{"id":10604,"date":"2007-03-08T22:18:00","date_gmt":"2007-03-08T22:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/masechet_moedkatanintro\/"},"modified":"2015-10-25T11:03:49","modified_gmt":"2015-10-25T16:03:49","slug":"masechet_moedkatanintro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_moedkatanintro\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduction to Masechet Mo’ed Katan"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Coming Week’s Daf Yomi by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz<\/em><\/p>\n

This essay is based upon the insights and chidushim (original ideas) of Talmudic scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, as published in the Hebrew version of the Steinsaltz Edition of the Talmud.<\/em><\/p>\n

This month\u2019s Steinsaltz Daf Yomi is sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Alan Harris, the Lewy Family Foundation, and Marilyn and Edward Kaplan<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Introduction to Masechet Mo’ed Katan<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Masechet<\/a> Mo’ed Katan<\/a><\/em> focuses mainly on the rules and regulations that apply to the days of Chol ha-Mo’ed<\/a><\/em> \u2013 the intermediate days of the Pesach<\/a><\/em> and Sukkot<\/a><\/em> holidays. Connected with this discussion, other topics are dealt with as well, specifically the halakhot<\/a><\/em> of avelut<\/em> (mourning) and niduy<\/em> (bans and excommunication).<\/p>\n

At first glance, the connection between holidays and days of mourning seems to be odd, but, in fact, there are two clear connections between these events. First of all, there is a connection with regard to the halakhot<\/em> that rule these days, and in particular the fact that similar activities are restricted on both of them. A more fundamental connection is the source for these halakhot.<\/em> Chol ha-Mo’ed, aveilut<\/em> and niduy<\/em> are all mentioned briefly in the Torah<\/a>, but the Torah does not offer details explaining the requirements of these days. Thus, the halakhot<\/em> that govern them are mi-divrei soferim<\/em> \u2013 they are developed by Rabbinic interpretation, part of the oral tradition \u2013 even though they have a Biblical source and were practiced in the Jewish community since the time of Moshe Rabbenu<\/a>. Thus, these halakhot<\/em> are not seen as objective, definitive rules like those of the Torah, rather they are pragmatic and flexible, like many Rabbinic laws.<\/p>\n

We therefore find significant differences between the restrictions on creative activities on the different holiday periods:<\/p>\n