DafQuiz Moed Katan Daf 18

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by Rabbi Yehoshua Berman

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Why did Shmuel throw his fingernails at his brother Pinchas? *

10 points

Shmuel once saw Pinchas cutting his nails on Chol HaMoed and got very upset that Pinchas was being lenient in accordance with Rabi Yosi who allows cutting nails on Chol HaMoed and aveilus, because he held that the halacha is in accordance with Rabi Yehuda who holds nail cutting is assur on Chol HaMoed and aveilus. So, after the Chag, Shmuel cut his nails and threw them at Pinchas to show him that what he did was wrong.

Pinchas was sitting shiva. Shmuel made a shiva call and noticed Pinchas' nails were really long and asked him why he didn't cut his nails since the halacha is like Rabi Yosi that nail cutting is permissible on Chol HaMoed and aveilus. Pinchas said, "If you'd be sitting shiva, would you be so callous?!" Shmuel's relative died because of Pinchas' comment. When Pinchas made a shiva call, Shmuel threw his nails at Pinchas in anger and said, "What, you don't hold of 'there is a covenant for the lips'?!"

When Shmuel and Pinchas were sitting shiva for their father, they both needed to cut their nails. Pinchas would not cut his nails because he held that even though the halacha is like Rabi Yosi that it is mutar to cut nails on Chol HaMoed and aveilus, it still is not the right thing to do. But Shmuel cut his nails and threw them at Pinchas to make the point that it is mutar and it is perfectly ok.

One time, Rabi Yochanan bit his nails off on Chol HaMoed and just tossed them aside. What are the 3 things that we learn from that incident? *

10 points

1) It is mutar to cut nails on Chol HaMoed. 2) There is no problem of repulsiveness in regards to fingernails. 3) It is ok to toss fingernails in the Beis Medrash since women don't frequent there, and even if they are swept up and tossed out of the Beis Medrash, they will not cause any harm once moved.

1) Cutting nails on Chol HaMoed is only permissible if one bites them off with one's teeth. 2) It is not considered bitul Torah to bite off one's teeth while one is engaged in learning. 3) On Chol HaMoed one does not need to be concerned with disposing of cut nails since there are far less people in the Beis Medrash.

1) Someone who is particularly fastidious (איסטניס) like Rabi Yochanan is allowed to cut his nails on Chol HaMoed. 2) A rebbi should do things that will keep his talmidim sharp as Rabi Yochanan did by tossing the fingernails to see if his talmidim would ask how he could do that. 3) Although burning fingernails is the most pious option, even a great sage is not considered doing something wrong for not conducting himself that way.

What limitation is there on the heter of cutting nails on Chol HaMoed and aveilus? *

10 points

Only the fingernails can be cut, but not the toenails.

A scissor may be used for cutting toenails but not fingernails.

One may not use a scissor to cut the nails.

What is the halacha regarding an avel shaving his mustache? *

10 points

If it is growing into his mouth and bothering his eating, he can trim it but not completely shave it off because of the prohibition against destroying the beard. And if he is fastidious (איסטניס) then he can shave it with scissors but not a razor blade since scissors is only d'Rabbanan and it is waived for alleviating significant discomfort.

If it is growing into his mouth and bothering his eating, he can shave it off, but not on the first day of the aveilus which is the most severed day of mourning.

If it is growing into his mouth and bothering his eating, he can even shave it off entirely because the mustache is not included in the prohibition against destroying the beard; and someone who is fastidious (איסטניס) can shave off the whole mustache if it is bothering him.

What did Amoraim try to prove from the fact that the Mishna only allows laundry on Chol HaMoed for people who came back from a journey abroad (etc.) and laundering towels and hand-towels, and how did the other Amoraim reject that proof? *

10 points

1) Only someone who came back from a journey abroad (etc.) is allowed to launder his clothes but not someone who was home the whole time even if he only has one change of clothing. Only towels can be laundered but not clothing made out of linen. 2) Someone who came back from a journey abroad (etc.) is allowed to do laundry even if he has more than one change of clothing if they are both dirty, but someone who has only one change of clothing can launder it when necessary no matter what. Towels can be laundered no matter what they're made of, but linen items can be laundered even if they're not towels because linen is easier to launder.

