(Mishnah): One may only buy houses, slaves, an animal and stones if it is needed for the festival or for the seller in order that he have enough food to eat.

One may not empty out from one house to another distant house, but one may empty from his house to another house in his courtyard.

One may not bring home utensils from the manufacturer. If he is concerned that they might be stolen, he may move them to another courtyard.

(Gemara - question): The other cases are understandable, but why would a person need stones on Chol Hamoed?

Answer: For example, if his wall was leaning (and was dangerous) and he will demolish and rebuild it.

Question: Perhaps he should just demolish it without rebuilding it?

R. Chananyah quoting R. Yochanan: They permitted its end for its beginning. If you would not allow him to rebuild it, he would refrain from demolishing it, which would be dangerous.

Query (R. Yehoshua ben Levi to R. Shimon ben Lakish): Is it permitted to buy a house from a gentile (in Eretz Yisrael)?

Answer (R"SBL): You must be asking about buying it on Shabbos and we learned in a Beraisa that it is permitted.

What should he do? He shows the gentile pouches of gold and the gentile signs and brings it to the gentile law courts to be processed.

As we find that Yericho was conquered on Shabbos, as the Pasuk states (Yehoshua 6, 3), "So you shall do for 6 days"; "and the next Pasuk states, "and on the 7th day you shall circle the city"; and another Pasuk states (Devarim 20, 20), "until it is conquered", even on Shabbos.

If he does not have food ot eat, he may reap, gather and thresh, as long as he does not thresh with a cow.

This applies when the food is needed for an individual, but if it is needed for many, one may even use cows to thresh.

One may not move from a nice house to a nice house, nor from an ugly house to an ugly house, nor from an ugly house to a nice house and certainly not from a nice house to an ugly house.

And to move into one's own home, this is permitted even from a nice house to an ugly house, as it is joyful for a person to live in his own home.

One may not transfer a body or bones from a dignified grave to a dignified grave, nor from a undignified grave to an undignified grave, nor from an undignified grave to a dignified grave and certainly not from a dignified grave to an undignified grave.

But if it is in his family plot, he may even transfer from a dignified grave to an undignified grave, as a person is pleased to be buried next to his ancestors.

The Mishnah had taught: One may not bring home utensils from the manufacturer. [If he is concerned that they might be stolen, he may move them to another courtyard.]

This shows that if one is concerned about merchandise being stolen, he may move it on Chol Hamoed.

(Mishnah): One may lightly cover his drying figs with straw (to protect them from rain). R. Yehudah says that one may even thickly cover them.

Sellers of fruits, garments and utensils may sell discreetly for use on the festival.

Hunters, wheat grinders and bean grinders may work discreetly for use on the festival.

R. Yosi: They were stringent upon themselves (and they no longer work on Chol Hamoed).

(Gemara): Our Mishnah should not teach that "R. Yehudah says that one may even thickly cover them", but rather, "R. Yehudah says that one may thickly cover them". This is because R. Yehudah is more stringent than the first Tana (who is R. Yosi, as we learned earlier (11-2)(f)1.)...)

R. Yehudah says that one is concerned only for a great loss but not for small loss. R. Yosi is concerned for any sized loss.

Kahana: There are laws on Chol Hamoed that are more difficult than "tents" and the laws of leprosy...Rav Yirmiyah quoted Rav as saying one may spread a mat over a row of bricks on Shabbos (to prevent them from disintegrating in the rain); but here, R. Yehudah does not allow covering even on Chol Hamoed?!

Rabbanan of Kisarin quoting R. Yaakov bar Acha: The difference between them is in a case of cutting straw from the ground - Rabbanan say that he may cut straw and cover with it the drying figs; R. Yehudah says that one may only use cut straw to cover.

The fish hunters of Tiveria, the porridge makers (grinders) of Acco and the bean grinders of Tziporin all agreed not to work on Chol Hamoed.

Question: The porridge grinders and the bean grinders are understandable (as they can still use porridge and beans that were ground before the festival); but as for the fish hunters, does it not detract from enjoying the festival?

Answer: He uses small nets but not large ones.

Despite this agreement, their behavior hardly reduced the joy on the festival (as they would still use small nets). Nevertheless, R. Ami would shame them because they were still detracting from rejoicing on the festival.