- Making a railing for a roof or balcony
The next Mishnah states: עושין מעקה לגג ולמרפסת מעשה הדיוט אבל לא מעשה אומן – We may make a railing for a roof or a balcony in the work of a layman, but not the work of a craftsman. The Gemara asks what is considered מעשה הדיוט, and Rav Yosef says: בהוצא ודפנא – With palm branches and laurel branches. Rashi explains that he stands up the laurels as posts and then weaves the palm branches between them to make the railing. It was taught in a Baraisa: צר בצרור ואינו טח בטיט – He piles stones on top of one another and does not cement them with mortar.
- Repairs on Chol HaMoed
The Mishnah states: הציר והצינור והקורה והמנעול והמפתח שנשברו מתקנן במועד – If a pivot, or a socket, which Rashi explains is a hole in the door that holds the lower pivot, or a lintel, or a lock, or a key, broke, one may fix them on Chol HaMoed. ובלבד שלא יתכוין לעשות מלאכתו במועד – provided that the person did not plan to do his work on Chol HaMoed. The Gemara asks, how can the Mishnah say that is it permitted to fix certain items on Chol HaMoed, there is a Mishnah in Maaser Sheni regarding the innovations of Yochanan Kohen Gadol, that says עד ימיו היה פטיש מכה בירושלים – Until his days the hammer would bang in Yerushalayim, which implies that only until his days working with tools was permitted but afterwards they became prohibited? After the first answer is rejected, the Gemara brings three more answers. Rav Chisda answered, הא במגלי הא בחציני – Our Mishnah is dealing with large saws which produce no noise, whereas the other Mishnah is dealing with axes, which make noise. Rav Pappa said that our Mishnah was stated before the gezeirah, and the other Mishnah was stated after the gezeirah. Rav Ashi answered that the author of the Mishnah regarding Yochanan Kohen Gadol, is Rebbe Yehudah, who holds that repairs on Chol HaMoed to save from irretrievable loss must be done in an unusual way, whereas the Mishnah here is Rebbe Yose, who holds that such work can be done in the usual manner.
- Is melachah permitted during aveilus to prevent financial loss like it is during Chol HaMoed?
The opening Mishnah of the second perek discusses what one should do if he turned over his olives in order to press them ואירעו לו אבל או אונס או שהיטעוהו פועלים – and he then became an avel, when it is prohibited to work, or it was before a festival when he turned over his olives and he could not press him because of some אונס, or because his workers tricked him, which Rashi explains to mean that they promised that they would come and then did not show up. The Gemara notes that the Mishnah began with the case of mourning and concluded with what to do in the case of Chol HaMoed, and never came back to what should be done in aveilus. Rav Shisha the son of Rav Idi said: This tells us: דברים המותרים במועד אסורים בימי אבלו – Things that are permitted during Chol HaMoed are forbidden to do during aveilus. Rav Ashi disagrees and says: לא מיבעיא קאמר – The Mishnah is presenting the halachos in the format of “it is not necessary.” Meaning, It is not necessary to state that melachah is permitted during aveilus in the case of financial loss, since the prohibition not to do melachah is only a d’Rabbanon, but even during Chol HaMoed, when the prohibition against melachah is a d’Oraysa, במקום פסידא שרו רבנן – in a place of financial loss, the Rabbis permitted the melachah. The Gemara brings a long Baraisa that supports Rav Shisha the son of Rav Idi.