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Shabbos 87

1) SPEAKING TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE ON THE DAY OF THEIR ARRIVAL AT HAR SINAI

QUESTION: The Gemara says that when the Beraisa mentions that the "third day" was also the third of the month (i.e. 3 Sivan) and the third day of the week (i.e. Tuesday), it is referring to the third day on which Moshe Rabeinu spoke to Klal Yisrael, preparing them for Kabalas ha'Torah by telling them of the punishments and rewards in store for them. Since that day was the third of the month, then the first day on which he began telling them of the punishments and rewards must have been the first of Sivan, This seems to contradict the Gemara earlier (86b), which states that on the day of their arrival at Har Sinai Moshe did *not* speak to them at all because they were exhausted from traveling!

ANSWER: The MAHARSHA answers that on the first day at Har Sinai, Moshe did not tell them anything *that Hashem had told him*. This is what the Gemara earlier means. Rather, he merely spoke to them *his own words* of preparation for receiving the Torah.

87b

QUESTION: Rava and Rav Acha bar Yakov argue whether Klal Yisrael arrived at Har Sinai the *same* day they left Refidim or on a *different* day. The Gemara explains their argument. According to Rava, although the Jews were commanded in the Mitzvah of Shabbos at Marah, the prohibition of Techumin (traveling beyond a certain distance on Shabbos) was *not* included in that command, and thus the Jews were permitted to travel on Shabbos. Since they traveled on Shabbos, they were able to leave Refidim earlier in However, it should have been forbidden for them to travel on Shabbos for other reasons, such as Hotza'ah (carrying into Reshus ha'Rabim) and Mechamer (making their animals carry)! How could they travel if they were transgressing other Mitzvos of Shabbos in which *were* commanded at Marah?

ANSWERS:

(a) TOSFOS (DH a'Techumin) says that the Gemara does not mean that the only Mitzvah of Shabbos that the Jews did not receive at Marah was Techumin. The prohibition of Hotza'ah was also not commanded at that time.

(b) The RITVA explains that they did not have to carry anything because they placed it all on animals to carry. Even though Mechamer (having an animal do Melachah) is also forbidden, the Ritva explains that they had not yet been commanded in the laws of Mechamer, just like they had not been commanded in the laws of Techumin. When the Gemara says that the prohibition of Techumin was not inlcuded in the command at Marah, it means that any prohibition *like* Techumin was not included; that is, any prohibition

(c) The CHASAM SOFER explains that even though Hotza'ah was forbidden, they put their belongings on animals (like the RITVA explains). Doing so did not necessitate for them to transgress the prohibition of Mechamer, since their animals could have started to walk before the onset of Shabbos, and not stopped (making a Hanachah) until after Shabbos (see Shabbos 153b).

Others ask, how did they take down their tents (Melachah of Setiras Ohel) on Shabbos? The P'NEI YEHOSHUA suggests that they could have taken down their tents with a Shinuy, such as having two people take down one tent.