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Shabbos 122

1) USING THE LIGHT OF A CANDLE KINDLED BY A GENTILE ON SHABBOS

QUESTION: The Mishnah lists three cases of a Jew benefiting from Melachah performed by a gentile on Shabbos. If a gentile lights a candle on Shabbos, a Jew may use the light; if a gentile draws water to feed to his animal, a Jew may use that water "after him" for his own animal; if a gentile builds a ramp from a boat to the shore, a Jew may use that ramp "after him."

Rashi explains that the Jew may only use the water or ramp only *after* the gentile has used it, because it must be clear that the gentile drew the water or built the ramp for himself and not for the Jew. Why, then, does the Mishnah not say that the Jew may only use it "after him" in the first case, where a gentile lights a candle on Shabbos from which a Jew may benefit?

ANSWER: REBBI ELIEZER MOSHE HA'LEVY HOROWITZ explains that when it comes to a light, by nature a person normally derives benefit from it at the moment that he lights it, because it is in front of him and providing him with light. It was not necessary to say that the Jew uses it after the gentile uses it, because at the moment that the gentile lights it, he has used it.

2) HALACHAH: BENEFITING FROM MELACHAH PERFORMED BY A GENTILE
When is it permitted to benefit from a Melachah that a gentile performed on Shabbos?

The Gemara concludes that there are two types of cases, each with its respective Halachos. There is the case where a majority of the people in that place (who might benefit from the Melachah that was performed) are not Jewish, and there is the case where a majority of the people in that place are Jewish, or the numbers of Jews and non-Jews are equal.

(a) In the case where most of the people are not Jewish, then a Jew may benefit from Melachah performed by a gentile if *one of* the following three conditions are met:
(1) the gentile does not know who the Jew is;
(2) it is the type of Melachah which serves many people the same way it serves one person ("Ner l'Echad, Ner l'Me'ah"); or
(3) the gentile performed the Melachah while the Jew was not present.
Rashi adds that the gentile must actually benefit from the Melachah first before the Jew may benefit from it.
(b) In the case where most of the people are Jewish, or the numbers of Jews and non-Jews are equal, it is only permissible to benefit from the Melachah performed by a gentile when it is clear that the gentile performed the Melachah for his own use.

122b

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