Siman - Shabbos Daf 49
- Elisha ba'al kanafaim
Rebbe Yannai said that tefillin require the one who wears it to have a גוף נקי, (a clean body), like the standards of Elisha ba’al kenafaim (the Winged One). He was called Elisha ba’al kenafaim because of the miracle that occurred when he was chased by a Roman officer during the times when one caught wearing tefillin would have his brain gouged out. Elisha took off his tefillin and covered them with his hands and when asked what was in his hands, Elisha responded that he was holding dove wings. A miracle occurred and dove wings appeared.
Elisha chose dove wings specifically, because the Jewish people are likened to a dove, in that just as dove wings protect the bird, the mitzvos we perform protect us.
- Moving animal hides
The next Mishnah stated that one may insulate with animal hides (שלחין) on erev Shabbos and (whether having insulated with them or not) one may move them on Shabbos.
- Rebbe Yonasan bar Elazar said that it seems logical that the Mishnah is referring to the hides of a baal habayis (literally “a home owner” - one who has no plans to sell his hides), who doesn’t care if they get dirty, and therefore they are considered fit for sitting on, and therefore they are not muktzeh. However, those belonging to an uman (literally “a craftsman” – one who plans on selling his hides) are muktzeh since acraftsman plans on selling them, and therefore he does care about them getting dirty, and because of that they are not considered fit for sitting on, and therefore they are muktzeh.
- Rebbe Chanina bar Chama said that Rebbe Yishmael the son of Rebbe Yose would say that his father was a professional tanner and he would have his hides brought out to sit on. So we see from this that even a tanner, one who plans on selling his hides, is not particular about people sitting on his hides.
What the 39 melochos correspond to
The Gemara introduces a discussion regarding what the thirty-nine melochos of Shabbos correspond to:
- Rebbe Chanina bar Chama said the melochos are כנגד עבודות המשכן, they correspond to the labors needed to build the Mishkan[w1] .
- Rebbe Yonason bar Rebbe Elazar said they correspond to the thirty-nine times the words מלאכה, מלאכתו, and מלאכת appear in the Torah.
