DAAT · LEVEL 3 — MASTER SYNTHESIS
Siman שמ"ז
סימן שמ"ז · עַל אֵיזֶה הוֹצָאָה חַיָּב מִן הַתּוֹרָה
Recap and mnemonics for chazarah
📑 Plan of the synthesis
- The central axiom of the siman
- Akirah and hanachah — the two acts
- One person or two?
- Decision tree
- Akirah and hanachah broadened
- Mnemonic אֶחָד
- Pitfalls to avoid
- Practical cases
- Final summary table
- The practical directives
1. The central axiom
Siman שמ"ז in one sentence.
The melachah of hotzaah is "complete" only when one single person performs both acts: uprooting the cheftza from one reshus (עֲקִירָה) and setting it down in the other (הַנָּחָה). If one person uproots and another sets down, neither is chayav d'oraysa — but it is assur mid'rabbanan, lest each one come to perform the whole melachah on his own.
The melachah of hotzaah is "complete" only when one single person performs both acts: uprooting the cheftza from one reshus (עֲקִירָה) and setting it down in the other (הַנָּחָה). If one person uproots and another sets down, neither is chayav d'oraysa — but it is assur mid'rabbanan, lest each one come to perform the whole melachah on his own.
2. Akirah and hanachah — the two acts
| Act | Definition | Extension |
|---|---|---|
| עֲקִירָה | Uprooting the cheftza from its place of rest in a reshus | Applies even to a cheftza that was in one's pocket or hand from before Shabbos |
| הַנָּחָה | Setting the cheftza down, bringing it to rest in the other reshus | Applies even without putting it on the ground — leaving it in another's hand suffices |
3. One person or two?
Torah rule: "יחיד ועשה אותה — חייב": one who performs the entire melachah (akirah + hanachah) is chayav.
↓
"שניים ועשו אותה — פטורים": one uproots, the other sets down — each has done only half a melachah → both are patur d'oraysa.
↓
But assur mid'rabbanan — lest each one come to perform the entire melachah on his own.
4. Decision tree
Q1: Does one single person perform both the akirah AND the hanachah?
↓ YES → chayav d'oraysa
Q2: Are the two acts split between two people (one uproots, the other sets down)?
↓ YES → both patur d'oraysa, but assur mid'rabbanan
Q3: Is the object given to a nochri to carry it out?
↓ YES → assur ("as though giving it to him so that he carry it")
→ At the slightest safek → consult your Rav.
5. Akirah and hanachah broadened
| Situation | Act |
|---|---|
| Taking an object out of one's pocket where it was from before Shabbos | Akirah (the pocket "counts as resting") |
| Leaving the object in the other's hand, without setting it on the ground | Hanachah |
| I extend my hand; the other takes it from my hand | Me: akirah; him: hanachah → both patur |
| I place the object in his hand / I take from his hand and walk out | Me alone: akirah + hanachah → chayav |
6. Mnemonic אֶחָד
א — אֶחָד עוֹשֶׂה הַכֹּל: one single person performs both acts (akirah + hanachah) → chayav d'oraysa.
ח — חֲצִי מְלָאכָה: half a melachah — akirah alone or hanachah alone — patur d'oraysa.
ד — דְּרַבָּנָן אָסוּר: but "one uproots, the other sets down" remains assur mid'rabbanan — and so too giving to a nochri to carry it out.
7. Pitfalls to avoid
Pitfall 1: Thinking that "one uproots, the other sets down" is muttar. It is patur from Torah chiyuv, but assur mid'rabbanan.
Pitfall 2: Thinking that akirah requires lifting from the ground. Taking an object out of one's pocket is already akirah.
Pitfall 3: Thinking that hanachah requires setting on the ground. Leaving the cheftza in someone else's hand is hanachah.
Pitfall 4: Giving a cheftza to a nochri at the threshold so that he carry it out — assur, "as though giving it to him so that he carry it."
8. Practical cases
| Situation | Analysis | Conduct |
|---|---|---|
| I hold out an object; the other takes it from my hand | One uproots, the other sets down | Both patur — but assur |
| I place the cheftza in his hand outside | I did both acts | I am chayav |
| I take from his hand outside and bring the cheftza in | I did both acts | I am chayav |
| I give the cheftza to a nochri so that he carry it out | "As though giving it to him so that he carry it" | Assur |
9. Final summary table
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Topic of the siman | When the melachah of hotzaah is "complete" and who bears the chiyuv |
| Number of seifim | 1 |
| Mishnah Berurah | 9 entries |
| Talmudic source | Shabbos 3a — derashah of "בַּעֲשׂוֹתָהּ" |
| Golden rule | One person + both acts = chayav; two people = patur but assur |
| Practical pesak | At the threshold of a doorway, identify who does the akirah and who does the hanachah |
10. The practical directives of Siman שמ"ז
For daily conduct
- At the threshold of a doorway, always think: who uproots, who sets down?
- Do not rely on "two people" exempting you from Torah liability — it remains assur mid'rabbanan.
- Remember that taking an object out of a pocket is akirah, and leaving it in a hand is hanachah.
- Never give a cheftza to a nochri to carry it out of the reshus.
- In case of any safek — consult your Rav.
- In-depth pilpul — Level 2; Shitah of the Alter Rebbe — Level 4.
📚 Recap of the study path
You have studied Siman שמ"ז across 3 levels:
You have studied Siman שמ"ז across 3 levels:
- 🌱 Level 1 — Base: the 1 seif, English translation, halachic concepts
- ⚡ Level 2 — Lamdan: Talmudic sources, shitos of the Rishonim, machlokos, nafka minos
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: central axiom, mnemonic, decision tree, practical directives