The Torah says 'do not muzzle an ox while threshing.' Does this prohibition apply only to oxen threshing grain?
The verse mentions ox and threshing as the most common case, but the prohibition applies to all animals (kosher and non-kosher) and all types of agricultural labor with produce. The Rambam explicitly extends it.
Question 2
A renter muzzles a hired cow and uses it to thresh grain. What penalties apply?
This is an exceptional case where both lashes and monetary payment apply simultaneously. The renter was obligated to provide the animal's food from the moment he pulled it, and he receives lashes for muzzling while working. This exception exists because the monetary obligation (feeding) and the Torah violation (muzzling) are distinct.
Question 3
A Jew tells a gentile: 'Muzzle my ox and thresh with it.' The gentile does so. Does the Jew transgress the prohibition?
Telling a gentile to muzzle one's animal is forbidden, but the Jewish owner does not receive lashes for this indirect act. Similar indirect forms (thorn in mouth, frightening the animal, spreading hide) are also forbidden but not punishable by lashes.
Question 4
A farmer starves his cow the night before threshing so it will eat more grain during the work. Is this permitted?
The owner is permitted to starve or aggrieve his animal beforehand to increase its eating during threshing. This does not constitute muzzling — no obstruction is placed during the work. Similarly, the renter may pre-feed hay to reduce the animal's consumption during threshing.
Question 5
What duty does the Rambam emphasize for workers at the close of Hilchot Sekhirut?
The Rambam closes the entire tractate with the worker's obligation to work with full strength, citing Jacob's declaration 'I served your father with all my strength.' Just as the employer must not steal wages, the worker must not steal work time or weaken himself to give less than full effort.