HACHANAH OF AN EGG
Gemara
Mishnah - Beis Shamai: One may eat an egg laid on Yom Tov;
Beis Hillel forbid eating it.
Gemara - Question: What is the case?
If the owner is ready to eat the hen (i.e. he is not saving it to lay eggs), why would Beis Hillel forbid? The egg is like part of a food that separated off!
If he keeps the hen for eggs, why would Beis Shamai permit? The egg is Muktzah!
Answer #1 (Rav Nachman): Really, the hen is for eggs. Beis Hillel hold like R. Yehudah, who forbids Muktzah and also Nolad. Beis Shamai hold like R. Shimon; who permits Muktzah and Nolad.
2b - Objection: If so, why do they argue only about the egg? They should argue also about the hen, to additionally teach that Beis Hillel forbid even Muktzah that is not Nolad!
Answer #2 (Rabah): Really, the owner is ready to eat the hen. The case is, Yom Tov is on Motza'ei Shabbos. Beis Hillel forbid because of Hachanah (preparation).
Rabah holds that an egg is finished (ready to be laid) one day before it is laid.
This is like Rabah taught elsewhere:
Rabah: "V'Hayah ba'Yom ha'Shishi v'Hechinu" - a weekday can prepare for Shabbos or Yom Tov, but Yom Tov cannot prepare for Shabbos or vice-versa.
Chachamim decreed to forbid an egg laid on Shabbos or Yom Tov even if the previous day was a weekday, lest people permit on Shabbos or Yom Tov when the previous day was Yom Tov or Shabbos.
Question: We do not make decrees like this!
Beraisa: If finished eggs were found in a hen after Shechitah on Yom Tov, they may be eaten.
We do not decree lest people eat eggs laid on Yom Tov!
Answer: Finished eggs are rarely found in a hen after Shechitah. We do not decree about rare occurrences.
Answer #3 (Rav Yosef): Chachamim decree to forbid the egg lest people permit fruit that falls off trees on Shabbos (these are similar).
Answer #4 (R. Yitzchak): Chachamim decree to forbid the egg lest people permit juice that flows from fruits on Shabbos.
The other three Amora'im did not answer like Rabah because they permit Hachanah.
4a - Rav: If Yom Tov is adjacent to Shabbos, an egg laid on the first day is forbidden on the second;
R. Yochanan: It is permitted on the second day.
Rav forbids because of Hachanah; R. Yochanan does not forbid Hachanah (he explains the Mishnah like R. Yitzchak).
The following Tana'im argue like Rav and R. Yochanan:
(Beraisa): If Yom Tov is adjacent to Shabbos, an egg laid on the first day is permitted on the second;
R. Yehudah says, Beis Hillel and Beis Shamai argue about this, just like they argue about eating an egg laid on Yom Tov on the same day.
Rav Ada bar Ahavah's host asked if he may roast eggs laid today (Yom Tov) for tomorrow (Shabbos).
Rav Ada: You hold that the Halachah follows R. Yochanan against Rav. However, R. Yochanan permits eating it only on the second day. He agrees that it is Muktzah on the first day.
Rav Papa citing Rava: The Halachah follows Rav, whether this is a leniency or a stringency.
Rishonim
Rif: We establish the Mishnah like Rabah. Rava taught that the Halachah follows Rav, who holds like Rabah, whether this is a leniency or a stringency.
Rambam (Hilchos Yom Tov 1:19): A weekday can prepare for Shabbos or Yom Tov, but Yom Tov cannot prepare for Shabbos or vice-versa. Therefore, an egg laid on Yom Tov which is Motza'ei Shabbos is forbidden, even if the owner is ready to eat the hen. The egg was finished the day before it is laid, so Shabbos prepared for Yom Tov. Chachamim decreed to forbid every Yom Tov lest people permit when Yom Tov is on Motza'ei Shabbos. Similarly, an egg laid on Shabbos is forbidden.
Pri Megadim (Pesichah l'Hilchos Yom Tov 1:23): The Rambam holds that Rabah forbids Hachanah mid'Rabanan. Initially, we initially thought that he is stringent about a Safek because Hachanah is mid'Oraisa. However, Rav Ashi (3b) answers that the egg is not Batel because it is Davar she'Yesh Lo Matirim, and this applies even to Isurim mid'Rabanan. In Pesachim (48a) Rabah retracted and said that Muktzah is mid'Rabanan. Others say that he did not retract; there, he does not refer to Hachanah.
