Gemara Clarity

Chullin 60b

חולין ס׳ ע״ב

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Topic

An open question about רבי חנינא בר פפא's teaching on plants growing 'after its kind' (left as תיקו), followed by רבי שמעון בן פזי's אגדה about the moon being made smaller and the שעיר of ראש חודש as an atonement.

Overview

The amud opens with a question about the grasses: does הקב"ה's approval make them count as 'למינהו' for כלאים? The question ends in תיקו, unresolved. Next, רבי שמעון בן פזי tells the אגדה of the moon, which was made smaller and turned down every comfort it was offered, so הקב"ה asks for a כפרה, the שעיר of ראש חודש. רב אסי then explains that the plants waited at the surface of the ground until אדם prayed, because הקב"ה desires the prayers of צדיקים. רב חנן בר רבא teaches that השסועה is a rare animal with two backs, which proves the תורה is from Heaven. The גמרא also explains why a פסוק lists six Philistine lords when it says 'five,' and where the עוים came from. ריש לקיש then shows that פסוקים which look pointless, about the עוים, חשבון, חרמון and יוסף, really teach important lessons. Finally the גמרא returns to the משנה's line that bird signs were not stated, and starts a challenge from a ברייתא that continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

לְרַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר פָּפָּא מַהוּ?

According to Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa, what is the law?

כֵּיוָן דְּלָא כְּתַב בְּהוּ ״לְמִינֵהוּ״

Since 'after its kind' is not written about them,

לָא מִיחַיַּיב,

one is not liable,

אוֹ דִילְמָא כֵּיוָן דְּהִסְכִּים אַיְּדַיְהוּ –

or perhaps, since God agreed with them,

The steps (36)

  1. QuestionIs one liable for mixing the grasses according to רבי חנינא בר פפא?
  2. ConclusionThe question stays unresolved
  3. ChallengeTwo great lights, or one great and one small?
  4. ResolutionThe moon complains and is told to shrink
  5. ChallengeThe moon protests that it was right
  6. ResolutionFirst comfort: rule by day and by night
  7. RejectionA candle at noon is useless
  8. ResolutionSecond comfort: the Jewish calendar
  9. RejectionThe sun is used for counting too
  10. ResolutionThird comfort: צדיקים called 'small'
  11. Conclusionהקב"ה asks for atonement
  12. Proofריש לקיש: the ראש חודש goat is 'for ה''
  13. ChallengeTwo verses disagree about when plants appeared
  14. ResolutionThe grass waited for אדם's prayer
  15. Proofרב נחמן בר פפא's garden grows after prayer
  16. Statementהשסועה is a separate creature with two backs
  17. ProofThis rare animal proves the תורה is from Heaven
  18. Conclusionרב חסדא says to record the teaching and explain the words
  19. ChallengeThe verse says five Philistine lords but lists six
  20. ResolutionOnly five of them were the greatest
  21. ConclusionWrite the word 'ארונקי' in your book of אגדה
  22. Statementרב disagrees: the עוים came from תימן
  23. ProofA ברייתא supports רב
  24. StatementThree reasons they were called עוים
  25. StatementEach of them had sixteen rows of teeth
  26. StatementSome verses look useless but are core תורה
  27. QuestionWhat do we learn from the verse about the עוים?
  28. ResponseThe כפתורים took the land so ישראל could take it from them
  29. QuestionAnother pointless-looking verse: חשבון belonged to סיחון
  30. Responseסיחון took the land from Moab so ישראל could take it from him
  31. Statementרב פפא: Ammon and Moab were "purified" through סיחון
  32. StatementThe names of חרמון show the nations loved the mountains of ארץ ישראל
  33. QuestionWhy tell us that יוסף moved the Egyptians from city to city?
  34. ResponseSo no one would call יוסף's brothers exiles
  35. StatementBack to the משנה: the signs of kosher birds were not stated
  36. ChallengeChallenge: a ברייתא about the נשר seems to give bird signs