When we change our mind . . .
Today’s daf discusses things that are permitted on a holiday that are “undesirable” (meaning not ideal) but allowed because of the greater good of making the festival an oneg, a joy.
And Ulla said: With regard to three matters, the Sages permitted an action whose result is undesirable in order to encourage a desirable initial action. And these are the three matters: 1) spreading out the hide of an animal slaughtered on a Festival before those who will tread on it, And 2) replacing shutters of shops, 3) And the replacement of a bandage in the Temple.
We don’t want people to tan hides on the festival, but we want them to enjoy meat (it makes the day special as meat is not consumed so frequently) and perhaps someone would not slaughter an animal if they could not tan the hide and that would go to waste – so they permit the spreading of the skin to tan the hide so people won’t refrain from slaughtering the animal.
We don’t want vendors working in their shops, but there are lots of people who likely will need items for the festival on the day itself – so they allow them to open the shutters and their stores so people can get what they need and settle their tabs AFTER the holiday.
Lest you think that only “regular” people might play down the festival because of their own inconvenience, we see too that even a priest might not want to participate in his priestly duties on a festival – hence the bandage ruling. It is not usually permitted to change a bandage on a festival. But here, the Gemara allows it so that, if a priest has an injury that is wrapped, if he performs the festival service.sacrifice which requires him to remove that wrapping (since he cannot have a barrier on his hands when he performs these rights) the sages allow him to wrap back up afterword so he won’t be discouraged from doing his job.
The gem: Even in the ancient world, the rabbis were actively thinking about how to make celebrating the festival more practical in order to encourage the highest number of people to come and fully enjoy the holiday.
How do we do this today? What are the things that get int he way of people fully celebrating the holidays? How can we make it easier for them?
2,711 pages of Talmud. A gem a day. 
I liked the concept, it makes a lot of sense. Maybe a good example are on line services… Maybe is not ideal, but it allows us to remain connected and enable people who are distant to join for prayer.
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very nice connection Diego
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