exempt.

שתים שהן ארבע בחוץ – two from the Torah, taking out and carrying in for the poor person who stands outside in the public domain.

שהן ארבע – from their words (i.e., the Rabbis), they added two to prohibit ab initio, as this person uproots it and the other person sets it down.

פשט העני את ידו – and in it is a box or a basket that he receives in it loaves of bread from the owner of the house, and for this reason, [the Mishnah] took hold of the language of הוצאה /removal in the language of the poor person and the rich person, for it incidentally comes to teach us that a commandment that comes through a transgression is prohibited and they are liable upon it.

ונתן לתוך ידו של בעל הבית – that he performs uprooting from the public domain and placement in the private domain.

או שנטל מתוכה והוציא – the object, and placed it in the public domain, and performed uprooting and placing down.

העני חייב – as he did complete work, for it is two from the Torah for the person standing outside, and even though we require uprooting from the place where he will be four handbreadths by four handbreadths and setting down in a place where he will be four-by-four [handbreadths] and there isn’t found there [that amount] for the hand of the poor person and the owner of the house, there isn’t there a place where there will be four-by-four [handbreadths], we say in the Gemara (Talmud Shabbat 5a) that the hand of a person is considered as four-by-four [handbreadths], since it is made to place it down and to take from it objects and even many large ones.

ובעל הבית פטור – he (i.e., the owner of the house) is exempt and it is completely permitted, for he had not done anything.

פשט בעל הבית כו' בעל הבית חייב – for this is two from the Torah for the person who stands inside.

פשט העני כו' – for the poor person made an uprooting from the public domain.

ונטל בעל הבית מתוכה – and placed it inside, for the owner of the house did a placing down [of the object] in the private domain.

והוציא – the poor person [removed it] and placed it down in the public domain.

שניהם פטורים – for neither of them had done a complete [cycle] of work/labor. But it is prohibited to do this lest everyone come on his own to do a complete [cycle of] work on the Sabbath day. There are two [forms of work] “from their words” (i.e., from the Rabbis), one for the poor person outside and one for the owner of the house inside. But it is not considered two for each one of them, uprooting for the poor person and uprooting for owner of the house, placing down for the poor person and placing down for the owner of the house, because it is not considered other than uprooting [of things] which are the beginning of the work and there is a fear lest he complete it, but placing down, which is the end of the work, is not considered.

לא ישב אדם לפני הספר – and even on weekdays, and since it (i.e., the Mishnah) had to teach (in Tractate Shabbat, Chapter 1, Mishnah 3) that a tailor must not go out with his needle, etc., lest he forget and leave, which is similar to the decree that a person should not sit before the barber close to [the time] for the afternoon prayer, lest he forget and not pray, because of this, it [the Mishnah] teaches this here, and since their words are small/short, he makes a decision and teaches it in the first part of the Mishnah, and then explains the matters of Shabbat and expands upon them.

סמוך למנחה – the “Great Minha”, from six-and-one-half [Halakhic] hours and beyond, and סמוך למנחה – close to the afternoon prayer, that is from the beginning of the seventh hour, and even though its time period is great, a decree was made lest the bell/body of the bell of the barbers breaks after he began to cut the hair, and the time of the prayer will pass over prior to his repairing it and he will complete the haircut.

ולא יכנס למרחץ – near the time for the afternoon prayer lest his swoon [in the vapor bath – see Tractate Shabbat 9b].

ולא לבורסקי – a place where hides are made, perhaps he would see a loss and ruin of the hides if he did not move them from their place and repair them, and he would continue in his work until the time for the [Minha/afternoon] prayer had passed.

ולא לאכול – even a small repast, lest the meal continue on.

ולא לדין – even at the close of legal proceedings, when they already had heard the claims of the litigants and there does not remain anything upon them other than only to decide the law, perhaps they see a reason and they will contradict what they want to decide and return to be the beginning of judgment.

