MISHNAH: If somebody is caught on the road when it gets dark [Friday evening.] , he gives his wallet to a Non-Jew; if no Non-Jew is with him he puts it on the donkey [He may not increase his donkey’s load if a Non-Jew is available since he is responsible for the Sabbath rest of his animal.] . If he comes to an outer courtyard [The first place where his property may be guarded until the end of the Sabbath.] he removes the implements which may be moved on the Sabbath. For those which may not be moved he unties the rope and the sacks fall down by themselves.
MISHNAH: One unties bundles of straw for animals and one separates packages but not sheaves. One does not crush green stalks or carob for animals whether small or large; Rebbi Jehudah permits carob for small animals [Since small animal cannot chew the very hard carob pods, crushing carob for small animals is parallel to opening bundles of hay or straw for cattle.] .
MISHNAH: One does not stuff [Making it eat more than its need to fatten it; in the case of a camel to prepare it for a trip to the desert where it will be able to survive on minimal rations.] a camel, nor force-feed [Pushing the food down its throat.] , but puts food in its mouth [Without forcing.] . One does not stuff calves but gives food into their mouths. One hand-feeds chickens and adds water to bran but does not give water to bees and pigeons of the dovecote [These are flying larger distances and easily find water by themselves.] , but gives to geese and chicken and for Herodes [This translation is very tentative. It is not known which kind of pigeons were kept in cages and therefore had to be fed every day. Maimonides reads רודסיות “from Rhodes” but explains “Herodes”. In the Babli one finds דורסיות, ,הרדסיות ,הדרסיות, דורסאית cf. Diqdude Soferim Šabbat p. 380 Note ד.] pigeons.
MISHNAH: One cuts squash for animals and a cadaver for dogs [Even if the squash had not been cut from its vine or the animal had not died before the Sabbath.] . Rebbi Jehudah says, if it was not a cadaver before the Sabbath it is forbidden since it is not prepared.
MISHNAH: One dissolves vows on the Sabbath [Since the power of the father to dissolve the vows of his underage daughter or the husband to dissolve the vows of his wife ends with sundown of the day on which he is informed.] and one may ask about vows [Since the power of a court or of a duly ordained Sage to revoke vows is not limited in time, they may be asked only about vows which interfere with the keeping of the Sabbath.] if it is a need for the Sabbath. One plugs the skylight and measures a rag [Whether it has the minimal dimensions which make it susceptible to impurity.] and a miqweh [Whether it contains the required 40 seˋah of water to purify by immersion.] . It happened in the days of Rebbi Ṣadoq’s father and in the days of Abba Shaul ben Botnit, that they plugged the skylight with a jar and [Of a house where a corpse was lying in order to allow Cohanim to be on the roof, the skylight had to be closed. If it was built without a shutter, it may be temporarily closed by any object which may be moved on the Sabbath.] tied a dish to bast to know whether a barrel [The explanation given by the Babli (157a/b) is that there was a corpse in one house, and a window between this and an adjacent house. An open window transmits tent-impurity if it is at least (1 hand-breadth). The window was partially blocked and it was impossible to measure the size of the open hole directly. They tied a dish to a flimsy piece of bast (so the knot should not be permanent), lowered it in front of the hole so a well defined part of it covered the hole, and then measured that part to know whether impurity was transferred to the second house.] had a hand-breadth width opening or not [The explanation given by the Babli (157a/b) is that there was a corpse in one house, and a window between this and an adjacent house. An open window transmits tent-impurity if it is at least (1 hand-breadth)2. The window was partially blocked and it was impossible to measure the size of the open hole directly. They tied a dish to a flimsy piece of bast (so the knot should not be permanent), lowered it in front of the hole so a well defined part of it covered the hole, and then measured that part to know whether impurity was transferred to the second house.] . From their words we infer that one plugs, and measures, and ties on the Sabbath.