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1)

(a) No! Nobody permits tying a knot in an ordinary rope which snapped, since one naturally tends to be Mevatel it there, in which case the knot is permanent.

(b) The rope over which the Rabbanan and Rebbi Yehudah argue in our Mishnah - is a weaver's rope. The Rabbanan decree a weaver's rope because of an ordinary one, whereas Rebbi Yehudah does not.

(c)

1. The Rabbanan permit tying a bow, because they maintain that people will not confuse a bow with a knot.
2. Rebbi Yehudah forbids tying a knot, because, in his opinion, a bow is considered a knot - mi'd'Oraysa.

(a) Rav, who permits tying one end of a rope to the cow and the other end to the stable, speaks about a weaver's rope, which he still needs and is therefore not Mevatel there (making the knot a temporary one), whereas the Beraisa speaks by an ordinary rope, which the owner *is* Mevatel there; the knot is therefore permanent.

(b) Weavers' rods are not Muktzah, because the owner is not particular about using them for another purpose (they therefore have a Din of 'Muktzah Machmas Isur Melachah' - meaning that they may used for any purpose that is permitted on Shabbos.

(c) The heavy beams are different, according to Rebbi b'Rebbi Livai, since, due to their weight, they are generally unfit for any other use, which gives them the Din of 'Muktzah Machmas Chesaron Kis', rendering them completely Muktzah.

(d) It is intrinsically permitted to pull non-growing objects from the ground on Shabbos. However, in the house, where one tends to be more particular about aesthetics, so Chazal decreed, because one may come to fill in any subsequent holes that the removal leaves in its wake. In the field, where most people do not find a small hole disturbing, they did not decree.

(a) One may neither fold clothes nor make the beds on Shabbos - for after Shabbos.

(b) According to Rebbi Akiva, one may burn neither the Shabbos Chalavim on Yom Kippur night, nor the Yom Kipur Chalavim on Friday night.

(a) One person is permitted to fold - new, white clothes on Shabbos, provided he has nothing else to change into.

(b) Someone who had no Shabbos suit - would lower the hem of garment (which, in those days, ordinary working people tended to raise during the week, and tie with their belts, in order to avoid their becoming dirty) to the ground.

(c)) Nor does this appear to be conceited, because, since he does not go with long clothes during the week, only on Shabbos, everyone will know that he is doing this li'Chevod Shabbos.

(d) We learn from ...

1. ... "ve'Chibadto" - that one should wear different clothes on Shabbos than one wears during the week; like Rebbi Yochanan, who would call his clothes 'Mechabdusai'.
2. "me'Asos Derachecha" - that one's gait on Shabbos should be different than it is during the week.
3. "mi'Metzo Cheftzecha" - that on the one hand, one's personal financial matters are forbidden on Shabbos, and on the other, they are permitted when they are for a Mitzvah (such as fixing Tzedakah).
4. "ve'Daber (Davar)" - that one's speech on Shabbos should be different than during the week (i.e. devoid of business talk and personal accounts) - According to Tosfos, this is included in the previous Derashah, and "ve'Daber" refers to any excessive mundane talk (See Tosfos d.h. 'she'Lo. However, the Gemara referred to by the Mesores ha'Shas, would appear to prove Rashi's opinion).
5. "Davar" - that speaking is forbidden, but thinking is permitted.

5)

(a) If a pool of water is too wide to take in one's stride - then he should jump over it, rather than go through it (which might cause his clothes to get wet, and lead to his wringing them), and rather than go round it (which is an excessive bother).

(b) The Halachah 'she'Lo Yehei Hiluchach be'Shabbos' etc. - refers to not taking large steps, when there is *no* pool of water.

(c) When they asked Rebbi Yishmael b'Rebbi Yossi whether one is permitted to take large steps on Shabbos or whether to eat earth, or not - he replied that both are prohibited, even during the week, the former because it detracts (one five-hundredth) from one's eyesight; the latter because it leads to illnesses.

(d) One regains one's lost eye-sight by drinking the Kidush-wine on Friday night.

(a) Others quote Rav Ami as saying that someone who eats the earth of Bavel, is considered as if he had eaten worms, since all animals and mankind died in the flood, and we learn from Pesukim (as we shall see), that all the corpses were carried down to Bavel, where they would have eventually become worms. However, this cannot be taken literally, since, in fact, the bodies dissolved completely (as the Torah writes "va'Yimach es Kol ha'Yekum" - No'ach). (It is not however, clear, in that case, how the Gemara extrapolates that the bodies were carried down to Bavel - refer to c.?) The reason that the Gemara used such a sharp expression, is to prevent people eating it - since, as we said, the earth causes illnesses.

