Topics covered:
Some objects are muktzeh, set aside from use on Shabbos, because they’re so valuable no one would use them for anything other than their intended, non-Shabbos purpose. Others are muktzeh because they’re repulsive, like the stuff we throw in the trash before Shabbos begins. What if you throw something in a trash dump during Shabbos by mistake? Can it be retrieved? All clothing is prepared for use on Shabbos, but what about scraps of cloth? And what abbout a clay oven that became detached from the ground? Mishnah 6 opens with the discussion of a rock, which is muktzeh, that was attached to a gourd so the gourd can be used to pull water from well. Normally, a rock in a gourd would render the gourd set aside as a base for a set aside object, but if it’s attached it becomes part of the vessel. This has interesting implications for a rock set down on a wine barrel, and building stones left in a yard which might be used as seats on Shabbos. To prepare them for that use, do we merely think about using them as seats, or must we take some action?