Minchas Chinuch (298:6 DH v'Chen): All others explain that Hachanah is mid'Oraisa, but no one obligates lashes for it. Surely, lashes would be only for using it, not for merely moving it.
Rambam (ibid. 24): The two days of Yom Tov of Chutz la'Aretz are two Kedushos. Therefore, if something was Muktzah or Nolad on Yom Tov Rishon, if one was Mechin it for Yom Tov Sheni it is permitted. For example, if an egg was laid or an animal was trapped or vegetation was detached on Yom Tov Rishon, it is permitted on Yom Tov Sheni.
Beis Yosef (OC 513 DH Kosav ha'Rambam): The Rambam permits on Yom Tov Sheni only if he was Mechin on Yom Tov Rishon. It is not clear what his source is. Perhaps he refers only to Muktzah, but not to Nolad.
Rambam (ibid.): Regarding the two days of Rosh Hashanah, an egg laid on the first day is forbidden on the second. The same applies to other Hachanos. The same applies to Yom Tov on Erev Shabbos or Motza'ei Shabbos, even if Yom Tov Sheni is on Erev Shabbos.
Rosh (1:1): The Rif rules like Rabah even though R. Yochanan holds like R. Yitzchak, because the decree lest people permit juice that flowed (if the egg were permitted) is farfetched. Also, we hold that an egg is finished one day before it is laid. Also, Rabah holds that Hachanah is mid'Oraisa, so we are stringent about a Safek mid'Oraisa.
Question: The Beraisa permits finished eggs found in a hen after Shechitah on Yom Tov. If they were finished yesterday, they are forbidden due to Hachanah. This is a Safek mid'Oraisa, we should be stringent!
Answer #1 (Rosh ibid.): We are concerned for Hachanah only when the object is available today due to yesterday's Hachanah. (Here, even if the egg were finished today it would be available through Shechitah. Yom Tov can prepare for itself (Eruvin 38b).)
Answer #2 (R. Efrayim): The Beraisa permits only on a Yom Tov that is not after Shabbos.
Answer #3 (Ran DH umid'Parchinan): The Yerushalmi says that while the egg is inside it is not a creation unto itself. Therefore, the Hachanah is not significant.
Poskim
Shulchan Aruch (513:5): If an egg was laid on Yom Tov Rishon it is permitted on Yom Tov Sheni of Chutz la'Aretz, but not on the second day of Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah. Also, if Yom Tov is adjacent to Shabbos, an egg laid on one is forbidden on the other
Rema: If Yom Tov Rishon is on Motza'ei Shabbos, an egg laid on Shabbos is permitted on Yom Tov Sheni.
IS HACHANAH FORBIDDEN?
Gemara
2a - Rabah: In the Mishnah, Beis Hillel forbid because of Hachanah.
Rabah: "V'Hayah ba'Yom ha'Shishi v'Hechinu" - a weekday can prepare for Shabbos or Yom Tov, but Yom Tov cannot prepare for Shabbos or vice-versa.
4a: Rav: If Yom Tov is adjacent to Shabbos, an egg laid on the first day is forbidden on the second (due to Hachanah).
R. Yochanan: It is permitted on the second day.
Rav Papa citing Rava: The Halachah follows Rav (who forbids Hachanah), whether this is a leniency or a stringency.
Rishonim
Rif: The Halachah follows Rav, whether this is a leniency or a stringency.
Ran (DH v'Ukma): It is considered Hachanah only because the egg was finished the day before. We are not concerned for growth on Shabbos; otherwise, we could not slaughter an animal on Yom Tov after Shabbos!
Ran (DH Rabah): "V'Hechinu" teaches about verbal declaration, for it already says that physical preparation must be before Shabbos - "Es Asher Tofu Efu".
Ran (DH d'Rav): If an egg was laid on Yom Tov Rishon, Rav forbids it on Yom Tov Sheni mid'Rabanan. On Yom Tov Rishon itself the egg is forbidden only because of a decree lest people permit an egg laid on Yom Tov after Shabbos. Likewise, Hachanah applies mid'Rabanan whenever something is Muktzah on the first day, e.g. fruits that fell off a tree.
