Gemara Clarity

Bechoros 30a

בכורות ל׳ ע״א

Bekhorot 30a

Learn Bechoros 30a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Bechoros 30a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

How far suspicion reaches: רבא's penalty on a cheating seller, and the משנה about שביעית, מעשרות and טהרות with its explanations and authorship

Overview

The amud opens by finishing a story about a man who sold forbidden fat as permitted fat. רבא banned him from selling even nuts. רב פפא asks whether that follows רבי יהודה, and רבא answers that it follows רבי שמעון, because the man used nuts to bribe butchers' children into bringing him the forbidden fat. Next comes a new משנה. Suspicion about שביעית and suspicion about מעשרות do not carry over to each other. Suspicion about either carries over to טהרות, but suspicion about טהרות does not carry back. A suspected person may not judge or testify about the matter he is suspected of. The גמרא explains each part: מעשר feels serious because it must be eaten in ירושלים, and שביעית feels serious because it cannot be redeemed. Torah law outweighs rabbinic law. A contradiction from a ברייתא is answered in two ways. Finally, רבי יוחנן says the משנה follows רבי עקיבא, and two versions identify the disagreeing חכמים as רבי יהודה or רבי מאיר. Students then begin to argue over which version is right, and that argument continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

תַּרְבָּא דְּאַטְמָא בְּמַר דְּכַנְתָּא,

fat of the thigh in place of fat of the intestines,

קַנְסֵיהּ רָבָא לְזַבּוֹנֵי

Rava penalized him, so that he could not sell

אֲפִילּוּ אַמְגּוֹזֵי.

even nuts.

אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב פָּפָּא לְרָבָא:

Rav Pappa said to Rava:

The steps (23)

  1. Statementרבא bans a cheating seller from selling even nuts
  2. Challengeרב פפא asks which opinion רבא followed
  3. Resolutionרבא explains: the nuts were the tool he used to cheat
  4. Statementמשנה: suspicion in one area does not spread to another
  5. Statementמשנה's general rule: a suspected person may not judge or testify
  6. QuestionWhy is someone suspected about שביעית still trusted about מעשר?
  7. Responseמעשר must be eaten inside ירושלים, so it feels more serious
  8. QuestionWhy is someone suspected about tithes still trusted about the Sabbatical Year?
  9. ResponseTithes can be redeemed, but Sabbatical produce cannot
  10. StatementCareless with Torah law means surely careless with rabbinic law
  11. QuestionWhy is someone suspected about purity still trusted about the other laws?
  12. ResponseCareless with rabbinic law does not mean careless with Torah law
  13. ChallengeA ברייתא seems to link purity and the Sabbatical Year
  14. ResolutionThe משנה means a person seen being careful at home
  15. ResolutionA broken promise makes him suspect about both
  16. StatementThe משנה follows רבי עקיבא, and the חכמים disagree
  17. QuestionWho are these חכמים?
  18. ResponseIt is רבי יהודה, whose area was strict about שביעית
  19. ProofA story shows how serious שביעית was there
  20. StatementAnother version: the חכמים say the reverse
  21. QuestionWho are the חכמים in this version?
  22. ResponseIt is רבי מאיר: suspected about one, suspected about all
  23. StatementTwo students argue over which version is correct