1) Even someone who came back from a journey abroad (etc.) is only allowed to launder towels and hand-towels but not clothing items since they are generally not as prone to getting soiled so frequently like towels. 2) It's not a proof because it's two separate halachos - towels/hand-towels can be laundered by anybody on Chol HaMoed when they get dirty because they are prone to getting dirty often, and someone who came back from a journey abroad (etc.) is allowed to launder whatever clothing items he needs to launder since he was unable to before the Chag.

1) The heter for someone who came back from a journey abroad (etc.) is like the heter of towels/hand-towels. Just like towels/hand-towels get soiled often, so too the heter for someone who came back from a journey abroad (etc.) is only for clothing items that get dirty often. 2) The two things are completely separate halachos and therefore someone who came back from a journey abroad (etc.) can do any laundry that he needs.

Why did the Gemara need to bring the braisa that says that one may be mekadesh a woman on Chol HaMoed but only without making a festive meal in order to support Shmuel's heter to be mekadesh a woman on Chol HaMoed; why couldn't it be proved from the Mishna that says it's assur to do nisuin on Chol HaMoed and the Mishna that says kiddushin documents can be written on Chol HaMoed? *

10 points

The Mishna that forbids nisuin could be talking about places where they do kiddushin and nisuin at the same time so the prohibition includes both. The Mishna that says kiddushin documents can be written on Chol HaMoed could be talking about where the kiddushin was done on erev Yomtov and they didn't have enough time to write out the document attesting to it before Yomtov started.

The Mishna that forbids nisuin could be taking for granted that kiddushin is forbidden since it's not a mitzvah. The Mishna that says kiddushin documents can be written on Chol HaMoed could be talking about prenuptial agreement documents wherein the two fathers write down what each one obligates himself to provide to his son/daughter.

The Mishna that forbids nisuin could be going like the opinion that holds nisuin is referring to betrothal and kiddushin is referring to completing the marriage so it would be explicitly forbidding what we call kiddushin on Chol HaMoed. The Mishna that says kiddushin documents can be written on Chol HaMoed could be talking about if someone violated the prohibition and the kiddushin was done, because even if a kiddushin is done in a prohibited manner on Chol HaMoed it is still fully binding and valid so at that point it becomes necessary and permissible to write the document that will attest to the kiddushin having been done.

What do we learn regarding Chol HaMoed from the story of what Rava told the man who was davening for a specific woman? *

10 points

Even though it is clear from the Torah, Neviim, and Kesuvim that matches are made in Heaven, it is possible that someone might daven that the woman should die because he can't bear to see her get married to someone else, and that's why it is mutar to be mekadesh a woman on Chol HaMoed.

People need to be extra careful about inappropriate interactions between men and women particularly on Chol HaMoed when people are out and about and there can be a lot of mingling because we see that it can lead to terrible things like someone davening in the wrong way or davening that he or the woman should die.

Chol HaMoed was given primarily for the purpose of having more time to learn Torah and when people don't use it for that purpose than they can be punished by having their thinking get messed up to the point where they may even daven to die rather than not get the specific shidduch that they were hoping for.

"A person is not suspected of something unless he did it, and if he didn't do the entire thing then he did part of it, and if he didn't even do part of it he thought about doing it, and if he didn't even think about doing it then he saw someone else do it and was happy about it". Which one of the following is NOT one of the conditions that the Gemara makes about this statement? *

10 points

The rumor in the town that the person did the aveirah was going about for at least a day and a half.

If the rumor stopped in the middle then it doesn't count unless the reason it stopped was because of fear.

If the rumor stopped in the middle but then started up again later, the stopping doesn't matter.

If the subject of the rumor has enemies, then the rumor doesn't count because it is assumed that the enemies are the ones who started the rumor.

If the subject of the rumor is a well-known tzaddik and talmid chacham then the rumor does not count because his chazakah as a tzaddik and talmid chacham outweighs the rumor.

About which one of the following documents does the Mishna say it can only be written on Chol HaMoed if there is a lack of trust or if the scribe does not have what to eat? *

10 points

Kiddushin document

Gittin

Receipts

Tzavaah (will)

Gift

Debts

Pruzbol

Property Assement by Beis Din

Man obligating himself to support his wife's daughter

Chalitza

Miun (under bas mitzvah girl saying she no longer wants to be married)

Beirurin (Beis Din selection for litigants)

Beis Din Rulings

Government Orders

Can the sefer Torah of Ezra/the-azarah be fixed on Chol HaMoed if there is only one letter that needs fixing? *

10 points

Yes

Machlokes

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