One of our friends told us how much he enjoyed the family fire pit. They roast marshmallows in the summertime and enjoy sitting warming themselves around the fire in the wintertime. A fire pit captured Judy’s imagination. She thought it would be great to own one ourselves. Especially during the pandemic, we could entertain congregants at our house and still be safe because we would be outside.
Coincidentally
or not, today’s daf TB Beitzah 31
discusses the status of firewood. For most of human history firewood was the
primary source of fuel to cook food. Since cooking food is permitted on the Festival,
one may use firewood. Nevertheless, the wood needs to be designated as firewood
before the Festival or it would be muktseh
and prohibited on Yom Tov.
“It is taught
in a baraita that Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel did not
disagree with regard to wood scattered in fields that one may not bring
it on a Festival to one’s house for kindling (because it is muktseh-gg), nor with regard to
wood gathered in a karpef[1]
that one may bring it (because it is not muktseh-gg). With regard to what did they disagree? It is with
regard to scattered wood in a karpef and gathered wood in
fields, as Beit Shammai
say: He may not bring it, and Beit Hillel say: He may bring it. Although the
lenient opinion with regard to gathered wood in a field is attributed to Beit Hillel, this is only
according to the minority view of Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar. However, most
Sages disagree and say that one may not bring wood from a field at all, even
according to Beit Hillel…
One may not chop wood on a Festival neither from beams intended for
construction nor from a beam that broke on a Festival, although it no
longer serves any purpose (because they were not set aside for the purpose of firewood;
consequently, they are muktseh-gg)”
(Sefaria.org translation)
Secondly one
may not use professional tools to chop the wood so that the Festival won’t turn
into just another weekday. “Yet even when one chops such a beam, it must not
be done in the weekday manner; an adjustment must be made. Therefore, one
may not chop it neither with an ax, nor with a saw, nor with a sickle,
but with a cleaver. The Gemara comments: This opinion, which is in
accordance with the opinion of Shmuel, is also taught in a baraita:
One may not chop wood, neither from the pile of beams nor from the beam that
broke on the Festival itself, as it is not considered prepared.
“It is taught
in the mishna that even when it is permitted to chop wood on a Festival, one
may not do so with an ax. Rav Ḥinnana bar Shelemya said in the name
of Rav: They taught this prohibition only with regard to a case
where one chops with its female side, i.e., the broad side of the ax, as
was normally done. But if one chops with its male side, i.e., the
narrow side, this is permitted because it is an unusual manner of
chopping.” (Sefaria.org translation)
This discussion about
the status of firewood on the Festival is completely theoretical concerning
Judy’s desire of buying a fire pit. We have subsequently learned that fire pits
are banned in all of the five New York City’s boroughs. I think this is the
first time that New York has saved me money instead costing me more money!
[1] A karpf is an enclosed area not designated
for human habitation. I imagine it was used for storage because sometimes it
could be locked to prevent outsiders from entering.
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