- When non-Jews who contracted for a specific job are forbidden to do the work on Shabbos
Shmuel said: מקבלי קיבולת בתוך התחום אסור – The rule for entering into a contract to complete a specified project is that if the work is to take place inside the techum, it is forbidden to enter the contract with non-Jews if they will perform it on Shabbos, for a Jew might see them and suspect that they were hired for work on Shabbos. חוץ לתחום מותר – If the work is for outside the techum then it is mutar to enter a contract with non-Jews even if they will perform work on Shabbos, for no Jews will see them. Rav Pappa said: Even in the case of working outside the techum, it is only permitted if there is no other Jewish city within its techum, but if there is another Jewish city close to the techum, then it is forbidden for the non-Jews to do work on Shabbos. Rav Mesharshiya said: Even where there is no Jewish city close by, work is only permissible on Shabbosim and Yomim Tovim, because people do not go there since it is beyond the techum. But on Chol HaMoed, when people come and go, non-Jews are not allowed to work for a Jew.
- הלכות מועד כהלכות כותים בהלכה
Rav Chama bar Gurya said in the name of Rav: הלכות מועד כהלכות כותים בהלכה – The laws of Chol HaMoed are like the laws of the Kusim regarding deciding halachah. Although the Kusim often refused to keep mitzvos that were not explicit in the Torah, when they did observe a mitzvah, they were very meticulous in its performance. And the Gemara in Chullin says that if they observed one specific mitzvah, this did not imply that they observed a similar mitzvah. Rav Daniel bar Ketina said in the name of Rav that this means, that regarding Chol HaMoed: לומר שהן עקורות ואין למידות זו מזו – this means to say that the halachos of Chol HaMoed are like a barren woman, for they cannot be derived from one another. Rashi explains, that with a barren woman, the husband only has his wife but no offspring. Similarly, we cannot say that one kulah in the halachos of Chol HaMoed can serve as a basis for another kulah. Abaye said: We have a tradition, הלכות מועד כהלכות שבת – That the laws of Chol HaMoed are like the laws of Shabbos, יש מהן פטור אבל אסור ויש מהן מותר לכתחילה – For some of them, the person is patur from punishment, but the act is forbidden, and some of them are completely mutar.
- מכניס אדם פירותיו מפני הגנבים
The next Mishnah states: מכניס אדם פירותיו מפני הגנבים – On Chol HaMoed, a person can bring his fruits into the house because of thieves. The Gemara brings a Baraisa that taught: ובלבד שיכניסם בצנעה לתוך ביתו – provided he brings the fruits into his house in private, so that no one will see him and assume that is generally permitted to do so. The Gemara brings an incident where Rav Yosef had some heavy beams that could not be left outdoors, and he brought them into his house during the day. When Abaye asked him how he could do so during the day, Rav Yosef answered that daytime can be considered doing it in private, for if he did it at night, he would need additional men and torches which would also be noticeable.