Shabbos 26 – שבת כו

R’ Tarfon only allows olive oil since other oils are not drawn as well to the wick and involve a concern of shema yateh (Tosfos).  R’ Yochanan Ben Nuri challenged this by pointing to the people of Bavel who don’t have access to olive oil; but how does this inaccessibility mitigate the fact that it is assur on account of shema yateh?

One thought on “Shabbos 26 – שבת כו

  1. Nothing is inherently forbidden until we Assur it. Just as a Gezeira that the majority cannot hold by is null, so too, we can’t make a Gezeira that is impractical.

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