Gemara Clarity

Avodah Zarah 37b

עבודה זרה ל״ז ע״ב

Learn Avodah Zarah 37b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Avodah Zarah 37b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The testimonies of יוסי בן יועזר (locusts, slaughterhouse liquids, touching a מת), and the source for forbidding a נכרי's cooked food.

Overview

The amud opens by finishing the dispute about a kosher locust. Everyone agrees a long-headed locust is forbidden. The argument is only about whether wings that barely cover most of the body are enough. Next comes יוסי בן יועזר's testimony that the Temple slaughterhouse liquids are pure. רב and שמואל argue over what 'pure' means, based on how much of טומאת משקין is from the Torah. The גמרא then asks why יוסי בן יועזר was called 'the Permitter' for ruling that touching a מת makes one impure. A first explanation about chains of touching is rejected by רבא. רבא says that, according to רב נחמן, יוסי בן יועזר publicly ruled that a ספק טומאה in a רשות הרבים is טהור. Finally the גמרא looks for the source that a נכרי's cooked food (שלקות) is forbidden. It learns it from משה's request to buy food and water from סיחון, and keeps refining what kind of change counts. The amud ends with a challenge to the 'change by fire' answer, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

סוּסְבִּיל,

it is a susbil,

בְּרֹאשׁוֹ אָרוֹךְ —

so with regard to a long-headed one,

כּוּלֵּי עָלְמָא לָא פְּלִיגִי דְּאָסוּר,

everyone agrees that it is forbidden;

וְהָכָא בִּכְנָפָיו חוֹפִין אֶת רוּבּוֹ

and here, about one whose wings cover most of it

The steps (27)

  1. ResolutionWhere exactly the locust dispute lies
  2. ConclusionBare majority versus noticeable majority
  3. StatementTestimony: the Temple slaughterhouse liquids are pure
  4. QuestionWhat does 'pure' mean here?
  5. Responseרב: fully pure; שמואל: pure only toward others
  6. StatementWhy רב says the liquids are fully pure
  7. StatementWhy שמואל says they still become impure themselves
  8. StatementThird testimony: touching a dead body makes one impure
  9. ChallengeWhy call him lenient, and isn't this already in the Torah?
  10. ResolutionHe restored the Torah law against a rabbinic decree
  11. ChallengeA verse shows the second toucher is impure by Torah law too
  12. Resolutionרב נחמן: the Torah law depends on whether the contact is still connected
  13. QuestionWhat is the Torah source? Three verses that seem to clash
  14. ResponseThe verses fit: connected versus not connected
  15. Rejectionרבא: Don't pin false statements on רב נחמן
  16. StatementWhat רב נחמן really said: a doubt in a public area is permitted
  17. ChallengeBut that rule is already learned from סוטה
  18. ResolutionIt was the הלכה, but nobody ruled that way in public
  19. ProofA ברייתא shows the ruling was made public with stakes
  20. Statementרבי ינאי tells people to just go immerse
  21. QuestionWhere do we learn that their boiled food is forbidden?
  22. ResponseFood is compared to water in משה's request
  23. ChallengeThen roasted wheat should be forbidden too
  24. ResolutionOnly food changed from its natural form is forbidden
  25. ChallengeWhat about wheat ground into flour?
  26. ResolutionThe change must be made by fire
  27. ChallengeThe verse never mentions fire