- Which melacha is straining?
The opening Mishnah of the twentieth perek on Daf 137b introduced a machlokes regarding pouring into a suspended strainer. Rebbe Eliezer said that one may pour into the strainer even on Shabbos and certainly on Yom Tov, while the Chochomim hold that one may not pour into the strainer on Shabbos but may pour into it on Yom Tov. The Gemara seeks to clarify which av melachah one must warn someone with, who is about to strain wine on Shabbos, according to the Chochomim who forbid it.
• Rabbah says that it is more reasonable to say boreir, for just as boreir involves taking the food and leaving the undesired matter behind, so too here, straining wine takes the food and leaves the undesired matter behind.
• Rebbe Zeira says that it is more reasonable to say meraked, sifting, for just as sifting results in the undesired matter remaining on top while the food falls below, so too straining wine results in the undesired dregs remaining on top of the strainer, with the wine below.
- Wearing a felt hat
The Gemara notes a contradiction between Rav Sheishess the son of Rav Idi who states that a felt hat (סיאנא) is permitted to be worn on Shabbos, and a Baraisa that states that it is prohibited to wear it. The Gemara concludes that Rav Sheishess was dealing with a hat that is fitted tightly whereas the Baraisa was referring to a hat that was loose. Since there is a concern that a loosely fit hat could fall off, the Rabbanon prohibited wearing it, lest one comes to carry it four amos in reshus harabim.
- Will Torah be forgotten in the future?
It was taught in a Baraisa that when the Rabbanon entered Kerem B’Yavneh they said, עתידה תורה שתשתכח מישראל – The Torah will eventually be forgotten from Yisroel, as it is stated, הנה ימים באים נאם ה' אלקים והשלכתי רעב בארץ – Behold days are coming, declares Hashem, that I will send a hunger into the land. לא רעב ללחם ולא צמא למים כי אם לשמע את דברי ה' – Not a hunger for bread, and not a thirst for water, but to hear the words of Hashem.
It was taught in a different Baraisa that Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai says, חס ושלום שתשתכח תורה מישראל – Heaven forbid that the Torah would be forgotten from Yisroel, as it says, כי לא תשכח מפי זרעו – For it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of the nation’s offspring. He interprets a prophecy from Amos which states, “they shall wander to seek the word of Hashem, but shall not find it,” to mean that they will not find הלכה ברורה ומשנה ברורה במקום אחד, clear halachah and clear teachings in one place. Rashi explains that “clear halachah” means a consensus for the reasons behind various rulings.