Siman - Shabbos Daf 90

• Peddler’s box

The second Mishnah on the Daf states that if one carries out a peddler’s box on Shabbos, he is only liable for one chatas, even though there are many different spices placed in the box.

Rashi explains that these peddlers sold perfumes and fragrant spices to women, and their boxes contained many smaller boxes, each with its small bundles of spices. Even though carrying out the box results in the transfer of many different types of spices, it is still viewed as a single act of carrying.

• Transferring locusts

There is a machlokes in the Mishnah regarding transferring locusts:

• The Tanna Kamma holds that one is liable for taking out a live, kosher locust of any size, because one would give it to a child to play with.(If it’s dead, it has the status of food, and it needs to be the size of a grogeres).

• Rebbe Yehudah holds that one is even liable for taking out a live, non-kosher locust, whatever its size, since people store it for their child to play with. 

The Gemara explains that the Tanna Kamma holds that people will not store live, non-kosher locusts for their kids, out of concern that if the locust would die, the child would eat it. Therefore, one is only liable for transferring them if they have the minimum shiur. Rebbe Yehuda, on the other hand, holds that if the locust will die, the child will eulogize it and not eat it. Therefore, people will store live, non-kosher locusts, and one is liable for transferring regardless of its size.

• Original intent

The first Mishnah of the tenth perek states that if one stored a minute amount of a substance for a particular purpose, such as a seed for planting, then one is liable for taking out this minute amount.

Abaye explains that the Mishnah’s case is where a person stored the item for a designated use, and then forgot what he stored it for. One might have thought that if he then carried out a minimal amount of the item into a reshus harabim, his original intent would be nullified, and he would be exempt from a chatas. The Tanna is therefore coming to teach us that, כל העושה על דעת ראשונה הוא עושה – anyone who does something without specific intention, is presumed to be doing it based on his original intent. Therefore, the item retains its significance and the person is liable.