Last week we started explaining the enigmatic statement of the Gemara (Shabbos 74a) that says, “If you have in front of you types of food: separate and eat, separate and put down. And don’t separate. And if you separate, you are chayav chatas”.
The second explanation of this statement is given by Rav Chisdah. He explains, “Separate and eat less than the [minimum] amount [to be chayav], separate and put down less than the [minimum] amount [to be chayav]. And [more] the minimum amount, don’t separate, and if you do separate you are chayav chatas”.
Rav Yosef immediately asks that just as it is prohibited to cook less than the minimum amount to be chayav, why should separating be any different?! He says that the definition of a prohibited act never includes the amount which is processed. He rejects Rav Chisdah’s explanation, and offers his own (which we will discuss next week).
It is very hard to understand Rav Chisdah explanation. Why was he not bothered by the question of Rav Yosef? Just one line before he asks an almost identical question about Oolah! Tosfos (ד"ה וכי) explains that there is a fundamental difference between Rav Chisdah’s understanding of Oolah’s explanation and his own. Oolah understood that only separating for future use is considered separating. Rav Chisdah understood that separating a small amount is not considered separating; rather, it is considered to be an act of eating! Rav Yosef’s question is not that amount doesn’t affect the prohibition (as Rav Chisdah asked); rather, he asks that a small amount does not define the action as one of eating.
Next week, we will hopefully discuss Rav Yosef’s explanation.
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