ואם התחילו – in one of all of these, we state, that we don’t interrupt, but rather he should finish and afterwards prayer, and this is the case when there is a delay during the day to complete it prior to the time for prayer passing. But the beginning of a haircut is from when he places the apron/garment for the protection of the clothing of the barber between his knees, and this is the scarf that the person who has his hair cut upon his knees in order that the hair doesn’t fall on his clothing. And the beginning of the bath is from when he removes/undresses the clothing that is closest to his skin. And there are those who explain that the scarf that is upon him which is the first to be removed when he gets undressed. And the beginning of the tannery is when he girds himself between his shoulders the coverings of his arms in order to engage with the hides, and the beginning of eating is when he washes his hands. The beginning of judgment is when the judges cover themselves with their shawls to sit in judgment with terror and fear, and if they were covered and sitting in judgment and another case came before them near the time for Minhah, it would be the beginning of that case when the litigants would open with their pleas/claims.

מפסיקין לק"ש – he took another matter, and this is how it should be read: colleagues engaged in the study of Torah interrupt their Torah study for the recitation of the Shema for its time is fixed, as it is written (Deuteronomy 6:9): “when you lie down and when you rise up.”

ואין מפסיקין לתפילה – which has no fixed time according to the Torah. But we are not teaching other than in the case of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his colleagues where their study of Torah is their craft, but for us, since we interrupt our Torah [study] for our craft/professions, all the more so we interrupt for our recitation of the Amidah.

לא יצא חייט במחטו – even if it is inserted in his clothing, lest he forget and go out, and for an artisan, it is the manner of his craft, he liable for it is way of artisans to insert them in their clothing when they go out to the market.

שמא ישכח ויצא – when it gets dark.

הלבלר – the scribe.

בקולמוסו – which is inserted at the back of their ears like the manner of scribes.

ולא יפלה את כליו – to remove vermin from his clothing. The Aramaic translation/Targum of “I have cleared out the consecrated portion” (Deuteronomy 26:13) “I searched my garment for vermin.”

ולא יקרא לאור הנר – in a book, lest he tilt the candle to bring the oil in front of the lick in order that it will kindle well and is found that he is starting a fire on Shabbat, and even if the candle was the height of two or three men, it is always forbidden to read by the light of a candle unless there is another person with him to watch him, or if he is an important individual who is never accustomed to fix the candle.

החזן – one who teaches young children.

מהיכן התינוקות קורין – from where should they begin to read, for with a bit of investigation such as this, we do not make a decree lest he tilt it, and the young children read before their teacher by the light of the candle since their fear of their teacher is upon them.

אבל הוא לא יקרא – the entire portion, because his fear of them is not upon him, and their guarding is not considered guarding, and for this reason also, there is an opinion that a woman who guards for her husband, her guarding is not [considered] guarding, for fear of her is not upon him.

כיוצא בו – to make a distance from transgression, they said that a person with a flux should not eat with his wife who has a flux, and even though both of them are ritually impure.

מפני הרגל עבירה – for since they engaged in sexual intercourse, he will go to engage in sex with a woman with a flux which is punishable by extirpation, and the man with a flux and a woman with a flux are taken as something remarkable, for sexual relations is hard for them, and it is possible to say that they definitely will not lead to transgression, and even so, they should not eat one with the other.

ואלו מן ההלכות – the don’t remove vermin nor read by the light of a candle as it is taught in our Mishnah (Tractate Shabbat, Chapter One, Mishnah Three).

בעליית חנניה בן חזקיה – that the Sages requested to hide the [biblical] Book of Ezekiel since his words seem to contradict the words of the Torah, such as {Ezekiel 44:31): “Priests shall not eat anything, whether bird or animal, that died or was torn by beasts,” priests are those who should not eat it, but Israelites [can] eat it (which obviously, are also forbidden to all Israelites), and similarly (Ezekiel 45:20): “You shall do the same on the seventh day of the month [to purge the Temple from uncleanness caused by unwitting or ignorant persons],” for where is this sacrifice hinted at in the Torah? Hananiah ben Chizkiah hid himself in the attic and sat there and explained the Book of Ezekiel.

