Beitzah 20a
ביצה כ׳ ע״א
Learn Beitzah 20a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.
Open Beitzah 20a in Gemara Clarity
Topic
Vows with conditions that cannot work, and the argument between בית שמאי and בית הלל about סמיכה on holiday offerings.
Overview
The amud opens with the end of a question ריש לקיש asked רבי יוחנן: what if someone becomes a נזיר but plans to pay for his offerings with מעשר שני money? The answer is that the vow holds but the plan does not work. A similar case follows. A man said, 'give 400 זוז to so-and-so and let him marry my daughter.' רב פפא rules that the man takes the money and the marriage is up to him, though putting the condition first would have made the gift depend on it. Next a ברייתא learns from a פסוק that an obligatory עולה needs סמיכה. רבי יצחק בר אבא says this fits only בית שמאי, but the גמרא shows it can fit בית הלל too, by learning obligatory שלמים from two sources together. The גמרא then brings two ברייתות that disagree about what בית שמאי and בית הלל actually argued over: סמיכה itself, or slaughtering right after it. Finally comes the story of הלל הזקן bringing his עולה on יום טוב, and of בבא בן בוטא, a student of שמאי who knew the הלכה follows בית הלל. His story continues on the next amud.
Opening lines
וַאֲגַלַּח מִמְּעוֹת מַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי, מַהוּ?
and I will shave with second-tithe money, what is the law?
אֲמַר לֵיהּ: נָדוּר, וְאֵינוֹ יוֹצֵא.
He said to him: He has vowed, but he does not fulfill his obligation.
נָזִיר, וְאֵינוֹ מְגַלֵּחַ.
He is a nazirite, but he does not shave.
הָהוּא גַּבְרָא דַּאֲמַר לְהוּ:
A certain man who said to them:
The steps (15)
- QuestionCan a נזיר pay for his offerings with מעשר שני money?
- ResponseThe vow holds, but the condition does not work
- StatementA gift of 400 זוז with 'let him marry my daughter'
- StatementWord order decides whether it is a condition
- StatementWho first taught this law
- StatementA ברייתא teaches that an obligatory burnt-offering needs leaning of hands
- Statementרבי יצחק says this ברייתא follows בית שמאי
- ChallengeMaybe בית הלל learn from the obligatory burnt-offering instead
- RejectionThe suggestion fails because the burnt-offering is entirely burnt
- ResolutionLearning obligatory peace-offerings from both sources together
- ChallengeDo בית שמאי really hold that obligatory peace-offerings need no hand-placing?
- ResolutionFollowing a different תנא who reports the argument the other way
- StatementThe story of הלל הזקן bringing his burnt-offering on a festival
- Statementבית שמאי gain the upper hand and try to fix the הלכה
- Statementבבא בן בוטא, a student of שמאי who knew the הלכה follows בית הלל