(b) Bavel is also called 'Shin'ar' - since the corpses and carcasses were 'poured' (she'Nin'aru') into Bavel; and by the same token, it is called 'Metzulah' - because all the bodies 'drowned' ('she'Nitztaleleu') there.

(c) That man first ate some earth and then dates, which took root in the earth and grew into his heart, and he died.

(a) When Naomi said to Rus "ve'Rachatz't ... *ve'Sam't Simlosayich" - she must have meant that she should put on her Shabbos clothes.

(b)

1. Naomi instructed Rus to put on her Shabbos clothes *before* going down to the barn, to hint to Boaz to 'marry' her. But Rus decided it was more prudent to change into her Shabbos clothes only *after* she reached the barn - so as not to attract the attention of the men whom she might meet on the way.
2. The young Shmuel showed initiative, when, instead of replying 'Speak *Hashem*, because Your servant is listening' etc., he replied 'Speak, because Your servant is listening' (omitting the word 'Hashem', since he could not be certain that it was in fact, the voice of Hashem.)

(c) We learn from "*va'Telech, va'Tavo*, va'Telaket ba'Sadeh" - (suggesting that she came before she left), that Rus went down to the field (to collect the Matnos Aniyim) a few times, but she would not begin collecting before she found the right group of harvesters (i.e. who would not molest her).

(d) Boaz perceived how meticulously Rus kept to the Halachah: whenever she spotted two grains of corn, she would take them; three, she would leave, since according to the Halachah, three grains of corn that fall in one spot are not Leket. He was also struck by her modest behavior: When she spied grains of corn on the ground, she declined to bend down to pick them up - in spite of the fact that *that* would have been the easiest and quickest way of collecting - but made a point of sitting down to pick them up.

(a) Boaz used a Lashon of *cleaving* with regard to Rus (perhaps hinting at the same time that he would soon marry her), because he saw and was struck by the way (that, in stark contrast to Orpah, who kissed her mother-in-law -Naomi - and promptly turned her back on her) "Rus *cleaved* to her".

(b) We learn from the Lashon "Vayomer Lah Boaz ... Goshi *Halom*", and from David ha'Melech, who said "Mi Anochi ... Ki Havi'asni Ad *Halom*" - that the Lashon "Halom" always refers to Malchus. Boaz was hinting to Rus that the kingdom of David was destined to descend from her.

(c) It is good to drink vinegar - in the hot season.

(d) By telling her to dip her bread in vinegar - Boaz was hinting to her that King Menasheh, whose deeds were sour like vinegar, would descend from her.

(a) The Pasuk informs us that Boaz placed Rus beside the harvesters and not in the middle - to hint that Malchus Beis David was destined to be split, and that the ten tribes would establish their own kingdom.

(b) "va'Tochal, va'Tisba, va'Tosar", besides hinting at the bountiful times of David, Shlomoh and Chizkiyah - might also refer to David and Shlomoh, Chizkiyah and Rebbi - respectively.

(c) Alternatively, it might be referring to this world, the times of Moshiach and Olam ha'Ba - respectively.

(d) Rebbi Yochanan, who refers to clothes as 'Mechabdusai', explains "ve'Sachas Kevodo ('ve'Lo Kevodo Mamash') - meaning that underneath their clothes they were burnt (but their clothes remained intact).
Rebbi Elazar explains "ve'Sachas Kevodo" ('Kevodo Mamash') - meaning that instead of their bodies (he learns Kevodo to mean bodies, not clothes, like Rebbi Yochanan), there remained ashes.
Rebbi Shmuel bar Nachmeni explains "Tachas Kevodo" ('ki'Sereifas B'nei Aharon'). He explains 'Tachas' to mean underneath - like Rebbi Yochanan, and 'Kevodo', to mean their bodies, like Rebbi Elazar. Consequently, what the Navi is saying - is that it was not their *bodies* that were burnt, but their *Neshamos* - like the burning of Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon.

(a) We learn from the Pasuk "u'Fashat es Begadav, ve'Lavash Begadim Acherim" - that wearing better clothes is Chashuv before Hashem.

(b) Tana de'Bei Rebbi Yishmael learn from this Pasuk - that a servant who pours out the wine for his master, should not wear the same grubby clothes that he wore whilst cooking.