Rambam (Hilchos Yom Tov 1:19): A weekday can prepare for Shabbos or Yom Tov, but Yom Tov cannot prepare for Shabbos or vice-versa.
Rambam (ibid. 24): The two days of Yom Tov of Chutz la'Aretz are two Kedushos. Therefore, if something was Muktzah or Nolad on Yom Tov Rishon, if one was Mechin it for Yom Tov Sheni it is permitted. For example, if an egg was laid or an animal was trapped or vegetation was detached on Yom Tov Rishon, it is permitted on Yom Tov Sheni.
Beis Yosef (OC 513 DH Kosav ha'Rambam): The Rambam permits on Yom Tov Sheni only if he was Mechin on Yom Tov Rishon. It is not clear what his source is. Perhaps he refers only to Muktzah, but not to Nolad.
Rambam (ibid.): Regarding the two days of Rosh Hashanah, an egg laid on the first day is forbidden on the second. The same applies to other Hachanos. The same applies to Yom Tov on Erev Shabbos or Motza'ei Shabbos, even if Yom Tov Sheni is on Erev Shabbos.
Rosh (1:1): R. Yochanan holds like R. Yitzchak, who decrees to forbid the egg lest people permit juice that flowed. This is farfetched, therefore the Rif rules like Rabah. Also, we hold that an egg is finished one day before it is laid. Also, Rabah holds that Hachanah is mid'Oraisa, so we are stringent about a Safek mid'Oraisa.
Question: If R. Yochanan considers it to be a reasonable decree, how can the Rosh decide that it is not?!
Answer (Korban Nesan'el 5): R. Yochanan does not forbid Hachanah, therefore he was forced to explain the Mishnah differently. We hold that Hachanah is forbidden, so we are not forced to find other explanations.
Note: Even though we forbid Hachanah, it is not obvious that this is the reason for the Mishnah. Perhaps we do not forbid Hachanah bi'Yedei Shomayim (like an egg), or we do not hold that the egg is finished the day before it is laid, or we do not forbid every Yom Tov because of Yom Tov after Shabbos. If we considered R. Yochanan's decree to be reasonable perhaps we would establish the Mishnah like him! It is difficult to say that Hachanah is forbidden, yet there is no source in the Mishnayos for this. Rabah explains that R. Eliezer and Chachamim (Eruvin 38a) argue about Hachanah, but this is not easy to infer from that Mishnah.
Hagahos Ashri (DH Aval) and Tosfos (2b DH v'Hayah): Weekday meals are not important, so Hachanah does not apply to them. Hachanah applies only to something that was not around at all, such as an egg. It does not apply to food that merely needed to be fixed (i.e. cooked. Sefer ha'Chinuch (298) says that mid'Oraisa Hachanah applies only to an egg.)
Rashi (2b DH l'Ta'amei) says that Rabah forbids Muktzah mid'Oraisa. Tosfos (Eruvin 38b DH d'Amar) says that Rabah retracted from this (Pesachim 47b). The Pnei Yehoshua (Beitzah 2b DH Sham bi'Gmara) says that Rabah retracted from saying that one is lashed for Muktzah, but he still holds that it is mid'Oraisa. Also, Rashi means that Rabah forbids the most severe Muktzah, such as Nolad, mid'Oraisa.
Question: The Yerushalmi says that Rav forbids to light on Yom Tov a wick that extinguished on Shabbos (Erev Yom Tov), and R. Yochanan permits. Why do we permit this?
Answer (Rosh ibid.): This is not Hachanah (see the Mordechai below). The Yerushalmi concludes that they argue about whether the days are one Kedushah or two.
Rosh (1:7): A calf born on Yom Tov is permitted, for it is Muchan along with its mother. This is if the mother was ready to be eaten. If the owner wants the mother for offspring, the calf is forbidden according to the opinion that forbids Muktzah. Hachanah does not apply here. It applies regarding a laid egg, for that enables it to develop a chick. However, a calf found inside a slaughtered cow is as good to eat as a born calf.
