Siman - Shabbos Daf 60
- Signet rings re: Shabbos and tumah
The Gemara on Daf 59b introduced a contradiction between the Mishnah which inferred that a woman would be liable a chatas for wearing a signet ring since it is considered a burden and not an adornment, and a Mishnah in Keilim that identifies a signet ring in a list of women’s ornaments that are mekabel tumah.
Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak brings the third resolution to this problem by stating that it is not valid to compare the laws of tumah to those of Shabbos. With respect to tumah, the passuk states, כלי מעשה – a fashioned vessel, and a ring with or without a seal is considered a kli.
But regarding Shabbos, the concern is carrying an item that is deemed a burden, and since woman do not wear signet rings, it is considered a burden and a woman would be liable a chatas.
- סנדל המסמר
The next Mishnah states that one may not go outside on Shabbos wearing a סנדל המסמר, a wooden sandal whose leather uppers are attached to its sole with nails that protrude through the sole to its underside. The Gemara provides three different versions of a tragic incident where Jews in hiding wearing these shoes thought they were going to be detected by their enemies and subsequently trampled one another causing much death. Since the incident occurred on a Shabbos the decree was limited specifically to Shabbos.
The Gemara brings a Mishnah from Beitzah that states that wearing this type of sandal is also prohibited on yomtov, and explains that since Shabbos and yomtov are days when people gather as a result of melocho being prohibited, the decree was extended to include yomtov.
- Nails for decorative purposes
Even Rebbe Chanina ben Akiva, who typically applies Rabbinic decrees very narrowly, holds that yomtov is included in the decree in so much that it is like Shabbos except regarding food preparation.
Rav Yehudah said in the name of Shmuel that one is permitted to wear the sandals if the nails were only put in to beautify the sandal and not to strengthen it.
• Rav says one can beautify the sandal with up to five nails for each sandal.
• Rebbe Chanina says up to seven nails per sandal.
• One version of Rebbe Chiya states he permits up to twenty-four nails per sandal.
