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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman 335 (של״ה) · 5 Seifim
Broken wine/oil chavis on Shabbos — to discover and understand
סימן של״ה
דִּין חָבִית שֶׁנִּשְׁבְּרָה
🌱 Beginner Level · מתחילים
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First approach to Siman 335 (של״ה): full Hebrew text of the Mechaber, flowing English translation, pedagogical explanations of the halachic concepts, modern practical cases, and synthesis.
Topic: Broken wine/oil barrel (chavis shenishbera) on Shabbos
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן של״ה (5 seifim)
Compilation: Rav Yossef Chaim Samama
DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study outline
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch — the 5 seifim of the Mechaber
2. The general context: why this siman, what is the question?
3. The key halachic concepts of this siman
4. The seifim in detail — one by one
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
6. The position of the Rama — Ashkenazi vs. Sefardi differences
7. Modern practical cases
8. Practical synthesis and rules to remember
9. Comprehension questions
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch
Siman 335 contains 5 seifim of the Mechaber (Rabbi Yosef Karo) codifying the laws relating to a broken wine or oil chavis (barrel) on Shabbos.
Seif א
דין חבית שנשברה. ובו ה סעיפים:
חבית שנשברה מצילין ממנה מזון שלש סעודות אפי' בכלים הרבה דאלו בכלי אחד אפי' מחזיק מאה סעודות מציל ואומר לאחרים בואו והצילו לכם ובלבד שלא יספוג דהיינו שלא ישים הספוג במקום היין לחזור ולהטיפו גזירה שמא יסחוט ואפילו אם יש לו בית אחיזה דליכ' חשש סחיטה אסור שלא יעשה כדרך שהוא עושה בחול ולא יטפח בשמן להכניס ידו ולקנחה בשפת הכלי: הגה וי״א דדוקא חבית שנשברה שבהול ואם יציל חיישינן שיתקננה אבל אם נסדק ועביד טיף טיף שאינו בהול כל כך מותר להציל בכלים לקלוט ולצרף [הגהות מרדכי ותוס' פ' כ״כ והגהות מיימוני פכ״ד] וי״א דכל זה לא מיירי אלא להציל מחצר לחצר אבל לבית אחר שעירב עמו מצילין בכל ענין כמו שנתבאר לעיל גבי דליקה (פסקי מהרא״י קצ״ו):
Translation: A chavis that broke — we save from it food for three seudos, even with multiple kelim; with a single keli, we save even if it contains a hundred seudos. He says to others "come and save for yourselves". But on condition that he does not sponge it up (yisfog) — that is, that he does not place a sponge in the wine and then wring it into the keli — gezeirah lest he wring (sechitah). And even if the sponge has a handle [removing the chashash of sechitah], it is assur, so that he does not act in the manner of weekday. And he does not pat the oil to put his hand in and wipe it on the edge of the keli. (Rama: some say that all this is only for a chavis broken, where one is panicked and there is a chashash that he will fix it; but if it only cracked and drips slowly — where he isn't so panicked — it is muttar to save with kelim, by catching and joining. And some say all this only applies to saving from one chatzer to another; but to a bayis joined by eiruv, we save in any case.)
What this seif says:
- A barrel that broke: one saves from it food for three meals — even in many vessels; for in a single vessel, even one holding a hundred meals, he saves. And he says to others: « come and save for yourselves ».
- Provided he not sponge it up — that is, he shall not put the sponge where the wine is to make it drip out again, by decree lest he squeeze. And even if it has a handhold, where there is no fear of squeezing — it is forbidden, so that he not act as he does on a weekday. And he shall not dab in oil to put in his hand and wipe it on the vessel's rim.
- Rama: and some say this is only of a broken barrel, where one is hurried and we fear he will mend it; but if it cracked and drips, where one is not so hurried — permitted to save in vessels, catching and joining.
Seif ב
אם נשברה בראש גגו מביא כלי ומניח תחתיה ובלבד שלא יביא כלי אחר ויקלוט לקבל מן הקילוח באויר לאחר שירד מן הגג ולא יביא כלי אחר ויצרף אותו לראש הגג ואם מציל בכלי אח' מציל אפי' קולט או מצרף:
Translation: If [the chavis] broke on top of the roof, one brings a keli and places it underneath. But on condition that one does not bring another keli to catch (kolet) the stream in midair after it has come down from the roof, and not bring another keli to join (metzaref) it to the edge of the roof [for that would have the look of organized work]. But if one saves with a single keli, one saves even by catching or joining.
What this seif says:
- If it broke at the top of his roof: he brings a vessel and sets it beneath.
- Provided he not bring another vessel to catch the stream in the air, after it came down from the roof; and not bring another vessel to join it to the roof's top.
- But if he saves in a single vessel — he saves even by catching or joining.