ושמונה עשר דברים גזרו בו ביום – that the School of Shammai and the School of Hillel disputed on and were decided by a vote and the [opinions of] School of Shammai grew and they (i.e., the Rabbis) decided [the Halakha] according to them, as it is written (Exodus 23:2): “[You shall neither side with the mighty to do wrong- you shall not give perverse testimony in a dispute so as] to pervert it in favor of the mighty/multitude.” And all eighteen things they brought to them in the Talmud (Tractate Shabbat 13b-17b), and these are as follows: 1-2) He who eats something which is first degree of ritual impurity or second degree of ritual impurity, they decreed that its essence becomes second degree of ritual impurity, and it defiles Terumah/priest’s due by contact, for something that is second degree of ritual impurity defiles Terumah, these are two decrees – the person who eats something which is first degree of ritual impurity or one who eats something that is second degree of ritual impurity. 3) a person who drinks impure liquids also becomes second degree of ritual defilement, and defiles Terumah, that is third. But the reason that it is decreed in these, is that sometimes, when one eats impure foods and sprinkles/pours impure liquids in his face while the impure foods are in his mouth and he defiles them. 4) And they made a decree on a person after immersing from his defilement on that same day who had drawn water come upon his head and most of his body and 5) on the completely pure person upon fell three LOGS (i.e., a LOG is equivalent to six eggs) of drawn water on his body, that is five decrees. And the reason that defilement was decreed on these to defile others, is because they would immerse in putrid (i.e., badly smelling) cave waters, and they would place upon them afterwards drawn waters to remove the putridness of the waters, they began and made a fixed ruling to state, that the cave waters did not purify but rather the drawn waters purify, and they (i.e., the Rabbis) stood and decreed defilement upon them, lest they come to nullify the teachings/laws of the Mikveh and they would immerse in drawn waters. 6) The sixth decree is that Books of Holy Writ defile Terumah through contact, for at first, they would hide the food of Terumah with Torah scrolls, people would say that this (i.e., the Torah scroll) and that (i.e., the Terumah) are holy, when they saw that the Books [of Holy Writ] were being damaged, since the mice that are found near the food-stuffs would cause damage to the Books [of Holy Writ], they decreed that these Books, that is, Torah, Prophets and Writings, through their contact would defile the Terumah. 7) The seventh decree that they made concerns mere (i.e., undefined] hands defile the Terumah, because the hands are busy (i.e., they touch things automatically) and touch the flesh in the place of filth/defilement, and it is a reproach for the Terumah if filthy/offensive-smelling hands touched it and it would be detestable for those who eat it. 8) The eighth decree [concerns] foods that were defiled by liquids, as those liquids were defiled on account of hands that came in contact with them prior to ritual washing, they decreed on the liquids that they would the food-stuffs [of Terumah], for all things that disqualify the Terumah defile liquids to become first-degree of ritual impurity, a decree made because of liquids that come on account of a moving creature/unclean reptile, as we find concerning hem that they are first-level of ritual defilement according to the Torah, and this that [the Rabbis] decreed on the defilement of liquids to become first-degree of ritual impurity and it was not decreed regarding food-stuffs as a decree, because [food-stuffs] that come from a moving creature/unclean reptile, and that is the reason that the Rabbis were stringent with liquids because they are liable to receive uncleanness, for they don’t require fitness to become unclean (arising from contact with certain liquids) to bring them to receive defilement such as foods which require putting water on them to make them susceptible to receive defilement. 