Avodah Zarah, Daf Kaf Het, Part 6
Introduction
Today s sugya continues dealing with painting one s eye in order to heal it on Shabbat.
רב יהודה שרא למיכחל עינא בשבת. אמר להו רב שמואל בר יהודה מאן ציית ליהודה מחיל שבי
לסוף חש בעיניה שלח ליה שרי או אסיר שלח ליה לכ"ע שרי לדידך אסיר
Rav Judah permitted painting one s eye on Shabbat.
R. Shmuel b. Judah said: He who acts according to Judah desecrates Shabbat.
In the end he had an eye sore. He sent to ask of Rav Judah: Is it permitted or forbidden? He sent back [the following reply:] To everyone else it is permitted but to you it is forbidden.
Great story!
וכי מדידי הוא דמר שמואל היא ההיא אמתא דהואי בי מר שמואל דקדחא לה עינא בשבתא צווחא וליכא דאשגח בה פקעא עינא למחר נפק מר שמואל ודרש עין שמרדה מותר לכוחלה בשבת מאי טעמא דשורייני דעינא באובנתא דליבא תלו
[Rav Judah said]: Was it on my own authority [that I permitted it?] It was on that of Mar Shmuel. It once happened to a maid-servant in Mar Shmuel’s house that her eye became inflamed on a Sabbath. She cried, but no one attended her and her eye dropped. The next day Mar Shmuel went out and expounded that if one’s eye gets out of order it is permissible to paint it on Shabbat. What is the reason? Because the tendons of the eye are dependent upon the valves of the heart.
Sadly, the rabbis learn how serious eye injuries can be from the maid servant who cries out in pain, but no one pays attention to her because they do not want to transgress Shabbat.
כגון מאי? אמר רב יהודה כגון רירא דיצא דמא דימעתא וקידחא ותחלת אוכלא לאפוקי סוף אוכלא ופצוחי עינא דלא
What, for example [is considered a life-threatening eye injury]? R. Judah said: Such as discharge, pricking, congestion, watering, inflammation or the first stages of sickness, excluding the last stage of sickness or the brightening of the eyesight in which cases it is not permitted.
The Talmud distinguishes between eye injuries that are threatening and therefore can be healed on Shabbat, and those that are not and cannot be healed on Shabbat.
אמר רב יהודה זיבורא ודחרזיה סילוא וסמטא ודכאיב ליה עינא ואתי עילויה אישתא כולהו בי בני סכנתא חמה לחמה וסילקא לצינא וחילופא סכנתא חמימי לעקרבא וקרירי לזיבורא וחילופא סכנתא חמימי לסילוא וקרירי לחספניתא וחילופא סכנתא חלא לסיבורי ומוניני לתעניתא וחילופא סכנתא תחלי וסיבורא סכנתא אישתא וסיבורא סכנתא כאיב עינא וסבורי סכנתא שני לדג דם שני לדם דג שלישי לו סכנתא
Rav Judah said: The sting of a wasp, the prick of a thorn, an abscess, a sore eye or an inflammation for all these a bath-house is dangerous.
Radishes are good for fever, and beets for cold shivers: the reverse is dangerous.
Warm things [are good] for a scorpion [bite] and cold things for that by a wasp: the reverse is dangerous.
Likewise warm things for a thorn prick and cold for an eruption: the reverse is dangerous. Vinegar [is good] after letting blood and small fish in brine after fasting; the reverse is dangerous.
Cress [after] blood-letting is dangerous.
Fever is dangerous for blood-letting; so also are sore eyes dangerous for blood-letting.
The second [day] after [eating] fish [may be used] for [the letting of] blood; the second day after bleeding, for [eating] fish; on the third day it is injurious.
This is a list of food or activities that are in some situations beneficial to one s health, but in the opposite situations are not.