Beitzah 28

So, if I can prepare food on a festival for the festival – can I also sharpen my knife? That’s the subject of today’s daf. Some say no, some say, only in an unusual manner, but Rabbi Yehuda says:

The difference between a Festival and Shabbat is only with regard to the preparation of food, as it is permitted to perform labor for the purpose of food preparation on a Festival, but not on Shabbat; Rabbi Yehuda permits even actions that facilitate preparation of food on a Festival, e.g., repairing utensils with which food is prepared on the Festival.

Love those lenient rulings, and so does Rav Hisda . . . especially when he gets credit for passing on the ruling:

Rava said to Rav Ḥisda: We teach in your name that the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda. He said to him: May it be God’s will that you teach in my name all outstanding matters like this!

Yet, we then get stories of rabbis who agree with this lenient halakhah, but are acting as if they are more machmir (strict): Rav Neḥemya, son of Rav Yosef, said: I was once standing before Rava, and he was running a knife over the rim of a basket on a Festival. And I said to him: Is the Master doing so in order to sharpen it or in order to remove its fat? And he said to me: To remove its fat. And I nevertheless perceived his intention, that he did so in order to sharpen it. He concealed this from me, however, because he holds that Rabbi Yehuda’s opinion is the halakha but a public ruling is not issued to that effect; therefore he did not wish to permit the practice explicitly. Similarly, Abaye said: I was standing before my Master and teacher, Rabba, and he was running a knife over the edge of a millstone on a Festival. And I said to him: Does the Master wish to sharpen it, or is he doing this in order to remove its fat? And he said to me: To remove its fat. And I perceived his intention, that he did so in order to sharpen it, but he holds: This is the halakha, but a public ruling is not issued to that effect.

So, the law if that it’s allowed, but a public ruling hadn’t been made to that effect and so these teachers did not want to openly sharpen their knives . . .

Makes me wonder about what else we are allowed to do, but we don’t do because we don’t want to ruffle feathers . . . or don’t do because it is within the lines but may cause others to go beyond the lines . . .

It also makes me wonder: How do you sharpen a knife on the side of a bowl? Or on wood? I struggle using the knife sharpener. . .

But mostly I love how proud Rav Hisda gets for being quoted as quoting Rabbi Yehuda – may we all get such joy for citing our sources.