Seif ג
נזדמנו לו אורחי' מביא כלי א' וקולט כלי א' ויצרף ולא יקלוט ויצרף ואח״כ יזמין לו האורחים ולא יערים לזמן אורחים שאין צריכי' לאכול: הגה ומיהו אם עבר ועשה שקלט ואח״כ זימן אורחי' מותר (רמב״ם והמגיד פכ״ב):
Translation: If guests have come to him [and he needs more than three seudos], he brings a keli, catches; another keli, joins — but the order matters: he does not catch or join [to accumulate] then invite guests; and he does not use the stratagem of inviting guests who don't need to eat. (Rama: however, if he transgressed and caught then invited guests — it is muttar [post-facto].)
What this seif says:
- Guests have come upon him: he brings one vessel and catches, one vessel and joins.
- But he shall not catch and join and then invite the guests; and he shall not use a stratagem, inviting guests who have no need to eat.
- Rama: however, if he transgressed and did so — caught, and afterwards invited guests — it is permitted.
Seif ד
אם יזוב תירוש מגיגית של ענבים שעדיין לא נדרכו שנמצא אותו הדלף אינו ראוי שהרי המשקין שזבו אסורים ואינו רשאי לשום כלי תחתיו מפני שמבטלו מהיכנו כיצד יעשה יניח שם מטתו או שלחנו ואז יהיה אותו הדלף לפניו גרף של רעי ויוכל להניח שם כלי לקבל הדלף כדי שלא יעשה שם טיט וכשיתמלא הכלי לא יזרקנו בכלי אחר שלא יבטלנו מהיכנו אלא מריקו בתוך הגיגית שזבו המשקה ממנה שהיא מבוטלת מהיכנה ע״י משקים שבה משום משקין שזבו:
Translation: If new wine drips from a giggis of grapes not yet trodden — this drip is unusable (the liquid that seeps on its own is assur), and one is not allowed to place a keli underneath, because it would render it unfit to be moved (mevatel keli mei-heichano — it becomes a base for a muktzeh item). What should he do? He places his bed or his table there, and then this [bothersome] drip becomes for him like a graf shel re'i (chamber pot) that one may remove; he may then place a keli there to receive the drip, so that mud does not form. And when the keli is full, he does not empty it into another keli [non-muktzeh], but pours it into the giggis from which the liquid seeped — which is already "unfit" because of the assur liquid it contains.
What this seif says:
- If new wine seeps from a vat of grapes not yet trodden: that drip is not usable — for the liquids that seeped are forbidden — and he may not set a vessel beneath it, because he would render it unusable (מבטלו מהיכנו).
- What shall he do? He shall set his bed or his table there — and that drip becomes before him as a chamber vessel — and he may then set a vessel there to receive the drip, so that no mud form there.
- And when the vessel fills, he shall not empty it into another vessel — so as not to render that one unusable — but empties it into the vat from which the liquid seeped, which is already rendered unusable by the liquids in it.
Seif ה
נתפזרו לו פירות בחצר אחד הנה ואחד הנה מלקט מעט מעט ואוכל ולא יתן לתוך הסל ולא לתוך הקופה ואם נפלו במקום אחד נותן אפילו לתוך הסל אלא אם כן נפלו לתוך צרורות ועפרורית שבחצר שאז מלקט אחד אחד ואוכל ולא יתן לתוך הסל ולא לתוך הקופה (וע״ל סי' שי״ט):
Translation: If peiros have scattered in the chatzer, here and there, he gathers them little by little and eats, but does not put them in a basket or hamper (that would be weekday work). And if they fell in one place, he may put them even in a basket — unless they fell among pebbles and dust of the chatzer, in which case he gathers one by one and eats, without basket or hamper (since separating peiros from pebbles is close to borer).
Full text: these 5 seifim constitute the entire codification of the Mechaber for this topic. Each specifies a case, a condition, or an exception.
What this seif says:
- His fruit scattered in the courtyard, one here and one there: he gathers a little at a time and eats, and shall not put them in the basket or the hamper.
- And if they fell in one place — he puts them even into the basket.
- Unless they fell among the pebbles and dust of the courtyard — then he gathers them one by one and eats, and shall not put them in the basket or the hamper.
2. The general context
What does this siman discuss?
Siman 335 deals with a chavis that breaks on Shabbos and whose liquid (wine, oil) flows out. This is the direct continuation of Siman 334 (the fire): there, the destroying fire; here, the wasting flow. The same psychological spring is at play — the panic in the face of loss — and the same solution: save, but in a limited and framed manner.
The logic of the siman: saving the liquid is muttar; but it is feared that, in the fever, the person will wring a sponge (melachah of sechitah) or repair the chavis. Hence the rules that calm the act: a single keli, no sponge, and in the least "workmanlike" manner possible.
Place in Hilchos Shabbos
Siman 335 closes the triptych of property hatzalah (333 emptying a deposit, 334 the fire, 335 the broken chavis) and also touches on muktzeh and borer (seif ה).
3. The key halachic concepts
Four concepts structure the 5 seifim:
Key concepts of Siman 335:
- שמא יסחוט — "lest he wring": one does not sponge up the spilled liquid, for fear of the melachah of sechitah.
- קולט ומצרף — catching the stream in midair / joining a keli to the edge: assur with multiple kelim (the look of organized work), muttar with a single one.
