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Good morning BDJ!
As we begin a new tractate, I'm sending this installment of the Mishna Yomit series to everybody, in the unapologetic hope of tempting you to join the 118 folks who are already on board! You can sign up at https://www.bnaidavid.com/mishnahyomit, where you'll also find a variety of other interesting resources.
Beitzah, which is devoted to the laws of Yom Tov, opens with a discussion about preparation, and how important it is that the food-related items that we will be using during Yom Tov be prepared and designated for Yom Tov in advance of the day's arrival.
The "big idea" here is that the Yom Tov laws straddle a tough line. It's clear that God desires that we rejoice on Yom Tov. In addition to explicitly commanding us to be joyous on these days, God also took the very dramatic step of permitting the activities (melachot) needed for the preparation of fresh food on Yom Tov, for fresh food is one of the key ingredients to rejoicing. But the rabbinic tradition recognized that the permissibility on Yom Tov of so many activities that are forbidden on Shabbat threatened to diminish Yom Tov's stature as a holy day in the eyes of the rejoicers. Some kind of carefully calibrated balance would be needed.
In their quest for this balance, the rabbis decided to Halachikly characterize Yom Tov as a day into which we are required to invest forethought, planning, and preparation, befitting a day that is truly holy. Numerous examples of this requirement play out in the opening Mishnayot.
But maintaining just the right balance doesn't turn out to be simple. As we see in the first three Mishnayot, both Bet Hillel and Bet Shamai recognized that the "planning" requirement could sometimes put a crimp into the freedom of action necessary to maximize the "rejoicing" requirement, and that under these circumstances some kind of choice would have to be made. In the first two Mishnayot, Bet Hillel places more weight on the preparation requirement, while Bet Shamai gives priority to the rejoicing requirement. And then each school swings to to opposite position in Mishna 3!
In Mishna 5 we're introduced to another realm in which we need to find a proper balance, namely when an activity that is quite arguably inappropriate for Yom Tov (such as disassembling and assembling a food cupboard, or consciously preparing an animal hide for being worked into leather) would - if it were to be deemed forbidden - indirectly discourage people from pursuing their rejoicing. Bet Hillel comes down on the side of encouraging rejoicing, while Bet Shamai takes the more cautious view. Mishna 7 reflects a similar disagreement.
Much more to come!
Shabbat Shalom
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