9) And the ninth (see Mishnah Zavim, Chapter Five, Mishnah Thirteen which summarizes much of these opening decrees) concerns utensils that were defiled by liquids that had been defiled by a reptile/moving creature, even though they are of first degree defilement according to the Torah, they cannot defile a person nor utensils, for a person and utensils only receive defilement from a primary source of ritual impurity, and not from liquids that had been defiled by a reptile/moving creature, which are first-level of ritual defilement, and the Rabbis decreed concerning them that the utensils would become ritually defiled, as a decree because of the liquid of a man or woman with a flux, which are their spittle and the urine which are a primary source of ritual impurity and according to the Torah, defile utensils. 10) The tenth decree is that the daughters of the Cutheans (i.e., members of a sect of the Samaritans) are considered as menstruating from their cradle (i.e., earliest childhood), that is to say, from the day that they were born, as a baby one-day old defiles through her period of menstruation, but the Cutheans lack this Midrash and when it pointed out, it is not explained to them, therefore, the Rabbis decreed this about them. 11) And the eleventh decree is that all movables bring the defilement into the beam of the handle of a plow, and this is the ox-goad of the cattle, and there is what has the circumference of a handbreadth, but it lacks the thickness of a handbreadth, and even though, from the Torah, the tent is not less than a handbreadth, the Rabbis decreed on all movables that have the circumference of a handbreadth that if its heads – one forms a tent over the dead person and one forms a head over the utensils, it brings to them the defilement of the tent, a decree was made on account of that of that whose beam is one-handbreadth that brings the defilement from the Torah. 12) And the twelfth decree [concerns] one who cuts grapes to press them in the vat for wine pressing, the liquid that comes out from them at the time of the cutting of the grapes makes them susceptible to receive ritual defilement, and even though it goes to waste and one doesn’t care about it, the decree is made lest he should cut grapes in pitch-lined vessels/baskets, for then it is not appropriate for the liquid coming out from them they do not go to waste, and are susceptible [to receive defilement] from the Torah. 13) The thirteenth decree – that Terumah that has grown of their seeds is considered Terumah, and even with a thing whose seed is gone, such as grain and pulse/peas, the degree was made because impure Terumah in the hands of Kohen which is forbidden to be eaten and he comes to sow it, and it was decreed that it would be with its first name – and that it is ritually impure grain, for we suspect lest he leaves it until the time of sowing and comes to eat of it in impurity. 14) The fourteenth decree is that he who was overtaken by the Sabbath night fall should give his money to a heathen, and not carry it for less than four cubits. 15-16) And the fifteenth and sixteenth decrees, that he should not remove vermin nor read by the light of a candle as it is taught in our Mishnah (see Mishnah three of this chapter). 17) And the seventeenth decree that was made on the bread of idolaters, and on the oil and wine of and on their daughters, they are all one decree, as we have said – they decreed on their bread on account of their oil, and on their oil on account of their wine, and on their wine on account of their daughters, and on their daughters because of another thing, that is to say, because of idolatry. 18) And the eighteenth decree they made on the baby of an idolater that would defile through flux/gonorrhea, in order that a Jewish baby not become accustomed to be near him [out of a concern] for pederasty.

