BS”D

Shkolim 2a

Mar Cheshvan 9, 5784. October 24, 2023

1- We began with a general overview of the Talmud Yerushalmi.

• Completed or ‘sealed’ 100 years before the Bavli sealed.
• The cause for its early ‘closure’.
• How it differs from the Bavli. Language and structure.
• The issues with the various גרסאות.
• Why we generally follow the Bavli when it goes against a Yerushalmi ruling.
• When the Bavli leaves a question unanswered we follow the Yerushalmi.
• The ראשונים that didn’t have the Yerushalmi.
• The Rambam’s reliance on the Yerushalmi.

• Polemic if Rashi had all or just parts of the Yerushalmi.
• The manuscript that was found in the Cairo Geniza, a compendium of the הלכות of the ירושלמי, that seems to have been written by the Rambam.

Here is a great link for a book listing all the places the Bavli and Yeruhalmi disagree,

2- The famous letter of Rav Sherira Gaon which is the only source we have for many historical facts from the time of the Mishnah to the era of the גאונים. See here. Here.  Video presentation.

Page from Iggeres of R Sherira Gaon

3- We mentioned one example where we follow the ירושלמי despite the clear instructions from the בבלי. Megillah 31a.

The הפטורה on שמחת תורה.

Where as in בבלי us states quite clearly to say a potion of מלכים,

Most communities say the beginning of יהושע.

Tosfos is perplexed as to why we don’t follow the גמרא’s opinions, and says that it’s a mistake!

They then add that some say that Rav האי גאון ruled differently, but do not know the reason.

The Rosh points out that we follow the ירושלמי that the הפטורה should be the one from יהושע.

Interestingly, it’s not in ‘our’ ירשולמי that we possess!

4- Mentioned the הלכה of ‘marrying a great granddaughter’!

Whereas מן התורה one is permitted, מדרבנן us is prohibited.

The ירושלמי states that this prohibition goes on forever.

“אברהם אבינו cannot marry any woman of his descendants’

The Rambam says that the prohibition is just for a great granddaughter – it does not continue to her daughter.

See here AH 15, 12.

5-

And so we began….

באחד באדר משמיעין על השקלים

Discussed the very basic הלכה of the שקלים.

All the קרבנות brought from ראש חודש ניסן and on, had to be funded (only) from the ‘new collection’.

This means that even if there was a large surplus of cash left over from the previous year’s collection, that money cannot be used for the new קרבנות. We will see later on as to what was done with this surplus money.

Basically, ר”ח ניסן was the beginning of the fiscal year for the בית המקדש.

Hence the need to start announcing about the new collection on Rosh Chodesh Adar, 30 days prior to the new fiscal year to assure that the new קופה will be fully funded.

BS”D

Suka 56b -Siyum

M Cheshvan 2, 5784. October 17, 2023

1- Discussed the two opinions of the distribution of the 12 loaves of the לחם הפנים every Shabbos afternoon at the changing of the משמרות.

The חכמים say it was an even split. 6 for the outgoing משמר and 6 for the incoming משמר.

רבי יהודה says that is a 7 -5 split, with the incoming משמר receiving 7 and the outgoing one, only 5. The reason being that the incoming משמר ‘completed’ the work of the outgoing משמר by closing the doors Shabbos evening that were opened שבת morning by the outgoing משמר. This ‘extra’ work earned them another loaf.

The גמרא  points out that the sum total is the same. If one receives 6 this week (upon incoming)  and 6 next week (upon outgoing)  – that equals 12.

Ditto for taking 7 this week (upon incoming) and only 5 next week (upon outgoing) it also equals 12.

So why does Reb Yehuda say the split was 5 to 7?

אמר אביי בוצינא טבא מקרא

Literally translated: People will choose receiving a tiny vegetable now, while still growing, despite it being small, over a promise of receiving a large fully grown vegetable in the future.

In our vernacular: One in the hand is better than 2 in the bush.

So, we show the incoming  משמר, that their volunteering for the coming week is appreciated, by giving them 7 now. Not 6. Despite them knowing that next week, on the way out they will receive only 5.

2- We went on to finish BE”H the מסכתא that we began on December 5, 2019!

3- The tragic story of the girl that went astray, married a Greek goy and slammed the מזבח with her sandal.

לוקוס לוקוס עד מתי אתה מכלה ממונן של ישראל ואי אתה עומד עליהם בשעת הדחק

4- Spoke about the famous incredible Sicha of the Rebbe on Miryam bas Bilga.  ו’ תשרי תשל”ה.

Video with Hebrew subtitles. Here. English here.

Here. Here.

5- We discussed the equally incredible Sicha of the Rebbe two weeks later on שמחת תורה.

The Rebbe quite clearly said that his finding (on ו’ תשרי) some merit in what this unfortunate girl did, was to be מעלה her נשמה that has been unable to find its place for thousands of years!

He prefaced it with a story of the Alter Rebbe who similarly found a זכות for the killers of זכריה הנביא. By doing this he elevated their נשמות and subsequently the דיבוק of these people left the person they ‘infested’.

And The Rebbe concluded:

6- Spoke about the continuation of the Sicha explaining the Rambam in his letter (אגרת השמד ואגרת תימן) that  ירבעם בן נבט who is the symbol of the epitome of evil, will be judged (in addition to all his monster עבירות) for  also not performing the Mitzvah of עירוב תבשילין!

