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Chagigah 16b

חגיגה ט״ז ע״ב

Learn Chagigah 16b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The נשיא and אב בית דין of the זוגות, מנחם's departure, and the laws of סמיכה on יום טוב

Overview

The amud opens with the end of the משנה: in each of the five זוגות, the first-named sage was the נשיא and the second was the אב בית דין. A ברייתא brings רבי מאיר's way of deciding who was נשיא, and the חכמים say that שמעון בן שטח, not יהודה בן טבאי, was the נשיא. The גמרא then tells the story of יהודה בן טבאי executing a single עד זומם, being rebuked by שמעון בן שטח, and promising to rule only in his presence. The גמרא tries to use that promise to show the story follows רבי מאיר, but answers that it fits the חכמים too. Next, the גמרא explains that מנחם left the בית דין, either to go astray (אביי) or to serve the king (רבא), and a ברייתא supports רבא. רבי יוחנן teaches never to take a שבות lightly, since the great sages argued about סמיכה on יום טוב. רמי בר חמא learns that סמיכה needs all one's strength, and the גמרא defends this against a ברייתא about women doing סמיכה. Finally, רב פפא learns from that story that using the sides of an animal is also forbidden.

Opening lines

הָרִאשׁוֹנִים הָיוּ נְשִׂיאִים,

The first ones were נשיאים,

וּשְׁנִיִּים לָהֶם אֲבוֹת בֵּית דִּין.

and the ones second to them were heads of the court.

גְּמָ׳ תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן:

GEMARA: The Rabbis taught:

שְׁלֹשָׁה מִזּוּגוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים

three of the first pairs,

The steps (29)

  1. StatementThe משנה: first of each pair was נשיא
  2. Statementרבי מאיר: the נשיא is decided by his position on סמיכה
  3. StatementThe חכמים: שמעון בן שטח was the נשיא
  4. QuestionWhich תנא taught the following ברייתא?
  5. Statementיהודה בן טבאי executes a false witness to oppose the צדוקים
  6. Challengeשמעון בן שטח: you killed an innocent man
  7. Statementיהודה בן טבאי accepts that he will rule only before שמעון בן שטח
  8. Statementיהודה בן טבאי weeps at the grave of the executed man
  9. Rejectionרב אחא בר רבא questions the proof from the voice stopping
  10. ProofThe story fits רבי מאיר's view
  11. ChallengeThe story is hard to fit with the חכמים' view
  12. ResolutionHis vow was about not even joining a vote
  13. QuestionWhere did מנחם go?
  14. Responseאביי: he went astray
  15. Responseרבא: he went into the king's service
  16. ProofA ברייתא supports רבא
  17. StatementNever take a שבות lightly
  18. ChallengeIsn't that obvious?
  19. ResolutionIt was needed for a שבות done for a מצוה
  20. ChallengeThis too is obvious
  21. ResolutionThe dispute is about the שבות, not about סמיכה itself
  22. Statementרמי בר חמא: סמיכה needs all one's strength
  23. ChallengeA ברייתא about women doing סמיכה
  24. ProofThe story of the women and the calf
  25. ChallengeSo full strength must not be required
  26. ResolutionThe women were told to rest their hands lightly
  27. ChallengeThen why not say it wasn't סמיכה at all?
  28. Resolutionרבי אמי: The ברייתא gives two reasons
  29. Statementרב פפא: The sides of the animal are also forbidden