(כה) וְכׇל־אִשָּׁ֥ה חַכְמַת־לֵ֖ב בְּיָדֶ֣יהָ טָו֑וּ וַיָּבִ֣יאוּ מַטְוֶ֗ה אֶֽת־הַתְּכֵ֙לֶת֙ וְאֶת־הָֽאַרְגָּמָ֔ן אֶת־תּוֹלַ֥עַת הַשָּׁנִ֖י וְאֶת־הַשֵּֽׁשׁ׃ (כו) וְכׇ֨ל־הַנָּשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָשָׂ֥א לִבָּ֛ן אֹתָ֖נָה בְּחׇכְמָ֑ה טָו֖וּ אֶת־הָעִזִּֽים׃
(25) And all the skilled women spun with their own hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and in fine linen. (26) And all the women who excelled in that skill spun the goats’ hair.
הַגּוֹזֵז אֶת הַצֶּמֶר וְהַמְלַבְּנוֹ. אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: הַטּוֹוֶה צֶמֶר שֶׁעַל גַּבֵּי בְּהֵמָה בְּשַׁבָּת — חַיָּיב שָׁלֹשׁ חַטָּאוֹת: אַחַת מִשּׁוּם גּוֹזֵז, וְאַחַת מִשּׁוּם מְנַפֵּץ, וְאַחַת מִשּׁוּם טוֹוֶה. רַב כָּהֲנָא אָמַר: אֵין דֶּרֶךְ גְּזִיזָה בְּכָךְ, וְאֵין דֶּרֶךְ מְנַפֵּץ בְּכָךְ, וְאֵין דֶּרֶךְ טְוִויָּה בְּכָךְ. וְלָא? וְהָתַנְיָא מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה: שָׁטוּף בָּעִזִּים, וְטָווּי בָּעִזִּים, אַלְמָא טְוִויָּה עַל גַּבֵּי בְּהֵמָה שְׁמָהּ טְוִויָּה! חָכְמָה יְתֵירָה שָׁאנֵי.
We learned in the mishna, among those liable for performing primary categories of labor: One who shears wool, and one who whitens it, which are labors in the process of shearing and spinning wool. Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: One who unwittingly spins wool still attached on the back of an animal on Shabbat is liable to bring three sin-offerings: One due to shearing, since, in the process, some of the wool is detached from the sheep; and one due to combing the wool; and one due to spinning. Rav Kahana said: This is not a typical manner of shearing, and this is not a typical manner of combing, and this is not a typical manner of spinning. The Gemara asks: And is that not a typical manner of spinning? Wasn’t it taught in a baraita in the name of Rabbi Neḥemya that the verse in the context of the work of the Tabernacle: “And all the women whose hearts lifted them with wisdom spun the goats” (Exodus 35:26) means that they washed the hair on the goats, and they spun it into threads on the goats themselves without first shearing the hair? Apparently, spinning on the back of an animal is considered a typical manner of spinning. The Gemara answers: Extraordinary wisdom is different. Although certain individuals are capable of spinning wool that way, the typical person is not capable of performing that feat.
שָׁאֲלָה אִשָּׁה חֲכָמָה אֶת רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר: מֵאַחַר שֶׁמַּעֲשֵׂה הָעֵגֶל שָׁוִין, מִפְּנֵי מָה אֵין מִיתָתָן שָׁוָה? אָמַר לָהּ: אֵין חׇכְמָה לָאִשָּׁה אֶלָּא בְּפֶלֶךְ, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר: ״וְכׇל אִשָּׁה חַכְמַת לֵב בְּיָדֶיהָ טָווּ״.
The Gemara cites another question posed to Rabbi Eliezer. A wise woman asked Rabbi Eliezer: Since all bore equal responsibility for the incident of the Golden Calf, due to what factor were their deaths not equal? Some of the people were killed by the sword of Moses and the Levites, some were killed in a plague, and others were struck with an intestinal illness. He said to her: There is no wisdom in a woman except weaving with a spindle, and so it states: “And any woman who was wise-hearted spun with her hands” (Exodus 35:25). Therefore, it is unbefitting for a woman to concern herself with such questions.