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Chagigah 27a

חגיגה כ״ז ע״א

Learn Chagigah 27a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Chagigah 27a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The שולחן and the coated מזבחות and whether they can become טמא, a person's table as a source of כפרה, and protection from the fire of גיהנם, closing מסכת חגיגה

Overview

The amud opens by finishing an earlier proof. The gold-coated שולחן still counts as a wooden item, because the פסוק in יחזקאל calls it 'wood'. The גמרא notices that this פסוק starts with 'מזבח' and ends with 'שולחן'. רבי יוחנן and ריש לקיש explain that today a person's table atones for him the way the מזבח once did. Next the גמרא turns to the משנה, where רבי אליעזר says the two מזבחות are like the ground and cannot become טמא, and it brings פסוקים for both the copper and the golden מזבח. The חכמים's reason, 'because they are coated', looks backwards, so the גמרא gives two answers. In the first, the חכמים say the coating makes the מזבחות able to become טמא. In the second, they agree the מזבחות are pure, but say the coating is nullified, so 'like the ground' is not needed. The amud ends with two קל וחומר teachings: the fire of גיהנם cannot harm תלמידי חכמים, and it cannot harm even the sinners of ישראל, who are full of מצוות like a pomegranate. Then the הדרן closes פרק חומר בקודש and all of מסכת חגיגה.

Opening lines

דְּרַחֲמָנָא קַרְיֵיהּ ״עֵץ״,

because the Merciful One called it "wood,"

דִּכְתִיב: ״הַמִּזְבֵּחַ עֵץ

as it is written: "The altar, of wood,

שָׁלֹשׁ אַמּוֹת גָּבוֹהַּ

three cubits high

וְאׇרְכּוֹ שְׁתַּיִם אַמּוֹת

and its length two cubits

The steps (11)

  1. ProofThe table is called 'wood' in the verse
  2. ChallengeThe verse starts with 'altar' and ends with 'table'
  3. ResolutionToday a person's table atones like the altar
  4. ProofThe copper altar is like the ground
  5. ProofThe golden altar is compared to the copper altar
  6. ChallengeBeing coated should make the altars impure, not pure
  7. ResolutionReread the משנה: the חכמים say the altars can become impure
  8. ResolutionA second answer: the coating does not count
  9. StatementThe fire of גיהנם cannot touch תלמידי חכמים
  10. StatementEven the sinners of ישראל are protected from גיהנם
  11. Conclusionהדרן: Closing פרק חומר בקודש and finishing מסכת חגיגה