Siman - Chagigah Daf 10
- היתר נדרים פורחין באויר ואין להם על מה שיסמכו
The next Mishnah begins: היתר נדרים פורחין באויר ואין להם על מה שיסמכו – The laws of heter nedarim, releasing one from vows, hover in the air and have no support from Torah sources. The Gemara challenges this statement by bringing a Baraisa that quotes four different Tannaim and their sources for the concept of heter nedarim, followed by the Amora, Rav Yehudah, who said in the name of Shmuel, “If I would have been there when they brought their sources, I would have said to them that my source is better than yours, for the passuk states, "לא יחל דברו" – He shall not profane his word. This implies, הוא אינו מוחל אבל אחרים מוחלין לו – He, referring to the one who took the vow, may not profane it, but others may profane it, by annulling it. Rava said that all the sources have a flaw in them, except for Shmuel’s which has no flaw. After pointing out each of the flaws, Rava, and some say it was Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak, said: This is an example of the popular saying: טבא חדא פלפלתא חריפתא ממלי צנא דקרי – one seed of a sharp pepper is better than a basketful of gourds.
- הלכות שבת...כהררים התלוין בשערה
The Mishnah continues: הלכות שבת חגיגות והמעילות הרי הם כהררים התלוין בשערה – The laws of Shabbos, chagigahs, and me’ilah are like mountains suspended by a hair, שהן מקרא מועט והלכות מרובות – for there are few pesukim yet many halachos. The Gemara asks what this refers to in regard to Shabbos, since many pesukim warn about not violating Shabbos, and it answers that the Mishnah is referring to cases like Rebbe Abba, who said: החופר גומא בשבת ואין צריך אלא לעפרה פטור עליה – One who digs a hole in the floor of a house or courtyard, only because he needs the dirt is patur. The Gemara clarifies that this can go even go according to Rebbe Yehudah, who holds that one is chayav for a מלאכה שאינה צריכה לגופה, for Rebbe Yehudah holds one is chayav when there is some sort of tikkun, whereas this is a case of מקלקל, because the person is ruining his house by making the hole. The Gemara asks what the Mishnah means in regard to Shabbos, that the halachos are like mountains suspended by a hair, and answers מלאכת מחשבת אסרה תורה ומלאכת מחשבת לא כתיבא – The Torah prohibits only calculated labor and the condition of calculated labor is not written explicitly in the Torah. Rashi explains that it is learned from the juxtaposition of the parshah of Shabbos to building the Mishkan, in Parshas Vayakhel.
- חגיגות...הרי הם כהררין התלוין בשערה
The Gemara asks what the Mishnah means that the chagigah offerings are like הררין התלוין בשערה – mountains suspended by a hair, when the laws are explicit in the Torah, as Rashi brings the passuk, וחגתם – and you shall celebrate, to refer to the chagigah. The Gemara answers that it necessary for Rav Pappa said to Abaye: From where do we know that the passuk, וחגתם אתו חג לה' – זביחה – And you shall celebrate it as a chag for Hashem, refers to the slaughtering of the chagigah? Perhaps it just means to celebrate the chag of Succos? After rejecting numerous attempts to prove that the word חג is referring to a chagigah, the Gemara brings a gezeirah shaveh. It is written in the Torah, "ויחגו לי במדבר" – and they will celebrate to Me in the midbar, and it is written in Amos, "הזבחים ומנחה הגשתם לי במדבר" – Did you bring to Me offerings and minchas in the midbar? Just as in the latter passuk it is referring to offerings, so too in the former passuk it is referring to offerings. Even though there is a gezeirah shaveh, the Mishnah says that the laws are like mountains suspended by a hair, because דברי תורה מדברי קבלה לא ילפינן – we do not derive Torah law from Navi. Therefore, the source that חג refers to the chagigah is from תורה שבעל פה.
