[Avodah] Halachic who is right from "The Lost Scotch"

[Michael Kopinsky]

On 3/19/07, Meir Shinnar <chidekel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> WRT the specific issue - there was no ones - davidi could have sung - just
> no one wanted him to.  That wasn't ones...
>
This is exactly comparable to the case in the Gemara - I hired poalim to
irrigate my field, and then it rained or the river irrigated the fields
for me.  The poalim certainly could have, if they were bored, carried
water to my field from the well, but it would have served no benefit.
Oness in this context means that for unforseen reasons the work agreement
was not carried out.  It could be because the poeil got sick mid-day or a
relative of his died, or it could be because the BH"B no longer needs the
work done (such as the cases mentioned above).  The Gemara calls all of
these oness.