Siman שכ״ב in one sentence.
The siman gathers four subjects that turn on a single question: is this object ready and designated for my use on Shabbos? — the egg and the fruit that "come into being" on Shabbos (נולד / מוקצה), cutting animal food (תיקון כלי), smelling aromatic woods, and drawing lots for the portions (גורל). The axiom: what was מוכן (prepared and designated) before Shabbos is permitted — provided one turns it neither into a tool nor into a stake of chance.
2. The key concepts condensed
Concept
Definition
Application in the siman
נולד
Something that came into being on Shabbos, unprepared
The egg laid, the fruit fallen (seifim 1-3)
מוקצה
Set aside from use, forbidden to handle
The egg, the fruit, an inedible chip
דבר שיש לו מתירין
Will become permitted later → is not nullified
The egg, even mixed into 1000 (ס״ק ב)
הכנה
Preparing one holy day for another
An egg of a Yom Tov after Shabbos — forbidden by Torah law
תיקון כלי / מחתך
Fashioning / shaping a utensil
Shaping an inedible toothpick (seif 4)
מוליד ריח
Creating a new scent
Forbidden to impregnate a garment (seif 5)
קוביא
A game of chance (avak gezel)
Drawing lots, large portion vs small (seif 6)
3. Hierarchy: permitted → forbidden
Permitted: smelling and crushing aromatic woods (by hand); cutting animal food, even with a knife; drawing lots for equal portions within the family.
↓
Permitted conditionally / from the evening: an egg found before dawn in the nest (presumed from yesterday); fallen fruit — from nightfall, immediately.
↓
Forbidden (rabbinically): moving or eating the egg laid on Shabbos; gathering fruit fallen that day; picking up an inedible chip; drawing lots with outsiders.
↓
Gravely forbidden: an egg of a Yom Tov following Shabbos (by Torah law — הכנה); shaping a toothpick with a knife (תיקון כלי / מחתך); creating a fragrance in a garment (מוליד ריח); a large-against-small lottery (קוביא).
4. Decision tree — the four subjects
Q1 — Did something "come into being" on Shabbos (an egg, fallen fruit)? → מוקצה: do not handle or eat; the egg is not nullified even in 1000; permitted in the evening.
↓
Q2 — Cutting or shaping something? → Animal food → permitted, even with a knife. An inedible object (a chip) → מוקצה; making a tool of it → forbidden (melacha).
↓
Q3 — Fragrant wood or spices? → Smelling / crushing by hand → permitted. Creating a scent in a fabric → forbidden (מוליד ריח).
↓
Q4 — Drawing lots? → Equal portions within the family → permitted. Large against small, or with outsiders, or through a non-Jew → forbidden. At the least doubt → consult your Rav.
5. Mechaber, Rema and the psak of the Acharonim
Source(s)
Contribution to the siman
Mechaber (seifim 1-6)
Nolad (egg, fruit), תיקון כלי, besamim, goral
Rema (gloss, seif 6)
Forbidden to draw lots on Shabbos even through a non-Jew (Maharil)
Magen Avraham (ס״ק כד)
A goral is permitted for a mitzvah (an aliyah, kaddish) — like the payis in the Mikdash
Shevus Yaakov (ס״ק כד)
Only "from the book"; by written slips → forbidden
Rosh / Rambam (ס״ק יח)
Shaping a toothpick: תיקון כלי (Rosh) or מחתך (Rambam)
6. Mnemonic
נ — נולד: egg and fruit "born" on Shabbos → מוקצה, do not handle.
ת — תיקון כלי: cutting animal food yes; making a tool of it no.
ב — בשמים: smelling yes; creating a fragrance (in a fabric) no.
ג — גורל: equal portions within the family yes; lottery / outsiders / through a non-Jew no.
Four subjects, one thread: use only what was ready and designated for Shabbos, without turning it into a tool or into a stake.
7. Pitfalls to avoid
Pitfall 1 — the egg "lost in the crowd". An egg laid on Shabbos is not nullified, even mixed into a thousand (דבר שיש לו מתירין): the whole stock becomes forbidden until nightfall. Nor may it be moved (מוקצה).
Pitfall 2 — gathering fallen fruit. Beyond the prohibition of the day itself, gathering several fruits at their place of growth resembles מעמר — close to a חיוב חטאת. Even if they fell the day before, take them only one by one.
Pitfall 3 — the toothpick. Shaping a wood chip with a knife in order to pick one's teeth fashions a "utensil" (תיקון כלי / מחתך) — forbidden. Prepare the toothpick before Shabbos.
Pitfall 4 — fragrance and lottery. Impregnating a garment with a scent (מוליד ריח) is forbidden, even though handling spices in order to smell them is permitted. And any drawing of lots with a stake is forbidden on Shabbos — even through a non-Jew (Rema).
8. Practical cases
Situation
Reference
Conduct
Egg found in the coop
Seif 1 (ס״ק ב)
Do not handle or eat; unless found before dawn in the nest
Fruit fallen in the garden
Seif 3 (ס״ק ו)
Do not gather during the day; permitted from nightfall, one by one
Picking one's teeth
Seif 4
A toothpick prepared before Shabbos; no shaping with a knife
Fragrant spices / besamim
Seif 5
Smell and crush (by hand); do not perfume a fabric
Drawing lots (portions, an aliyah)
Seif 6 (ס״ק כד)
Equal portions within the family / a mitzvah from the book — permitted; a lottery — forbidden
9. Final synthesis table
Element
Detail
Subject of the siman
נולד, מוקצה, תיקון כלי, בשמים and גורל on Shabbos
Number of seifim
6
Mishnah Berurah
25 entries
Talmudic source(s)
ביצה ב ע״ב (נולד); פסחים נ״ו ע״א (פירות)
Guiding principle
Use only what was מוכן before Shabbos, without making it a tool or a stake of chance
Level 4 (Daat HaRav)
Absent — not written by the Alter Rebbe
10. The practical mitzvos of Siman שכ״ב
For practice
Egg laid on Shabbos → do not handle or eat it; turn a vessel over it without touching it.
Fallen fruit → do not gather during the day; permitted from nightfall, one by one.
Animal food → cutting it even with a knife is permitted; an inedible chip → do not touch it.
Aromatic woods → smell and crush them by hand; do not perfume a garment.
Drawing lots → equal portions within the family / a mitzvah from the book, permitted; a lottery or through a non-Jew, forbidden.
In case of doubt — consult your Rav. For the pilpul, see Level 2 — Lamdan.
📚 Summary of the study path
You have studied Siman שכ״ב across 3 levels:
🌱 Level 1 — Base: the 6 seifim, English translation, halachic concepts
⚡ Level 2 — Lamdan: נולד and הכנה, דבר שיש לו מתירין, תיקון כלי, besamim, goral and קוביא
✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: the axiom, the hierarchy, the decision tree, pitfalls and practical mitzvos
This siman has no Level 4 (Daat HaRav): the Alter Rebbe did not write it in the Shulchan Aruch HaRav.
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