אין שורין דיו – dyes that they make for them ink for writing.

וסממנים – to dye.

וכרשינים – food for cattle, and it is customary to soak them in water first, and we call them in Arabic “Karsena” and in the foreign tongue “vetch.” And the School of Shammai holds that a person is careful concerning observing the Sabbath abstention from labor with his utensils like the abstention form labor on the Sabbath of his animal, and it is for the same reason that we don’t give him bundles of wet flax, and that is the reason that we don’t spread out nets for traps. But the candle that burns on Shabbat and the pot that is on top of the portable stove on feet (with caves for two pots) that the School of Shammai admits to, since [he has renounced] ownership for the utensils, he furthermore is not commanded concerning their abstention from labor on the Sabbath.

וב"ה מתירין – from when he placed water in them while it was still day (i.e., on Friday), even though they are continuing to soak on the Sabbath, as they (i.e., the School of Hillel) hold that a person is warned regarding the Sabbath rest of the animals because there is the suffering of animals connected with the case (which must be relieved).

אונין – bundles of beaten [wet] flax, and we put them in the oven and heated.

שיבהילו – when they are warmed, the steam would rise up on them

ליורה – of the dyers.

אלא כדי שיקלוט את העין – that it would absorb the color while it is still day (i.e., on Friday).

וב"ה מתירין – to put them into it while it still day so that it would absorb it all night long. But the School of Hillel did not permit other than with a dyer’s kettle uprooted from the fire, for if there is fire underneath it on Shabbat, it is prohibited, as a preventive decree lest he rake the coals underneath the ashes (Talmud Shabbat 18b and 34b). But he also needs that the kettle is sealed with plaster, as a preventive decree lest he stir it and turn it over on Shabbat (Talmud Shabbat 18b), and he would be liable because of [the prohibition against] cooking.

ולא טוענין עמו – on the donkey.

ולא מגביהין – on to it a burden on its shoulder, for it appears as if he is assisting it to carry the burden on the Sabbath.

אלא כדי שיגיע למקום קרוב – that is to say, that the place that he wants to carry it to is close that he would be able to arrive there while it is still day (i.e., on Friday).

וב"ה מתירין – in order that he leaves from the opening of his house while it is still daylight.

לעבדן – to prepare the hides.

מתירין עם השמש – while the sun is on the land prior to its setting.

כלי לבן – which is difficult to launder, it requires three days, and they are stringent upon themselves like the School of Shammai. But the Halakha is not according to Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, but rather according to the School of Hillel that permits it with the sunlight.

ושוין – The School of Shammai and the School of Hillel, that they load the olives while it is still daylight on the beam of the building containing the tank [and all the implements for pressing olives], after they crush the olives, they load them on heaven beams and the liquid flows on its own throughout the Sabbath.

ועגולי הגת – these of the winepress are called weights (clay cylinders), in which there were thick planks made in a round mold, and in this the School of Shammai agrees with the School of Hillel, because if they were to work these on the Sabbath, there would be no liability of transgression, because they don’t place the beam on the olives until they first mill them with a millstone and similarly with grapes that they first tread on them with their feet, and without the beam the liquid would come forth on its own, but it would not come out well until now, therefore, it is not similar to threshing.

כדי שיצולו – like the food of Ben Drosai (who, according to Rashi, was a pirate; see Talmud Shabbat 20a, s.v. קן דרוסאי) and would cook his food one-third through, and as such, it would be eatable but further, there was no decree made lest he stir the coals.

חררה – a thick cake baked on coals

שיקרמו – at the beginning of its baking it forms a crust.

פניה – which was towards the atmosphere of the oven.

כדי שיקרום התחתון – which cleaves to the earthenware of the oven, which is baked first prior to the crust forming on its face towards the atmosphere of the oven, and with this it is sufficient. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Eliezer.

משלשלין את הפסוח – their ovens have their mouths above and they lower the roasted [Passover offering] into it, and for that reason, it [i.e., the Mishnah] teaches, משלשלין /they lower/let down.

עם חשיכה – and even though generally, we do not roast it, as we have stated, here it is permitted, for the members of the group are zealous and they remind each other [that today is Shabbat] and they don’t come to stir the coals.

ומאחיזין את האור – [they ignite with kindling wood] a bit, with the pile of wood of the House of the Hearth (see Mishnah Tamid, Chapter 1, Mishnah 12), and we don’t suspect lest the Kohanim will come to start a fire once it gets dark, since the Kohanim are zealous.

בית המוקד – a large chamber in the [Temple] courtyard where they would always start a fire with wood and the Kohanim would warm themselves there, since they walk barefoot on the alabaster floor.

ובגבולין – a person needs to start a fire with his wood while it is still daylight (i.e., on Friday), in order that it catches the majority of the wood, and that the flame will go up on its own and does not need thin chips underneath it to flame the fire.

אף בפחמים כל שהוא – just as in the fire of the House of the Hearth, we are lenient in the House of the Hearth for the Kohanim, similarly, in a fire of charcoals, we are lenient for all people, and there is no need for anything other than any quantity that catches fire, for it is not accustomed to be extinguished and it continues and no one comes to stir it. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yehuda for there is no one who disputes him.