- מבטל כלי מהיכנו — rendering a keli unfit to be moved by receiving muktzeh in it: to be avoided.
- הערמה — stratagem: one does not "be clever" (inviting fake guests) to save more.
The central question: "how to save without crossing a melachah?" — a single keli lifts all restrictions; the sponge is banned (sechitah); and one uses no stratagem. The goal: save the liquid without turning Shabbos into a workday.
4. The seifim in detail — one by one
| Seif | Theme | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| א | Broken chavis | Save three seudos; single keli without limit; no sponge (sechitah) |
| ב | Broken on the roof | One keli underneath; no catching/joining with multiple kelim |
| ג | Guests arrived | Catch for them — but without reversing the order or being ma'arim |
| ד | Tirosh seeping from a giggis | Forbidden liquid; bed/table ruse (graf shel re'i) |
| ה | Scattered fruit | Gather and eat; not in a basket; one by one if among pebbles |
Reading method: for each seif — (1) what is being saved; (2) one or multiple kelim; (3) what melachah is at stake (sechitah, borer, muktzeh); (4) conclusion.
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
The Mishnah Berurah of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Hakohen (the Chofetz Chaim) has 18 entries on this siman. Here are the first — to better understand the meaning of the seifim:
משנה ברורה (א) — (א) חבית שנשברה - ואין חילוק בין שנשברה ולא נשפך עדיין לגמרי על הארץ ובין שנשפך כבר על הארץ [ב״י] שבכל זה חששו חכמים שאם נבוא להתיר להציל בכלים הרבה יותר מג' סעודות מתוך שהוא בהול לחזר אחר כלים הרבה יביאם ג״כ דרך ר״ה או שיבוא לתקן החבית שנשברה ויש שסוברין דכשנשפך מהחבית לגמרי על הארץ אז לא שייך שהוא בהול להציל כיון שכבר נעשה [תרומת הדשן] ואפשר שיש להקל כן בזמנינו שאין מצוי אצלנו ר״ה ועיין שם בתרומ…
משנה ברורה (ב) — (ב) מזון ג' סעודות - היינו קודם אכילת ערבית כמ״ש ריש סימן של״ד ע״ש ועיין בתוספת שבת שכתב דהיכי דהיין מצוי ודרך לשתותו בכל היום ומכש״כ שאר משקין שאינו ביוקר כ״כ ושותין כל היום יכול להציל טפי שאין קבע לשתיה:
משנה ברורה (ג) — (ג) ואומר לאחרים וכו' - היינו ג״כ מזון ג' סעודות וכדלעיל בסי' של״ד ס״ט:
The Mishnah Berurah illuminates two points. (1) The limit applies whether the liquid is still in the chavis or already spilled on the ground — for, panicked at running for many kelim, one could bring them through reshus harabbim or come to repair the chavis; some, however, are matir when everything has already spilled (no more panic), and one may rely on this nowadays, where reshus harabbim d'oraisa is rare. (2) The shiur of "three seudos" concerns what one normally drinks at meals; for common beverages drunk all day, one may save more.
For the full text of the 18 entries: Mishnah Berurah 335.
6. The position of the Rama
The Rama adds two hagahos:
The hagahos of the Rama:
- Seif א: the restrictions apply only to a broken chavis (where one is panicked and there is fear one will repair it); if it only cracked and drips slowly, one may save freely, catch and join. And all this applies only to saving from one chatzer to another — into a bayis joined by eiruv, one saves in any case.
- Seif ג: if one transgressed and caught before inviting guests, it is muttar post-facto.
7. Modern practical cases
| Situation | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Bottle or beverage container breaking | One may gather the liquid in a keli for consumption; avoid the sponge/mop that gets wrung (sechitah). |
| Sponging up a spilled liquid | Problematic: wringing a sponge or saturated cloth = sechitah. Use a keli, or a wiping that does not lead to wringing — consult a Rav. |
| Leak from a floor / roof | Place a keli underneath: muttar. Avoid the "catching" in cascade with multiple kelim (seif ב). |
| Scattered fruit/objects | Gather and consume; avoid making it a sorting task (basket, one by one among pebbles — borer). |
For halachah l'maaseh, consult your Rav — especially for sponging up a spilled liquid, where the issur of sechitah is at stake.
8. Practical synthesis of the Siman
Siman 335 in 4 rules:
- Saving the liquid of a broken chavis is muttar — three seudos, or without limit with a single keli.
- No sponge — for fear of wringing (sechitah); gather in a keli.
- No cascade catching with multiple kelim — the look of organized work.
- No stratagem — one does not be ma'arim (fake guests) to save more.
9. Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- What psychological spring does this siman share with Siman 334 (the fire)?
- Why not sponge up the spilled liquid — what melachah is feared (seif א)?
- What does using a single keli rather than several change?
- What are "catching" and "joining", and why limit them (seif ב)?
- Why is it assur to invite fake guests (seif ג)?
- Why does one gather scattered fruit "one by one" without a basket (seif ה)?
To go further
If you want to deepen this siman:
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