Mo'ed Katan or Mo'ed Qatan (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
: מועד קטן, lit. "little festival") is the eleventh tractate of ''
Seder Moed'' of the
Mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Tor ...
and the
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
. It is concerned with the laws of the days between the first and last days of
Passover
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...
and
Sukkot (as both of these festivals are a week in length). These days are also known as "
Chol HaMoed" days. Mo'ed Katan also discusses the laws of
Aveilus (Bereavement). Consisting of only three chapters, it has a
Gemara from both
Babylonian Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cent ...
and the
Jerusalem Talmud
The Jerusalem Talmud ( he, תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשַׁלְמִי, translit=Talmud Yerushalmi, often for short), also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century ...
.
Summary
In the Babylonian Talmud:
*The first 2 chapters deal with Chol HaMoed
*The 3rd chapter deals primarily with the laws of mourning, as well as the laws of excommunication, and various accounts of the deaths of
Amoraim.
Permitted Activities on Chol HaMoed
The
Mishnah Berurah sums up the important principles that come out of Mo'ed Katan. In Mishnah Berurah 530:1 it lists the activities permitted on Chol HaMoed:
* ''Davar Ha'Aved''- One may do work in order to avoid a loss (i.e. if the work is left to be done after Chol HaMoed, a loss will result)
* ''Tzarchei Moed''- Even work which requires skill may be done if it is necessary for the purpose of eating on the Moed. For other activities, only work which does not require skill may done if it is necessary for Chol HaMoed.
* ''Bishvil Poel She'Ayn Lo Ma Yochal''- If a person cannot afford to eat, it is permitted for them to work.
* ''Tzarchei Rabbim''- Activities done for the benefit of the public may be done on Chol HaMoed
* ''Ma'aseh Hedyot''- Unskilled work
External links
Mishnah Mo'ed Katan text in Hebrew Full Hebrew and English text of the Mishnah for tractate Mo'ed Katan
on Sefaria
Full Hebrew and English text of the Talmud Bavli for tractate Mo'ed Katan
on Sefaria
Full Hebrew text of the Talmud Yerushalmi for tractate Mo'ed Katan
on Sefaria
Full Hebrew and English text of the Tosefta for tractate Mo'ed Katan
on Sefaria
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