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- Using a scale on Yom Tov
The next Mishnah states: Rebbe Yehudah says: שוקל אדם בשר כנגד הכלי או כנגד הקופיץ – A person may weight meat on a balance against a kli or against a cleaver on Yom Tov. Rashi explains that the Mishnah deals with a butcher who distributes meat by weight to various customers and wants to know how much meat the customer is receiving. Rebbe Yehudah holds that it is prohibited to use a scale in a normal manner because it is עובדה דחול – a weekday activity, but if one uses a kli as a makeshift counterweight it is a שינוי and not considered עובדה דחול. But the Chochomim say: אין משגיחין בכף מאזנים בכף מאזנים כל עיקר – We may not use a scale at all. The Gemara asks what the Mishnah means to add by stating “at all” and Rav Yehudah said in the name of Shmuel: אפילו לשמרו מן העכברים – The Chochomim do not allow meat to be placed on a scale even to guard from mice. Rashi explains that the Chochomim forbid it because it would appear to an observer that it was placed there to be weighed. Rav Idi bar Avin said: והוא דתליא בתריטא – This is prohibited only when the scale is hanging from a ring that holds the scale in balance. In that case it appears that he wants to weigh the meat.
- Making a hole in meat to use as a handle and marking a piece of meat to send
The Gemara digresses to discuss other halachos regarding meat on Yom Tov. Rav Chiya bar Ashi said: אסור לעשות בית יד בבשר – It is prohibited to make a handle in a piece of meat. Rashi explains that it was customary for a butcher to make a hole in the meat as a handle that would help the customer carry the meat home. The Chochomim prohibited doing this on Yom Tov to demonstrate that commerce is forbidden on Yom Tov. Ravina said: ובידא שרי – But by hand it is permitted to make a hole. Rashi explains that it is permitted to make a hole with one’s finger. This unusual method distinguishes it from the normal method of commerce. Rav Huna said: מותר לעשות סימן בבשר – It is permitted to make a mark in a piece of meat like that practice of Rabbah bar Rav Huna who would cut meat into triangular pieces. Because the Chochomim were concerned that non-kosher meat might be exchanged for kosher meat by a dishonest messenger, Rashi explains that they required that meat be marked in a distinct way so that the recipient could recognize that it had not been exchanged.
- Is מכשירי אוכל נפש permitted on Yom Tov such as in the case of sharpening a knife?
The next Mishnah states: אין משחיזין את הסכין ביום טוב אבל משיאה על גבי חברתה – We may not sharpen a knife in the normal manner on Yom Tov, but one may scrape it against another knife. Rashi explains that scraping it against another knife is a שינוי from the normal weekday method of sharpening. The Gemara asks who the Tanna of the Mishnah is who holds that sharpening a knife is prohibited on Yom Tov even though it will aid in food preparation and Rav Chisda said it is not Rebbe Yehudah who is מתיר אף מכשירי אוכל נפש – who permits even melachos that are preliminaries of food preparation. The Gemara explains that the source for the Tanna who holds that מכשירי אוכל נפש is prohibited is based on the passuk: "הוא לבדו יעשה לכם" – That alone may be done for you. "הוא" ולא מכשיריו – The term “that” implies that only actual food preparation is permitted but not its preliminaries. Rebbe Yehudah expounds a different word in the passuk. The same passuk states:לכל צרכיכם "לכם" – The term “for you” implies for you and for all your needs, even the preliminaries of food preparation. The Gemara explains what each Tanna derived from the other Tanna’s source.