(Mishnah): One may not write loan documents on Chol Hamoed.

If the lender does not trust the borrower or the scribe does not have food to eat, one may instruct a scribe to write it.

One may not write Torah scrolls, Tefilin and Mezuzos on Chol Hamoed.

One may not correct even one letter, even in the Torah scroll in the Temple (which is the source text for all Torah scrolls that are written).

R. Yehudah: A person may write Tefilin and Mezuzos for himself and spin for himself Techeles threads for his Tzitzis.

(Gemara - Tosefta): One may not write documents of sharecropping or contractual work on Chol Hamoed. An appraiser may appraise in the regular fashion, as long as he does not measure, weigh or count.

On Chol Hamoed, one may accept contractual work to be performed after the festival. However, one may not accept contractual work to be done on the festival.

The Tosefta had taught: An appraiser may appraise in the regular fashion, as long as he does not measure, weigh or count.

R. Yirmiyah: (The statement in the Mishnah in 1(b) refers to) if the lender does not believe the borrower or the scribe does not have food to eat.

Question (R. Yosi to R. Yirmiyah): If so (that you permit the scribe who does not have food), you would therefore permit all workers to do their work (since most work in order to have food to eat)? Rather, if the lender does not believe the borrower after the loan has been taken or a new borrower does not have food to eat.

Once, a person lost his Tefilin on Chol Hamoed. He came before R. Chananel (the scribe) who sent him to R. Abba bar Nasan.

R. Aba B"N to R. Chananel: Give me your Tefilin and go and write for yourself a new pair (thereby allowing the writing to be done on Chol Haloed in a deceitful way).

Rav to R. Aba: I will write them for him (without the need for deceit, as it is permitted to write them for another person).

Beraisa against Rav: 'A person may write Tefilin and a Mezuzah for himself.' This implies that it is prohibited to write for others.

Response: He is writing them to use after the festival. However, if they are to be used on the festival, it is permitted.

He may spin Techeles (turquoise woolen thread for his Tzitzis) on his thigh for his Tzitzis.

Rav Yehudah quoting Shmuel/ R. Abahu quoting R. Yochanan: One may spin even with a spindle.

Rav: One may spin with a spindle for himself and for another person.

Beraisa against Rav: 'He may spin Techeles on his thigh.' This implies that it is prohibited to spin for another person.

Response: He spins them to use after the festival.

(Mishnah): If a person buried his close relative 3 days before the festival, the festival ends the 7 days of mourning.

If he buried him 8 days before the festival, the festival ends the 30 days of mourning. This is because we say that Shabbos counts towards the days of mourning but it does not end them; the festival ends the days of mourning but it does not count towards them.

(Gemara): During the 7 day mourning period, it is prohibited to anoint, wear shoes, wash and have relations; take a haircut, press garments and learn Torah. During the 30 day period, it is prohibited to properly sew up a tear, to press garments and to take a haircut.

When is pressing prohibited? With new pressed woolen garments (where pressing renews them) or with white pressed linen garments.

R. Chelbo/ Rav Chuna quoting Rav: If his 8th day occurs on Shabbos, he may take a haircut on Friday which is the eve of the festival. How is this possible? (If the 8th day is Shabbos, the 1st day was also Shabbos - how could the grave have been closed on Shabbos?)

Answer: When a animal dragged away the body and he had given up hope of retrieving it.

Support (Beraisa): If an animal dragged away a corpse, from when is the 7 day and the 30 day period of mourning observed? From when the relative gives up hope of retrieving it. If they found it in parts, we count from when they found the head and most of the body.

R. Yehudah: The spine and the skull are considered most of the body.

Answer (R. Abun): They closed up the grave Friday evening at nightfall.

Question: How could they close the grave on Shabbos?

Answer (R. Acha): It was closed by a gentile.

Some say that a relative hearing within 30 days of the death is considered a "Shemuah Kerovah" - "a current report".

This situation arose for R. Ami and he took a haircut on the 31st day.

This situation arose for Rebbi and he took a haircut on the 31st day.

R. Zerikan: R. Ami learned this from the Mishnah - A person who accepted two periods of Nezirus upon himself, he cuts his hair for the first one after 31 days and the second one after 61 days.

Question: The latter statement says that if he cut his hair on the 30th day, he should cut for the second Nezirus on the 60th day. (This indicates that the first Nezirus ends on the 30th day and the second Nezirus begins that same day, thereby showing that part of a day is considered a full day.)

Answer (R. Yosi): There, it is a ruling for a non-ideal situation; here it refers to the ideal way to act.

R. Yirmiyah instructed R. Yitzchak Atushaya and some say R. Chiya the son of R. Yitzchak Atushaya to cut his hair on the 30th day, citing his source as our Mishnah.

The Mishnah had taught: 'If he buried him 8 days before the festival, the festival ends the 30 days of mourning.' Just as part of the 8th day is considered a full day, so part of the 30th day is considered a full day.

R. Yosa: That case is different - in honor of the festival, they permitted him to take a haircut.

Proof (R. Chelbo/ R. Chuna quoting Rav): 'If his 8th day occurs on Shabbos, he cuts his hair on Erev Shabbos.' If it was not in honor of the festival that they permitted it, then even if his 30th day would be on Shabbos, he should be permitted to cut his hair on Erev Shabbos.

Proof #2 (Beraisa): Upon the death of any close relative, he may sew his torn garment with wide stitches. He may sew regularly after 30 days.

Question: Why not let him sew with wide stitches on the 7th day and sew normally on the 30th day? Rather, we can conclude that 'part of a day is not considered a full day' and he must wait until after the 7th or 30th day.

R. Chagai: The matter remains unclear, since there are teachings that direct us in both ways.

Beraisa: It is Abba Shaul who reasons that part of a day is considered a full day.

Rav Yehudah quoting Shmuel/R. Abahu quoting R. Yochanan: The Halachah follows Abba Shaul and the Beraisa also rules like Abba Shaul.

R. Ba quoting Rav: Abba Shaul's ruling was annulled both for days and for decrees, but the Chachamim's ruling was annulled only for days.

What is the difference between them? Rav Chuna said - on the eve of the festival. If he took a haircut on the eve of the festival, he may cut after the festival; if he did not, he may not. R. Yehuda says - even if he did not take a haircut before the festival, he must take it after the festival.

R. Elazar instructed R. Shimon bar Ba to take a haircut after the festival but it is not known whether he was following Abba Shaul (and held that there is a dispute) or if he was following the Rabbanan (and there is no dispute).

R. Elazar ruled to Shimon bar Ba that the days of the festival count towards the 30 days.

R. Yosi: We find a case where the 30 days precede the 7 days (since the 7 days may not begin to be observed during the festival, but the festival counts as part of the 30 days).

He only said that 3 days count (and he does not complete the days of mourning after the festival), but not 2 days. This refers to his own private mourning, but he does not receive comforters after festival, since they already visited him on the festival.

Support (Beraisa): One who buries his dead on the 3rd day of the festival counts 7 days after the festival. During the first 4 days (after the festival), the many come to comfort him; during the last 3 days, they do not come. His work is done by others and his servants and animals may work privately elsewhere.

Question: But may people visit him throughout his days of mourning (even though they may not come to comfort him)?

Answer (R. Yaakov bar Idi quoting R. Chaninah): They said that there is no mourning on Shabbos (in a regular situation of morning). Why did they say that people can visit him? In order to show him honor. This should also apply to our case.

When 3 days of mourning passed and the 7 day festival stopped it, he must complete the days later; similarly, if he mourned one day and the festival stopped it, it should not stop the law of the first 2 days when he may not wear Tefillin.