The Rebbe emphasized the flip side of the above, that even a small מצוה, performed by a ‘lowlife’ who has done  דבר שפל ביותר,  offers the opportunity for him to connect himself with הקב”ה.

Here are the incredible words:

6- We BE”H began מסכתא שקלים from the ירושלמי.

מחצית השקל

A מצוות  עשה and yet, most opinions say that there is no ברכה said on it.

We discussed briefly the תשובת הרשב”א that offers an explanation. (18)

The Rashba lays down many rules as when to make a ברכה or not.

Here are 2 rules:

1- A מצווה that may not be completed after the ברכה. Such as צדקה and other מתנות עניים.

One makes a ברכה, the receiver refuse it, and the ברכה is לבטלה!

So prior to giving צדקה  a ברכה is not made.

2- תרומה or מעשר and מחצית השקל. Why do we not make a ברכה? ‘Because you are not giving anything that belongs to you’!!

It belongs to the Kohen or the Beis Hamikdash to begin with.

We had a lively discussion as to why money of צדקה is, as it seems from the רשב”א, more ‘yours’ than מחצית השקל or תרומה.

To be continued.

BS”D

Suka 56a (2)

Tishrei 25, 5784. October 10, 2023

1- We continued the Sugya of the Brachos שהחיינו and לישב בסוכה – which one is said first.

‘חיובא דיומא’, – לישב בסוכה

vs.

שהחיינו – תדיר ושאינו תדיר – תדיר קודם.

2- The גמרא brings proof to both opinions from the distribution to the כהנים the  two types of breads on a Shabbos that is also חג השבועות.

On such an occasion, in addition to the weekly distribution of the לחם הפנים (which is a thick bread but not חמץ, and called מצה) there were an additional 2 breads, the שתי הלחם, (which were חמץ) that were also distributed.

Now, the rule is that there was no bartering allowed. Meaning that each כהן received a piece of both breads. Taking more of one in place of taking none of the other was not allowed.

The מצה was something baked and eventually eaten every week. The חמץ of the שתי הלחם on the other hand, was a once a year occurrence – on שבועות.

The fellow distributing the pieces of the two breads would say ‘here is a piece of this bread and here is a piece of the other bread’.

Which should he mention first? חמץ or מצה.

Here too we have a clash of what comes first.

If based on ‘חיובא דיומא’, meaning an item that is more associated and identifiable with this unique day, it follows that  – שבועות and חמץ שתי הלחם is more important than the   תדיר ושאינו תדיר – תדיר קודם, of the לחם הפנים. Thus the fellow should say ‘here is a piece of חמץ and here is a piece of the מצה’.

If however, תדיר ושאינו תדיר – תדיר קודם is more important than ‘חיובא דיומא’, the fellow should say ‘here is a piece of מצה and here is a piece of חמץ.

The גמרא concludes that there are actually two opinions on what the fellow used to say!

3- We discussed as to why we switch the order of  שהחיינו and לישב בסוכה on the second night.

4- We finished with the fascinating Rogatchover about the פר העלם דבר that was brought as a result of the not observing יום כיפור at the חנוכת הבית of the first בית המקדש.

סמיכה על פר העלם דבר של ציבור, איור מתנ”ך שנת 1890

Our גמרא is perhaps proof to this original idea.

We spoke about this at the Sukkos Shiur in 2014.

Here are some of the cryptic notes.

————————

הושענא רבה, תשע”ד

 פר העלם דבר

רגצ’ובי

גמרא מו”ק ט,א.  – דאחיל ליה

http://hebrewbooks.org/shas.aspx?mesechta=12&daf=9&format=pdf

יומא פ,א. עינוי לא הותר מכללו..

http://beta.hebrewbooks.org/shas.aspx?mesechta=6&daf=81&format=pdf

הוריות ג,א. קהל רק בארץ ישראל.

http://beta.hebrewbooks.org/shas.aspx?mesechta=28&daf=3&format=pdf

נ”ך מלכים א, ח, סה

http://beta.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14263&st=&pgnum=102

http://beta.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14263&st=&pgnum=103

לפי”ז התחיל החנוכה ביום ח תשרי. ח ט י יא יב יג יד, ואח”כ התחיל חג הסוכות טו טז יז יח יט כ כא, וביום השמיני – היינו שמ”ע כב תשרי, שלח את העם והם עזבו רק ביום כג תשרי.

הרעיון

http://beta.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=1086&st=&pgnum=315

http://beta.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=1086&st=&pgnum=316

הוספות לאחר זמן :

1- ויש להביא ראי’ לזה מסוכה נו, א. שמשמר שיו”ט חל בשבוע שלו היו מקריבין כל קרבנות…ושאר קרבנות ציבור. לאתויי מאי? לאתוי פר העלם דבר.

ובפירוש רש”י אם אירע ברגל!

2- מפורש בגמרא שרבי אליעזר ראה טיפות דם על הפרוכת. יומא נז, א. ומוקי לי’ בדם של פה”ד. עיי”ש בתוס שמה שראה היתה הפרוכת של בית ראשון. עיי”ש בתוס’. [כח סיון תשפ”א]