Poskim
Rema (OC 501:7): If a log burned on Yom Tov Rishon, one may burn what remains on Yom Tov Sheni, even if it is Motza'ei Shabbos or Yom Tov Sheni of Rosh Hashanah.
Shulchan Aruch (514:4): If a Ner extinguished on Yom Tov and one wants to relight it, he may cut the wick to make it light easier.
Rema: Leftover oil and wicks are permitted even on Yom Tov after Shabbos or on the second day of Rosh Hashanah.
Source (Mordechai ibid.): The Ri says that the Bavli holds that Hachanah does not apply to something that was already in the world but merely needed to be fixed.
Rebuttal (R. Baruch, brought in Rosh 1:7): Rav Chisda concluded that they argue about one or two Kedushos, because Rav Chisda permits Hachanah (Eruvin 38b). We forbid Hachanah, so we hold that they argue about Hachanah. Therefore, if a wick extinguished on Shabbos (that is Erev Yom Tov) or the first day of Rosh Hashanah, one may not light it on the next day unless it had been previously lit and extinguished. (Then it is not Hachanah because the wick was not improved on Shabbos or Yom Tov). Alternatively, one may Mevatel it in a majority of Heter.
Rebuttal (Beis Yosef ibid.): According to R. Baruch, if a wick extinguished on Yom Tov it should be forbidden to relight it that day, whether the Isur on Yom Tov Sheni is because both days are one Kedushah, or because of Hachanah!
Defense (Taz 501:7): Surely the Isur is because of Hachanah; Yom Tov prepares for itself! Hachanah applies to the second day of Rosh Hashanah only according to the opinion that it is a second Kedushah. We decree to forbid an egg laid on Yom Tov, for it is finished the previous day. If Erev Yom Tov was Shabbos it is forbidden mid'Oraisa. There is no reason to decree not to relight a wick the same day it extinguished, even if it is Motza'ei Shabbos. Regarding the second day of Rosh Hashanah or Yom Tov after Shabbos one should be stringent not to use a wick that extinguished the day before, but one may rely on the lenient opinions to move such a wick.
Magen Avraham (16): Regarding lighting we need not decree lest one permit when Yom Tov is after Shabbos, for people would not confuse Shabbos and Yom Tov!
Question: Avi ha'Ezri (brought in Mordechai ibid.) forbids even to move such a wick because of Hachanah, just like an egg. It should be permitted to light the side that did not burn, for the extinguishing did not improve it!
Answer (Terumas ha'Deshen 81): Avi ha'Ezri discusses a short wick that cannot be lit from the other side. Alternatively, if Hachanah is mid'Oraisa, we should decree not to, lest he use the side that burned, just like we decree about a double-edged Shechitah knife if one of the blades has a nick (Chulin 15b). However, it appears that Hachanah of a wick is only mid'Rabanan since it was already in the world. The Rosh holds that it is mid'Rabanan, for he permits to Mevatel it l'Chatchilah. However, perhaps the Rosh says so only regarding the second day of Yom Tov or Rosh Hashanah, for mid'Oraisa it is not Kodesh. Even though the wick is a Keli she'Melachto l'Isur, one may not move it even if he needs to use it or its place because he was Docheh b'Yadayim (he did an action showing that he will not use it).
Rebuttal (Yam Shel Shlomo 4): The Yerushalmi forbids leftover oil and wicks. Just like all the oil is forbidden, also both sides of the wicks! If a short wick can be lit, it can be lit from either side. It appears that extinguishing improves the entire wick, not just the place that was burning. The Isur to reuse the wick is not a decree lest one reuse the side that burned before. People normally reuse that side, so if it were permitted surely people would transgress! Hachanah is a mere stringency; primarily, the wick is forbidden because of Nolad and Muktzah. If the other side was permitted, it would not be Muktzah, for it would still be good for its original use! Lighting before Shabbos is not Docheh b'Yadayim with respect to Yom Tov!
Mishnah Berurah (29): It is better to be stringent like the Poskim that forbid lighting on Yom Tov a wick extinguished on the previous day (Shabbos or Rosh Hashanah), or at least to light the other side.
Kaf ha'Chayim (63): Hachanah also applies to leftover oil, for it is clearer than oil that did not burn. It is good to be stringent l'Chatchilah, but if one adds other oil one may rely on the Beis Yosef and others who permit.